It’s his take on our economy and how we got into this financial mess. What’s your guys opinion on this?
He's right. It's almost impossible to buy US made products anymore. Even if you buy name brands, they're Chinese. Holley, MSD, Fast, Hooker, Mr Gasket, Mallory, Lakewood, B&M, QA1, Moroso, Accell, Competition Cams, Billet Specialties and dozens of other formally high quality parts that were US made and owned are now owned by five guys and are all made in China. The quality went down, but the prices stayed the same or went up. Most people under age 50 have no idea what quality is.
I bought probably over 300 USA made Earl's fittings for my car between 2010 and 2015 and never had a bad one. In 2019, I bought 6 90* 6 AN fittings at $37 each. On two of them the nuts wouldn't spin. I look at the bag and they are now made in China. I called Summit and they said throw them away and they sent two more.
I DO blame the customer. In the ‘80s I worked in a department store, selling Levi and Lee jeans, Arrow and Gant dress shirts, Thomson wool dress pants, Dexter, Bass, Hush Puppies, Sperry and Johnston and Murphy casual and dress shoes, all US made (along with a majority of our basic goods like socks, underwear, pajamas, suits and sportcoats. We weren’t a hoity toity store, it was Belk. We CONSTANTLY were barraged by the ‘hain’t y’all got nothin’ cheaper?!’ customers. Then came Wal Mart and Goody’s. For a while, we could explain to most customers that a pair of $75-150 dress shoes were genuine leather, could be worn for years. and cold be re-heeled, resoled and polished damn near forever. But the $35 shoes, and all their foreign counterparts, won. The manufacturers tried to spin it by substituting ‘microfiber’ for wool and polyester in the pants and jackets, glued on rubber soles ‘for comfort!’ for leather and style over substance, but the writing was on the wall for the US companies-join the offshore movement or die. (Funny that Levi, about the time they started closing plants and the mills that supplied them, ramped up their ‘American/USA/Rock n Roll/Red-White-Blue Tradition’ bent to their advertising.) I also blame NAFTA, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic (and H. Ross P. was right!) but that might get political. Patrick As to UT’s point, these companies made a conscious decision to offshore knowing full well what these chinese manufacturers are and what they do. They even whitewash it by calling it ‘reverse engineering’.
When Tony mentions of the small “zipper and button” manufacturing that LOTS of small towns had it reminded me of The Mueller Clip Company that used to be on Rockside Rd in Bedford Ohio, long gone, closed in the early 70’s IIRC, the only reason I knew of the company is my Mom used to say “ Your Aunt Irene used to work there years ago” And my sister would say “ We call them ROACH CLIPS” And if we stop and think of all the small repair shops ( radiator, carburetor, generator/starter, shoe repair, glass shops, trim shops, the list goes on and on, these places closed up, we just throw stuff out and buy new (Chinese) I like to reuse, mostly cause I’m cheap, and I AINT GOT NO MORE ROOM FOR STUFF!
The last time I went to Home Depot to get a shovel I looked around and found an American made one. I believe it was an Ames shovel. Supposedly they’ve been around since the late 1800s. It was five dollars more than the chicken chow mein shovel, but definitely better built!
I was using my Ames shovel yesterday. It's top quality, made in USA, and as the other John said - it cost only a tiny bit more then the Chinese garbage. BTW: Ames started in Easton, MA. I believe that the rather large Ames family home is still preserved there. Edit: Oops! Ames started in West Bridgewater, MA in 1774, It moved to Easton in 1804.
Would you believe 1774? Ames is one of the oldest companies in the United States - actually it formed before there was a United States.
Seven years ago, I bought an Edlebrock #1795 fuel pump relay kit from Summit. In the catalog, it states "Made in USA" but on the relay, it says made in China. I left a review stating that. A buddy of mine bought the same relay last summer. The catalog still states "Made in USA", but it's still made in China! How can this be legal?
Really well said! Consumers AND focus on quarterly results/shareholder value AND globalism. Think about airfares...no one calls the airline and asks, "Were the engine turbine rotors sourced from China?". Airfare is #1!
I'm at about the 14 minute mark in the video and I just had to take a break from that nonsense. The U S economy is over one third larger then that of China with a population that is 25% of China's. Companies have historically bought products from wherever they could get them for the least money. The South survived by selling cheap cotton to Europe where it was made into yarn and thread that was shipped back to the USA where it was made into fabric using cheap (sometimes child) labor. The completed fabric was then mostly shipped back to Europe where it was made into clothing and other fabric products. There is nothing new in that video (at least to the 14 minute mark).
Mark, thanks for posting the video. Uncle Tony is correct. Hopefully it’ll rattle some cages an hopefully it’s it’s not too late. Politicians are nothing but a bunch of sell outs on both sides always have been.
Your welcome! The video definitely got me to look at things differently. Wife were on our way to Sandusky early this morning to transport one of our fosters, as we passed fields, it got me to wondering, is farming the only “industry” we have here in the USA? It’s the only thing that comes to mind without a “what about” response.
They’ve been buying a farmland around military installations. Some states with good leadership are putting obstacles in the way to stop it
The package was made in the USA. The contents in China. A lot of companies are getting sneaky. All the components will be made overseas but assembled into the final product here in the U.S. to them that is made in U.S.A
If price is the primary concern of the customer, then probably yes. I have seen and purchased many Chinese-manufactured products that were of excellent quality. They were not much less expensive then the same products would have been if they were made in USA.
…And then there’s the ‘just lie about where it’s made’ plan… https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets...merchandise-american-made-ordered-pay-over-3m Patrick
