My wife and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Quebec City. While we were sitting at the border waiting to see customs, I watched truck after truck pass through the border with their NEXUS pass. For anyone that is unaware, this is like an EZ-Pass for the border. US Customs calls it an "alternative inspection program." Dr. Jerome Corsi documents this blending of our borders in his amazing book, The Late, Great USA. Watching this early stage of North American globalization, I started to think about how blurry our trade practices really are.
Remember all the calls to "buy American?" I started to wonder what that even means today. When my wife and I looked into buying a new car, I was surprised to see that the Chevy Aveo & Cobalt on the lot were made in South Korea with barely 20% of their parts made in the US or Canada. As for the Toyota Yaris we checked out, it was made in the US and with almost 70% of its parts originating from our country. So does "buying American" mean where the jobs are or where the corporate office is located? I really don't know.
My wife and I just enjoyed a trip to Hershey Park, but even that icon of American chocolate has decided to move roughly 1,400 jobs to Mexico. Since Bush took office, over 3 million manufacturing jobs have moved out of the country, yet the companies can still be looked at as "American" companies; Levis, Wrangler, Black and Decker, Maytag, Black, La-Z-Boy, Honeywell, Phillips, Eastman-Kodak, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Pillsbury, Carrier Air Conditioning, Lexmark, Whirlpool, Colgate, Zenith, Canon, Pratt & Whitney - the list goes on and on. Since 2003, 96 percent of all the clothing that is purchased and 75 percent of all the toys sold in the U.S. are manufactured in other countries. As of 2004, 70 percent of the items sold at Wal-Mart were made in China! Is it any wonder that by next year, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest manufacturer?
Still love those low, low, prices?
Even when we buy "American," due to globalization, we're actually sending our money to other countries. For instance, Nestle (out of Switzerland) owns 30% of the American frozen foods market. So whenever you buy Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Ortega, Hot Pockets, and Buitoni products, the plants may be American, but the company is not. With Nestle also owning American distribution rights to Friskies, Purina, San Pellegrino, Perrier, Häagen Dazs, and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream - and now even an attempt at buying Hershey Chocolate - what is the definition of "buying American?"
So my confusion remains - am I buying American if I get a Toyota or Honda (both manufactured in the US) or if I buy a Ford or Chevy, currently made in Canada, Mexico, and South Korea? What about if I shop at Wal-Mart or Toys R Us, with their shelves stocked with products made on the backs of Chinese slaves?
What can we do? Out of all the American companies that were bought by foreign investors in 2007, roughly 60% of them were in the manufacturing and retail markets. And with Dubai planning on buying 20%-30% of the Nasdaq stock exchange, even having a 401(k) can put more money into the pockets of other nations.
The Democrats and Republicans have us so tangled up, it's hard to see straight. We cannot continue to stay on this road of self-destruction. We need a real change and that can only happen through your support of third parties, like the Constitution Party. Due to our ridiculous two-party system, even something as simple as "Buy American" is a nearly impossible task.
Real change for real Americans - vote Chuck Baldwin for president.
Remember all the calls to "buy American?" I started to wonder what that even means today. When my wife and I looked into buying a new car, I was surprised to see that the Chevy Aveo & Cobalt on the lot were made in South Korea with barely 20% of their parts made in the US or Canada. As for the Toyota Yaris we checked out, it was made in the US and with almost 70% of its parts originating from our country. So does "buying American" mean where the jobs are or where the corporate office is located? I really don't know.
My wife and I just enjoyed a trip to Hershey Park, but even that icon of American chocolate has decided to move roughly 1,400 jobs to Mexico. Since Bush took office, over 3 million manufacturing jobs have moved out of the country, yet the companies can still be looked at as "American" companies; Levis, Wrangler, Black and Decker, Maytag, Black, La-Z-Boy, Honeywell, Phillips, Eastman-Kodak, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Pillsbury, Carrier Air Conditioning, Lexmark, Whirlpool, Colgate, Zenith, Canon, Pratt & Whitney - the list goes on and on. Since 2003, 96 percent of all the clothing that is purchased and 75 percent of all the toys sold in the U.S. are manufactured in other countries. As of 2004, 70 percent of the items sold at Wal-Mart were made in China! Is it any wonder that by next year, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest manufacturer?
Still love those low, low, prices?
Even when we buy "American," due to globalization, we're actually sending our money to other countries. For instance, Nestle (out of Switzerland) owns 30% of the American frozen foods market. So whenever you buy Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Ortega, Hot Pockets, and Buitoni products, the plants may be American, but the company is not. With Nestle also owning American distribution rights to Friskies, Purina, San Pellegrino, Perrier, Häagen Dazs, and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream - and now even an attempt at buying Hershey Chocolate - what is the definition of "buying American?"
So my confusion remains - am I buying American if I get a Toyota or Honda (both manufactured in the US) or if I buy a Ford or Chevy, currently made in Canada, Mexico, and South Korea? What about if I shop at Wal-Mart or Toys R Us, with their shelves stocked with products made on the backs of Chinese slaves?
What can we do? Out of all the American companies that were bought by foreign investors in 2007, roughly 60% of them were in the manufacturing and retail markets. And with Dubai planning on buying 20%-30% of the Nasdaq stock exchange, even having a 401(k) can put more money into the pockets of other nations.
The Democrats and Republicans have us so tangled up, it's hard to see straight. We cannot continue to stay on this road of self-destruction. We need a real change and that can only happen through your support of third parties, like the Constitution Party. Due to our ridiculous two-party system, even something as simple as "Buy American" is a nearly impossible task.
Real change for real Americans - vote Chuck Baldwin for president.
1 comments:
Great essay. I wish more people were aware of how many """American""" companies are just fronts for sweatshop factories in other countries (I have to confess I wasn't aware of a few of those!)
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