Our neighbor that lives across the road came over today to look at the dog pen to get some ideas on how to make his. In our discussion, he brought up that he worked for GE motors here in Owensboro. We had a good discussion about the economy and what is to come of American manufacturing.
I hate to say it, but American manufacturing will cease to exist in the coming years, mainly due to consumers pushing for cheaper products and corporate greed. However, those cheaper products always come with a price. We have all seen the recalls on children's products because of lead paint and poor construction from overseas manufacturers. It's not just in children's products; it's in all products. Are we so price driven that we are willing to jeopardize our safety as well as our children's? And when we pick up these products do we concern ourselves with how many Americans lost their jobs because of cost? Who will be left to purchase these items when manufacturing does not exist? It will eliminate the middle class all together.
Does it not bother us that other countries do not have to live up to the human and environmental standards that we have set in our country? In one such country, human beings line up at the door of manufacturer every day because they know that someone will lose his or her life. It works just like the counter system at the DMV when you go to get your license or change of information. They roll one dead body out and move the next person in. That is their standard manufacturing procedure and their outlook on humanity. Another country's wages are controlled by the government in order to keep the costs low, but what the government does as tenure increases is take the raise that a person would have received and use it for the government's benefit. A corrupt government at that in a drug and murder infested country. It is so bad that the President of that country takes up residence in our country for safety purposes.
One thing for sure is that we will be taken over by inferior countries in manufacturing. The only professions that we should start pushing our children toward are medicine, construction, engineering, finance, teaching, government, and the service sector. Notice I did not put farming on the list. I think it will become a thing of the past as well. Most fast food restaurants purchase all of their meat and fish from China. That's right, they put lead paint on toys; just think of what they could do with beef, chicken, pork, and fish. And it's not just meat. I woke my wife up tonight by going through the cupboard looking at labels. Mandarin oranges, pineapple, green beans, corn, etc. all come from other countries such as China, Thailand, etc. Look on your labels next time. It will either have "Packed in the USA" or it will just give a corporate address. Either way, it wasn't grown here in the States.
How will America be able to defend herself when it will no longer be able to manufacture her own defense weapons? Our elected officials in all branches of government have yet to address this issue. I take that back; they are making it worse on companies by proposing more taxes on American companies which will force more jobs out of the country. It is disturbing that here lately many companies are moving to these under-established countries and selling the products back to us. Recently, the local economy has been hit hard: Whirlpool moving out of Evansville to Mexico, HON closing a factory and moving the line to Mexico, and now GE motors. We are not saving our American manufacturing jobs which built this great country. We are pushing them out the door to save a few bucks. And most of the time, there are not any dollars saved by the consumer. Have you purchased a pair of Levi jeans lately? When they moved their plants out of America to inferior countries did you see a price drop? Whirlpool moved its refrigerator side by side division down to Mexico to save costs. Have you seen the price of their refrigerators lately? The prices have actually gone up! This is the same with the big three. Not only did they move plants to Mexico, but the prices of their vehicles went up. You could purchase a fully loaded Impala for the same price as a Mercedes Benz. Which would you choose? And what else happened? Toyota, which is not an American company but manufactures products in the States, moved to the number one spot in Safety, Quality, and Sales. Honda is right behind them. Toyota seems to understand this, so why don't we as consumers and a country? Walmart used to brand its sales slogans with Made in the USA merchandise. Have you looked at the labels when you have been in Walmart lately? I have yet to see one.
You may or may not necessarily agree with me, but if America does not protect her manufacturing jobs, she will be in big trouble. Just think of those few pennies you did or did not save next time you get behind the wheel, take a bite of that burger, or lay your child down in his or her crib. These countries cannot even provide viable drinking water, nourishment, industrial standards, social responsibilities, environmental standards, etc. for their own people, so why do you think they can do it for you?
The total project took maybe one hour, so it wasn't as time consuming as I may have wanted. Therefore, I started on side project number two a couple of days later. My father-in-law had given me one of his spare dollies. It of course had been sitting outside and the paint was a faded teal with silver wheels. I sanded it down and painted it accordingly. And once again, it turned out pretty good.
She can't wait until Spring to use the hose. What I don't understand is that she told me she liked it, but locked everything else we have up. I thought she liked my painting abilities.
