MADE IN USA PRODUCT

[DeadPoolX 9]

And they're not about to go belly up and put millions of workers around the world out on the street

My point is not just the bailout and whining by the auto makers to get it. My point is, that both Toyota and GM employ Americans here in America. Sure, one may pay a couple dollars more per hour, but they also pay their C levels multi-million dollar bonuses every year that are not necessarily earned. They also seem to have mismanaged some funds, and counted their chickens before their eggs. Toyota and Honda are having no such problems.

When GM falls, it not only takes the US down with it, but hundres upon thousands of workers around the world. Not just GM workers, but workers from supplier companies, and then the towns etc etc etc...its already happening. Thousands of auto workers in Canada are out of jobs already because of GM, Ford and Chrysler "downsizing". Parts manufacturers have closed up shop because they have no one ot make parts for. And yet, the Toyota and Honda plants are still open and still making cars. Those folks still have a paycheque. Where are all those GM people going to go, if the only employer in town was the GM plant? hmmmmmm...?

Ah. Okay, in that case, you're right. Multimillion dollar bonuses aren't necessary -- at least not for a company attempting to survive. As for American automakers downsizing, I see what you mean. Even if they normally pay more than Toyota (and presumably other non-American companies), it won't matter if they go out of business or lay off tons of workers. Those working for Toyota make receive less, but at least they're getting money.

American Product? Never heard of it. ROFL.

If there is one, it wouldn't be very high quality. They like to reduce quality and jack up the prices. It's hard for an American company to produce quality goods when they need to pay a high hourly wage to their employees while maintaining a high profit. Look at WalMart, the product line that they carry is about average and Walmart is barely making a profit on each one. They counter the lack of profit by high volume sales of that average product instead. No wonder these companies are outsourcing, well, and the lack of qualified people working.

People in the US prefer cheap stuff that's why anything American made is hardly reliable except for a few things.

Wal-Mart offers items that are predominantly made in China, Mexico or some country that's not the United States. The U.S. did have plenty of items marked "Made in the U.S.A." about 50 years ago, but what happened is that companies decided it'd be more cost effective to make items elsewhere. Due to this, the U.S. has not had a manufacturing economy for a long time. This country is now based more upon information and technology, although Japan has us beat sometimes (it really depends on the item in question).

While that sounds okay, it also means that we generally import more than export. That's a much better situation for countries like China than it is for the United States. It's hard to believe that before WWII, the U.S. was the world's leading exporter of oil. It's true. That fact eventually led up to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor, since we "cut them off."

[Niels Bohr 72]

I'm not complaining. There need to be class in soceity, that's why 100% Marxism doesn't work.

The imports are usually cheaper than the stuff made domestically. Whatever increases profit. For example, Best Buy, Circuit City, RadioShack or whatever loves to use their own brand products which originates from a foreign manufacturer. They would sell a USB cable that they purchase from China@ $.20/feet and resell that $20 for 7 feet. Big Mark Up. The consumers here don't really care because they can afford it.

However, if the manufacturers decides to produce things internally in the US, I wouldn't expect the cable to be worth 20 dollars for 7 feet. Most likely it'll exceed 60 dollars or more.

It's all about money, and triumph!

[Nikita2Charles 32]

See anything interesting in this picture

[mRx 16]

I was having a talk with a colleague a couple of days ago, and the subject was about Made in USA product.

While I was at the Great Mall, I saw this T-shirt with a "MADE IN USA LOGO"

When I checked the tag, it said" MADE IN SALVADOR with USA material.

I drive a Toyota Camry, it was built in Columbus Ohio

His GM car was made in Mexico.

The question got to the argument, which one of these 2 cars are AMERICAN.

His say. You have to look at where the profit is going, with the GM cars the money will go to the shareholders, which is global.

With the TOYOTA camry the profit will also go to the shareholders but THOUSANDS of families out here are making a living earning Decent living wages from TOYOTA

SO which one of these 2 cars is AMERICAN?

It should be made in America when they use 80% of American labor.

This also raises another issue about free trade. We should only have free trade agreements when the other countries have reciprocal measures for American companies and imports. The number of times I have read how American products imported to x country are taxed while their goods come here tax / tariff free is a joke.

Free trade needs to be scrapped and replaced with fair trade. You tax our goods 10%, we tax your goods 10% etc.

OK, let's say product USA is sent to Country X, and they tax the hell out it, all the while, their goods are shipped here tax and tariff free, who is really winning and losing with this arrangement?

It's apparent that Country X is trying to artificially raise the cost of imports in order for their inefficient companies to compete, so obviously that is hurting the consumers of Country X, because their government, with their infinite wisdom, decided that they shouldn't be privileged to have high quality, cheap goods. They are coerced into being "patriotic" and buying inefficient products that they have already rejected (for if they rejected the high quality, foreign goods, then there would be no need for "fair" trade)!

Meanwhile we experience the tax/tariff free imports for cheap; increasing American consumers' quality of life.

It's easy to see that the consumers of the country with less of this so-called "fair-trade" bureaucracy, live better.

But, if we start trade wars, which is basically what you proposed: "You tax our goods 10%, we tax your goods 10% etc.", then you can see that both countrie's consumers lose! And the winners are the inefficient companies, who without the luxury of government intervention, would have gone out of business a long time ago.

We pay 6X the world average for sugar in the US because of "fair" trade.

Japan pays 3-4X the world average for rice because of "fair" trade.

Think about it....