Well, it's simple economics, my friend.....

Everything that's "Made in the USA" costs 5x's more to produce & purchase! :)

Pair of socks: Made in China (6PK) = $4.99
@ Wal Mart

Pair of socks: Made in USA (1 PAIR) = $9.99
@ some boutique Clothing Store

People here in the States will get 100X's the amount of salary than some sweat-shop employee (slave) in some 3rd World Country.

Do I like shopping in Wal Mart? HELL NO! I hope they burn to the ground...

BUT, I also need to save money, and can't afford those $10 pairs of USA Made socks. It's a double-edged sword.

Chris

If it's simple economics then how can other countries afford to buy what the USA exports?

Beats the hell out of me? LOL

Maybe something to do with Trade Agreements? Export Tariffs? Maybe? I really have no idea.

But, I know for a fact that here in the States, we can't find ANYTHING actually made here anymore, and if you CAN find USA Made products, they're WAY more expensive than other goods from overseas (China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc)

There were a couple of mountain men in Italy that used to go to town once or twice a month. The first time they went they decided to go to open court to see what happens. There they saw 2 lawyers defending their respective clients to the nth degree. To the mountain men it looked like war and they decided to see what the lawyers would do outside of court. They expected to see a battle royale, instead they got to see both lawyers laughing and going to the pub for drinks.

Do you know we can buy can tomatoes for about 55 cents a can here in Japan. They are from Spain. And pasta, well it is cheap. Dole is big, but it is all from China and I'm afraid to eat it. I'm not kidding. About a buck a can for fruit, maybe a bit less. And Chinese honey, please don't buy it. It is poison. All of it is tampered with and ship to Europe and then remarked and sent to US as European honey. Heck, honey is in the decline there, they aren't exporting their honey.

I try and buy all Organic Honey, and it has to be from USA, or forget it. I try to get all local farm produce when I can, as here in NY, we have a ton of local growers & local farms. to choose from. My local grocery store sells a lot of local product, so, it's pretty cool.....A tad higher in price, but, worth the extra few cents.

Dude , I used to eat all organic until...I saw a documentary about
the terrible working conditions and use of child labor in the
industry. I have not bought a single thing labelled organically
grown since.

Its not that Americans cant afford their own products, they choose
not to buy them.

Its a source of economic cannibalism. We go to war over oil, yet
have enough coal and natural gas that even when adjusted for
population swell. we have enough resources to run our country for
250 years. None of this s--- makes sense.

Yeah, I saw some of those documentaries, too. ..Kinda p---ed me off! AND, like you, I kinda feel the same way...

So, my organic lifestyle, is not what it used to be...

On the flip-side, here in my neck of the woods, we have a ton of small local Family-Owned organic growers (all within a few miles of me), and many of these people I actually know pretty well....so, I try and buy mainly vegetables & other misc items from these people. Here in town (Every Sat) we have a local growers "farm market" up & down Main Street, where the local growers sell their locally grown "organic" veggies, eggs, fruit, honey, etc etc.. stuff like that...

Other than that, I just try and use best judgment on other items....I certainly can't afford "all" organic stuff, anymore. I used to be pretty strict with it, but....

I was also buying strictly Organic Chicken & meats (for the longest time), just to stay away from all the hormones and such, but, after watching some of those documentaries, I kinda stopped...

You try and do the right thing by eating better & healthier, and then you find out all this other crap....Just can't win...

So, now my "Organic" lifestyle is now just 1/4 of what it used to be.

No offence to patriots from the U.S.A. but... I
honestly think that the US is a joke. People die
here from obesity in America while people die from
starvation in Haiti.

People in industrialized countries don't care. It's
all part of freedom. Exploitation of every kind is
everywhere and no one seems to care.

How is the USA exploiting Haiti?

I never said that the U.S. was exploiting Haiti. I just said that only a short distance away there is an island suffering from extreme food shortages. I meant to emphasize how obesity is a problem in the united states while starvation is a problem in Haiti. How ironic...

Your original statement:

No offence to patriots from the U.S.A. but... I
honestly think that the US is a joke. People die
here from obesity in America while people die from
starvation in Haiti.

People in industrialized countries don't care. It's
all part of freedom. Exploitation of every kind is
everywhere and no one seems to care.

You point the finger at the USA and every industrialized country.......or maybe I can't read between the lines.

Because it's true!

Industry creates high standards of living for
people. But it also creates artificial pain.

Take for instance factory farming. Animals are
confined in the smallest spaces their entire lives
and then slaughtered in brutal ways. No one cares.
Why? Because without factory farming we can't have
that yummy tortured chicken! (No one wants to go
vegan because it's not easy).

Another example. Things may be purchased for
cheaper prices from different parts of the world
even if poor children working as slaves made it.

Unfortunately with the mentality of most people we
can't do anything about it.

That's my outlook about the whole thing.

What would happen if we all went "vegan" and for one reason or other (ex. less rainfall, colder weather, etc...) crop production falls?

If countries around the world had the western perspective, child labor and slavery would not exist. Why aren't those despotic leaders held accountable?

Pointing the finger at the west is not the solution. Listening to tenured college professors who have never worked in the real world would lead to mass starvation.

Being vegan is more than just going against animal
cruelty.

In order to raise an animal, you must feed and
take care of it so it can survive. This takes
energy and crops in the first place. So if crops
fail, then animals will likely have food shortages
too.

I know I'm blaming western industrialization for a
lot of the problems we see. And in reality I live
a pretty good life compared to the rest of the
world. But I really feel that I"m not living a
very fair life given that there is pain around me.

Just my thoughts.

Wouldn't the problem increase if animals weren't killed and their populations were allowed to explode? Don't forget most of the food given to animals is the waste generated in food production.

There was a big stink a few years back in Ohio about Deer hunting.
You know, those PETA queers, until a high up PETA member
smashed into a Buck on the freeway. He didnt get hurt, but man
his car looked like it was put through a meat grinder.

End of debate - Population Control.

Kinda what happened here at WN me thinks lol.

BTW, I am an animal lover, I just hate zealots of any kind.

I don't support PETA because I am aware of what
they have done.

Deer hunting? Fine. I support that!!

Holding animals in the most restrictive captivity
for their entire lives? Not cool.

I actually support people who still go hunting.
They're not giving in to the corporations out
there.

However, I am also the kind of person that says if
you are inflicting mental and physical suffering
on an animal for it's entire life, you're being
selfish.

That's all.

What I notice more and more is a lack of common sense and how gullible people have become after listening to these unchallenged con artists year after year. The guy asking the questions is usually presented as the bad guy by the press. We've reached the point where some even believe it's possible for $1.2 billion to disappear into thin air.

"Wouldn't the problem increase if animals weren't
killed and their populations were allowed to
explode?"

Yeah but then we would just kill them off. I"m not
talking about hunting for animals here. I'm talking
about factory farming. Hence: industrial.

You'd just kill them off!!! That's really sadistic, killing life for killing's sake. Extinction of the species for its own good. At least factory farming's intent is to feed people for profit.

Yeah I'd just kill them off because I want to kill
animals and not even eat them.

I think I'm done talking about this.

LOL, I'll have mine well done.

Medium rare. =D

We ALL have major problems & we all deal with screwed up Governments...BUT, it is the US that probably gives the most financial aid & military aid to EVERYONE on Earth.

Just for the Earthquake relief alone, the US has given about $165 MILLION...WAY more than any other country on Earth...Except Canada, which was a very close 2nd @ approx 130 Million. Which is great.

UK, and France gave around $30 Million each...

China...Around $10-$12 Million!

Sweden...around $20 Million

So, before you go bashing the US, there's a lot to be said for many other countries out there, that hardly gave anything to Haiti, whether it's for the Hurricane relief, disaster relief, or food/hunger aid, or whatever.

In 2000 or 2001, we spent about $1 and 1/2 BILLION each year on humanitarian aid in Africa. And in 2006, the figure JUMPED to $5.6 BILLION a year!

So, safe to say that the US is probably the most "giving" Country on Earth

We're far from perfect, but, we do "give"...We give a LOT!

I agree. At the same time, the U.S. is too involved in foreign affairs. And of course, it's too late.

LOL, I agree with that, too! :)

Hey man, heres a tree...come hug it.

Hey man here's a tip: don't make judgments so
quickly like that.

"I don't support animal cruelty and child labor.
Therefore, I'm a tree hugger. "

Think again buddy.

The answer is pretty simple. America doesn't do much exporting to third world countries. they export to 1st and 2nd world countries. And they may not export loads of cheap toys or electronics, but they have a lot of room for raising beef and growing agricultural products, and they end up exporting loads of it.

USA also does well in the more technical industries.

http://www.inc.com/ss/americas-best-customers-top-export-markets#0

The US exports a lot of weapons, too. This is especially lucrative with oil-rich countries. Now that Iraq is buying from us and not Russia, we are replacing their Migs with American-made planes.

-Dale