Entire Antarctic Shelf splitting away from Continent.

[Lunican]

U.S. family tries living without China

By Cynthia Osterman

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Lamps, birthday candles, mouse traps and flip-flops. Such is the stuff that binds the modern American family to the global economy, author Sara Bongiorni discovers during a year of boycotting anything made in China.

In "A Year Without 'Made in China,'" (Wiley, $24.95) Bongiorni tells how she and her family found that such formerly simple acts as finding new shoes, buying a birthday toy and fixing a drawer became ordeals without the Asian giant.

Bongiorni takes pains to say she does not have a protectionist agenda and, despite the occasional worry about the loss of U.S. jobs to overseas factories, she has nothing against China. Her goal was simply to make Americans aware of how deeply tied they are to the international trading system.

"I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy," she said in an interview before the book appears in July.

As a business journalist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bongiorni wrote about international trade for a decade. "I used to see the Commerce Department trade statistics, the billions of dollars, and think it had nothing to do with me," she said.

The reality was far different.

As the year unfolded, "the boycott made me rethink the distance between China and me. In pushing China out of our lives, I got an eye-popping view of how far China had pushed in," she wrote.

About 15 percent of the $1.7 trillion in goods the United States imported in 2006 came from China, economist Joel Naroff writes in the foreword. Much of that is the manufactured stuff that fills Wal-Mart and other retailers -- the necessities and frivolities sought by lower- and middle-income Americans.

Full Article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2425061320070628

[RiversideGator]

It is easier to find higher end items not made in China but one area where it is VERY difficult to not buy Chinese made items is with kids toys.  It seems nearly every major brand is made in China.  There are some hand made craft type toys made in the States, but that is about it unfortunately.

[Lunican]

No extra charge for the lead.

[gatorback]

Right.  Who can afford "Made in America" these days?  I'm waiting for the $4,000 TATA car.  It's at the upper end of my price point yet I'm going for it because we live but once.

[gatorback]

1) Like most americans, I've been sold out by the old guard. So it's understandable why I feel burnt by American corporations.  They are so out of touch with the America I know.  Look at say Micheal Eisner.  He may tens of millions of dollars and the average theme park employee made $16.00 an hour having to pay for their benenfits.  Oh, and that guy from AT&T.  The one that got fired after 3 months.  He made what $13 or so million for just 3 months of work?  John Snow, form head of CSX--they paid him to go be one of bush's cronies.

2) WAL-MART is the only retail I can afford.  Thanks to low wages I can buy clothes.

3) I don't have America so, I just hate it so much for a country that's the wealthest yet we do so little.  And that's on my watch too, I guess I just gave up.

[RiversideGator]

Why would you want to avoid buying items made in China? They are not marketed or sold by Chinese corporations, they are designed, branded, marketed and sold by fine US corporations.

Because I do not wish to support monetarily a totalitarian state which will be our chief economic and military rival in the 21st century.  I also do not care to add to the trade deficit.  In any event, what the US companies do is legal, of course, but I have the choice as to where I spend my money. 

The reason that these fine US corporations moved their factories to China was to make more profit by reducing the cost of production.

It is the legal duty of the management of these corporations to add shareholder value.

This increase in profits adds value for the shareholders of the corporation, and thus, is good for the country.

Yes, this is sort of the way corporations work.  The management has a duty to shareholders to maximize profits in the best way they see fit.  But, it turns off some customers and, again, I do not have to participate in this.

So, my questions are these;

1. Why do you hate American corporations?

2. Why do you want to precipitate the collapse of stalwart American companies like Wal-Mart by unpatriotically refusing to buy their fine Chinese made merchandise?

3. Why do you hate America so?

These absurd questions (how typical of you) do not merit any response.

[RiversideGator]

On the one hand, you fancy yourself to be a supporter of business in a very one dimensional way, and your opinions are also very absolutist.

I dont fancy myself a supporter of business, I am a supporter of business.  I believe that government should largely get out of the way and allow free enterprise to provide goods, services, jobs and innovation in an efficient manner to the American people.  It is really all about ordered freedom.

Then, on the other hand, you complain about totalitarian regimes like China, who are just contributing to the prosperity of American corporations by providing cheap goods to them. And China is a major source of credit to this country, providing the funding for our "war on terror".

Totalitarian regimes, along with the Democrats, are generally incompatible with freedom.  Hence, I oppose them.  As for China, they are currently the sweatshop of the world.  Their government has rigged the system to allow them to build up large amounts of reserves of foreign currency.  I am generally for free trade however as long as the playing field is truly level.  With China, it may not be so.  This can and should be addressed. 

The "war on terror" really has no bearing on this discussion even though you wish it did.  In any event, this is easily affordable as it amounts to just about 1% of GDP. 

So, while you refuse to recognize that all of these issues are more complex than the black and white portrayal that you make of them in your postings, you inconsistently waver back and forth when part of your all black or all white manifesto does not fit the present circumstance. It's just a form of rationalization that has no basis in fact.

Interesting yet essentially meaningless armchair psychoanalysis.  Thanks.

BTW, is this your manifesto, comrade?   

[RiversideGator]

No, not really.

But this one sounds like it might be yours:

Right.  Because I frequently advocate race war.   

[jaxnative]

Top UN climate official welcomes China's plan to combat global warming

You know, these Chinamen may just have something here.  What great strategy!  The US is China's largest competitor in their drive for economic power.  At this time they are heavily dependent on the US as a market and source of capital and expertise.  As they use us to build their power they may, at the same time, be setting in motion certain plans to undermine our strength as they grow.

I'm sure the Chinese power structure understands that a large segment of the US has pushed the worship of God out the door and substituted the worship of climate and mother nature in its place.  The Chinese government, which has total control of the economy as well as all other aspects of life in their country, can put out and pad their "global warming combat" plans knowing full well that nothing will be allowed to interfere with their economic growth.  They also realize that a loud segment of the US, while whining about their perceived lost freedoms from increased security measures, are more than willing to give up a large measure of their economic freedoms and standard of living, by turning more and more control over to government bureaucracies and the politicians who give them power.  We see the results of this by the staggering increases in costs and prices as energy production is blocked, alternative fuel dreams and scams are pushed and subsidized, and unreasonable if not sometimes impossible demands for emissions reductions are imposed costing hundreds of millions of dollars.  The Chinese, playing along with the UN and their target audience in the US, take advantage and indirectly cause more pressure to be put on the US economy and enhance their long term goals of overtaking us.

The ancient Aztecs sacrificed human beings to worship and appease their sun and war god.  The present, arrogant group of climate worshippers seem content to incrementally sacrifice their economy, standard of living, and way of life.  The Chinese have probably noticed that and are more than willing to help us along.

[RiversideGator]

Yes, we know you hate the present system in all its evil manifestations - especially the American capitalists.  But, midway, let's say - God forbid - that you were King.  What policy changes would you implement?

[RiversideGator]

If I were king, I would live in my palace in Saudi Arabia, because that is a Kingdom. The United States of America is supposed to be a republic, So I would not be a king here, because that would contravene the constitution. (although I suppose you might be able to get a "dittohead exemption" for a signing statement).

But if I were in the house of Saud, I would raise oil prices as much as I possibly could so that I could siphon of as much of America's wealth as possible, and I would enlist the Carlyle group and Halliburton to assist me. Oh,.... wait a minute, that's already being done.

Oh well, I suppose I would just stare at my solid gold bathroom fixtures then.

It is clear now that you have no positive ideas or solutions, only criticism and sarcasm.  How constructive.

[RiversideGator]

We have elected officials who are supposed to be DOING things that will have a positive effect on our society. That they have abjectly failed only places a responsibility on me to be sure that I vote so as to elect people who do not repeat the same tragically stupid errors.

It is beyond the scope of my authority to directly change these things, and postulating about "what I would do if I were king"  is a senseless exercise, and a typical 'deteriorated straw man" obfuscation technique on your part.

However, I am certain that when you go to bed at night, you pass away into a blissful recurring dream about being king of the world and solving all of the problems in it, "RiversideGator style".

Which is to say, you just tune into Rush Limbarge daily for your marching orders.

You are possessed of incredible hubris that goes beyond mere egotism.

Anyhow, my Chinese affiliates are really turning out great!  Even though it would appear on the surface that they are just a bunch of worker bees making crap to fill Wal-Mart, they really do have a civilization that is steeped in 5000 years of tradition and its accompanying wisdom. To wit; here is their response relative to that whole RG King for a day thing:

The ridiculous boastful king of Yelang.
The king of Yelang thought his country was larger than it was. This expression refers to a person who is blinded by presumptuous self-conceit. A bumblebee in a cow-turd [Cowford] thinks himself a king.

Now, if that's not a succinct pearl of wisdom, I just don't know what is! A distillation of 5000 years of wisdom in one sentence.

I sent them an extra 5 lbs of rice for that. They're just doing great work! I think that this innovation is going to change the whole blogosphere paradigm.

We're also making great progress with the "law kiosk" project as well. Negotiating with Wal-Mart to put the first one in the Normandy Blvd store. Every one loves it!

Still no answer to my challenge.

[RiversideGator]

Shortly after Riverside Gator became the Head of Council:

http://www.youtube.com/v/iAs9txFhfHQ

[RiversideGator]

That was not a challenge. It was a weak, overused rhetorical device that is so transparently ridiculous and pointless that, to use your reasoning and language, it is not meritorious of a response.

However, I did respond to the subtext of your "challenge", but I suppose that response was not sufficiently direct for you.

It is not a "rhetorical device".  I would seriously like for you to stop hiding behind your sarcasm and left-wing blogs and just tell us what your proposed solutions are to the problems you see as facing America.  Either you offer constructive criticism with solutions or you are just a garden variety crank.  Which is it?

[RiversideGator]

River, I think the point is that you obviously are gifted with intellect and intelligence, and it seems like an extraordinary shame that you have allowed yourself to become the pawn of others who do not share your regard for reason or intellect, but only their own profits derived from the pumping, processing and distribution of oil.

I say this with some confidence because on many occasions, you have simply refused even to look at or consider evidence contrary to your stated thesis, ---that global warming is not caused by the human production of CO2---and will entertain no discussion or argument except as how it pertains to your thesis.

There have been on many occasions, whole months where you have repeatedly reinforced your thesis into discussions that have had nothing to do with CO2 production.

You yourself have repeatedly asserted that there have been other warming periods, and you yourself have introduced evidence to show that a period of increased solar activity (now debunked) might be the operative factor in climate change, yet you will allow no discussion of the possibilities, without interjecting whatever scurrilous new article you can find to support the dwindling stature of your claims.

And the question seems to be:  Why?

How can such a clearly intelligent person DELIBERATELY close their mind, and worse, exhort other people to do the same.

I thought at first that it was simply a Randian defense of the principles of free trade and letting the market sort it out.  That perhaps you thought that the 'liberal' approach to a universe that values ALL life, like trees and spotted owls and whales etc was a way of slowing down or frustrating the economy or, if you believe in it in the 19th century way, progress.

Or maybe that you percieved a hidden subtext in the concerns of climate change arguments that capitalism and industrialism are evil and destroying the world and that you felt that this conversation was in all likelihood more deadly than the weather changes it describes because of the possibility that it was incorrect.

And, as I say, because of the number of times you have simply refused to either read or listen to the substance of the scientific treatises that disagreed with your thesis, I never thought that you simply disagreed with the material on a scientific basis, and your intelligence removes the possibility that you are just simply a drooling moron who does what he is told---leaving only philosophy or ideology as rationale.

So which is it River?  How can you be so alligned with the profit motive of Big Oil and their related industries that you, an intellect, are willing to discard all evidence from fellow intellects and ignore all findings of your fellow Doctors in other fields in favor of this nonsense?

I dont vilify oil companies any more than I vilify "Big Aluminum" or "Big Wheat".  They are simply the providers of important commodities to the US economy.  They operate within the confines of the free market and much of the rise in prices has been a consequence of the weakness of the dollar.  And, I appreciate the opportunity to purchase gas and drive my vehicles as needed.

As for the GW issue, I have always said that it is possible that CO2 levels and temperature are somehow linked, but I do not find the argument persuasive.  And, many prominent scientists not on the payroll of "Big Oil" agree with me.  I am also not on the payroll of "Big Oil" and am not a fan of Rand either.  In any event, truth is not a matter of consensus.  It is what it is.  I look forward to science one day discovering conclusively the actual causes of temperature variations on Earth.  However, I suspect this discovery is many years in the future.