Boycott of foreign goods.

[Fassitude]

I know I'm not the intended recipient. but if you are going to go trolling I'd appreciate it if you left misinformed statements about blind people out of it. Fair enough?

You know what would impress me? If you could use that adaptive tech of yours to build a bridge over that river you are crying me. That way you could get over it, and also gain a very marketable skill to put in your CV for your job hunting. Fair enough?

[SD_Film Artists]

I buy whatever is best, at the price I prefer. We live in a global economy, get used to it.

Indeed. That and because I don't want to live on doughnuts and peanut butter.

Why ever not?
There's so many varieties.
Doughnuts filled with strawberry jam, that's part of your 5-a-day.

Well I could assimulate the jam doughnut into a peanut butter and jam sandwitch/bun, I could live on that.

No, you can't do that. Peanut Butter + jam ruins both the peanut butter and the jam! Fools!

Quiet you philistine! Peanut butter was made for jam.

But seriously, I can't eat peanut butter without it as it's just too dry to have without that fruity jammy accomplice.

[Buffett and Colbert]

I don't buy Fiji Water on principle...

But that's just about it.

[Concordeia]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

[Cosmopoles]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

To take advantage of local tax breaks and trade rules. Still, the companies do tend to congregate in one area - aviation at Seatlle, semiconductors at San Francisco and automobiles at Detroit until recently.

[Uawc]

I'm boycotting Israel. That's about it.

[Port Arcana]

I could hardly care less where something is made.

If you can care less means that you do care. Even if hardly.
/hates that expression

The correct expression is "I couldn't care less", but people have shortened it as a colloquialism to something meaning quite the opposite.

More broadly, it's an honest statement, because if you are willing to comment about how little you care about something, then you certainly do care about the topic, at least a little.

Thanks, I was wondering why that sounded a bit odd.

That was actually a fragmented post. I had finished typing the first part and went "oh wait", typed the second without going back and editing the first.

[Unidos]

I know I'm not the intended recipient. but if you are going to go trolling I'd appreciate it if you left misinformed statements about blind people out of it. Fair enough?

You know what would impress me? If you could use that adaptive tech of yours to build a bridge over that river you are crying me. That way you could get over it, and also gain a very marketable skill to put in your CV for your job hunting. Fair enough?

Methinks you doth protest a bit too much.

I made no reference to my job status. but the 70 percent unemployment rate does exist and needlessly so. I am not 'crying' or seeking to 'impress' you. You appear to have your own problems with seeing what is written.
You said someone who was blind and could not read Braille couldn't follow the thread. That is -not- true.

[Anti-Social Darwinism]

I buy the highest quality that I can afford. If that means buying something made in Eastern Outer Slovobia rather than something made in the US, so be it. If the US manufacturers want me to buy their products then they need to improve the quality and lower the cost.

EDIT: I do buy locally when it comes to agricultural products - largely because of product safety - sorry (not really) but most of the counries from which we import food just don't have the safety controls that we do. Besides, if I know the local farmer and I don't like his product (or really like it for that matter), I can let him/her know - personally. Try that with a big corporation like General Motors - I can see someone now, standing outside the CEO's office, trying to get an audience with him/her to pitch a bitch - ain't gonna happen.

[Fassitude]

Methinks you doth protest a bit too much.

1. The present tense second person singular form of "do" in that variant of English would be "dost", "doth" is third person singular.
2. Methinks thou knowest not how one useth that expression, nor what it meaneth.

I made no reference to my job status. but the 70 percent unemployment rate does exist and needlessly so. I am not 'crying' or seeking to 'impress' you.

So, you're just spouting irrelevance for the sake of it? Not unlikely, but it was no doubt a vain and failed attempt to curry sympathy.

You appear to have your own problems with seeing what is written.
You said someone who was blind and could not read Braille couldn't follow the thread. That is -not- true.

I didn't say "someone who was blind". I said: "It's like... you're Carrot Top. Blind. And haven't learnt Braille." For an allegedly blind person here to try to convince me that you can indeed follow in the thread, your failure to actually follow the thread is exquisitely ironic and also quite inane. But I guess that is to be expected from someone who identifies with a blind Carrot Top who can't read. Fitting.

[Sibirsky]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

You couldn't be any more wrong on that. Soviet industry made most of their own components. Why? Because they hated waiting months for their suppliers. Why did they wait months? Because that's how long it took for their components to arrive. Why so long? Because there was no profit motive. No need to rush. As a result Soviet industry had inventory of a year, and sometimes more. Meanwhile, Toyota typically has inventory of 2 hours. That's right. Shut down a Toyota factory completely and they'll be out of cars in 2 hours. While they're operating, they are constantly getting deliveries from Avanzar (who make seats, and are damn good at it), Toyotestsu (who make metal parts). Because those suppliers concentrate on a certain aspect of the manufacturing process, they are very efficient at providing those parts. And most of the time they use a separate shipper to ship those parts from one plant to another. The shippers no shipping. That's their expertise. Soviet Industry shipped their own parts. In fact, metal factories even went as far as making their own bricks to build their factory. This, division of labor makes things much more efficient. And results in a higher standard of living. Those wait times are passed on to customers. In the 1980s my parents applied for a telephone line. They were allocated a spot in line. Seven years had passed before they were given their phone and line. Why? Because there is no profit. Imagine somebody in the west waiting for seven years for something. Fuck that, just go to their competitor.

[Sibirsky]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

To take advantage of local tax breaks and trade rules. Still, the companies do tend to congregate in one area - aviation at Seatlle, semiconductors at San Francisco and automobiles at Detroit until recently.

Steel in Pittsburgh, movies and TV in Los Angeles, investment banks in New York, derivatives in Chicago....

[Aeterna Roma Sancta]

I like what the OP suggests in principle but it seems practically nonviable. To get jobs back for Americans you would have to be willing to oppose outsourcing, child labor abroad, and other practices of the modern industrialist? Are you willing to do this OP? Or are you just one of the many "Buy American to be a true patriot! Buy American, cuz them damn forinerz are bad!" drones?

[JuNii]

I like what the OP suggests in principle but it seems practically nonviable. To get jobs back for Americans you would have to be willing to oppose outsourcing, child labor abroad, and other practices of the modern industrialist? Are you willing to do this OP? Or are you just one of the many "Buy American to be a true patriot! Buy American, cuz them damn forinerz are bad!" drones?

not only that, but because of minimum wage and the employer having to provide benefits and a safe working environment, that would lead to higher pricing.

[Hydesland]

I would never buy a USA-made product. For you see, I care about quality and workmanship in the things I purchase.

Which is why I buy a lot of USA-made products, where often by far the best quality products are created by American companies, especially in things I'm interested in - musical equipment (recording and instruments), electronic goods and computer products etc...

[Hydesland]

[
No, the World. "Made in the USA" = "crap" globally.

It's a humorous stereotype, nothing more.

[Sibirsky]

Hers didn't start at 500k.

And she got it used. According to http://www.audi.se the 2.8 liter (our A8s start at the 4.2 liter variety, gas is cheap, tariffs are low) starts at 678,500 SEK. To compare apples to apples, I priced the 4.2 fully loaded. The Swedish model came in 1,468,100 SEK (or $212,564.73 USD). The base price was 856,100 SEK ($123,953.86 USD). The US version starts at $74,550. After equipping it with everything possible it stood at $92.070. You were saying something about a weak dollar?

If two options were not compatible with one another, I picked the more expensive one.

Sources:
http://www.audi.se
http://www.audiusa.com

So please, know your facts before you start arguing about something you have no idea about. Or outright lying. The internet is your friend. And we can check your facts.

So Americans pay $30k less for a fully loaded A8 than the Swedes pay for a base model. Throw in higher incomes (the kind required to buy the A8) and lower taxes. Man socialism sucks.

[Conserative Morality]

And she got it used. According to http://www.audi.se the 2.8 liter (our A8s start at the 4.2 liter variety, gas is cheap, tariffs are low) starts at 678,500 SEK. To compare apples to apples, I priced the 4.2 fully loaded. The Swedish model came in 1,468,100 SEK (or $212,564.73 USD). The base price was 856,100 SEK ($123,953.86 USD). The US version starts at $74,550. After equipping it with everything possible it stood at $92.070. You were saying something about a weak dollar?

If two options were not compatible with one another, I picked the more expensive one.

Sources:
http://www.audi.se
http://www.audiusa.com

So please, know your facts before you start arguing about something you have no idea about. Or outright lying. The internet is your friend. And we can check your facts.

So Americans pay $30k less for a fully loaded A8 than the Swedes pay for a base model. Throw in higher incomes (the kind required to buy the A8) and lower taxes. Man socialism sucks.

Sibirsky, our resident kickass capitalist.

[JarVik]

I try to buy food that is grown in Ontario or Canada which mostly works out for staples, just not so much for fruit beyond apples and pears.
On the other hand, Cheese, wine and delicacies are meant to be sampled from the world I feel.

Mostly I try to avoid buying made in China most especially for food items, but that is near impossible for many small manufactured products. One of my personal peeves is shoes made in China in my experience have been way to narrow for my feet so its harder to find shoes that fit when you're on a budget now, and even the pricier shoe stores are mostly stocked with Chinese shoes now.

[Sibirsky]

Sibirsky, our resident kickass capitalist.

Thank you

[The Black Forrest]

Hers didn't start at 500k.

And she got it used. According to http://www.audi.se the 2.8 liter (our A8s start at the 4.2 liter variety, gas is cheap, tariffs are low) starts at 678,500 SEK. To compare apples to apples, I priced the 4.2 fully loaded. The Swedish model came in 1,468,100 SEK (or $212,564.73 USD). The base price was 856,100 SEK ($123,953.86 USD). The US version starts at $74,550. After equipping it with everything possible it stood at $92.070. You were saying something about a weak dollar?

If two options were not compatible with one another, I picked the more expensive one.

Sources:
http://www.audi.se
http://www.audiusa.com

So please, know your facts before you start arguing about something you have no idea about. Or outright lying. The internet is your friend. And we can check your facts.

So Americans pay $30k less for a fully loaded A8 than the Swedes pay for a base model. Throw in higher incomes (the kind required to buy the A8) and lower taxes. Man socialism sucks.

Indeed. The average swede is healthier then the average american. Yea Capitolism......

[Sibirsky]

Hers didn't start at 500k.

And she got it used. According to http://www.audi.se the 2.8 liter (our A8s start at the 4.2 liter variety, gas is cheap, tariffs are low) starts at 678,500 SEK. To compare apples to apples, I priced the 4.2 fully loaded. The Swedish model came in 1,468,100 SEK (or $212,564.73 USD). The base price was 856,100 SEK ($123,953.86 USD). The US version starts at $74,550. After equipping it with everything possible it stood at $92.070. You were saying something about a weak dollar?

If two options were not compatible with one another, I picked the more expensive one.

Sources:
http://www.audi.se
http://www.audiusa.com

So please, know your facts before you start arguing about something you have no idea about. Or outright lying. The internet is your friend. And we can check your facts.

So Americans pay $30k less for a fully loaded A8 than the Swedes pay for a base model. Throw in higher incomes (the kind required to buy the A8) and lower taxes. Man socialism sucks.

Indeed. The average swede is healthier then the average american. Yea Capitolism......

And? It's worth it to make less, pay more in taxes and pay a lot more for everything else? Besides, our healthcare system has very little to do with capitalism.

[Concordeia]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

You couldn't be any more wrong on that. Soviet industry made most of their own components. Why? Because they hated waiting months for their suppliers. Why did they wait months? Because that's how long it took for their components to arrive. Why so long? Because there was no profit motive. No need to rush. As a result Soviet industry had inventory of a year, and sometimes more. Meanwhile, Toyota typically has inventory of 2 hours. That's right. Shut down a Toyota factory completely and they'll be out of cars in 2 hours. While they're operating, they are constantly getting deliveries from Avanzar (who make seats, and are damn good at it), Toyotestsu (who make metal parts). Because those suppliers concentrate on a certain aspect of the manufacturing process, they are very efficient at providing those parts. And most of the time they use a separate shipper to ship those parts from one plant to another. The shippers no shipping. That's their expertise. Soviet Industry shipped their own parts. In fact, metal factories even went as far as making their own bricks to build their factory. This, division of labor makes things much more efficient. And results in a higher standard of living. Those wait times are passed on to customers. In the 1980s my parents applied for a telephone line. They were allocated a spot in line. Seven years had passed before they were given their phone and line. Why? Because there is no profit. Imagine somebody in the west waiting for seven years for something. Fuck that, just go to their competitor.

Um...Sibirsky, I was just talking about the physical location of the factories. Besides, if they made everything on-site, wouldn't the shipping guy's still get paid to move them to the various selling areas or something? I mean really, there's no excuse for having such a long wait to get things delivered just because they are made on-site. That and the factories would still rely on shipping to get the raw materials needed for production to them in the first place.

[Sibirsky]

Y'know, now that I think about it, why is it that all the components of cars and planes and other machine-oriented products are always made in separate places? I mean, I get that different parts are made by different companies, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the makers of those parts bunch their factories together in one location so that everything can be made and assembled on-site? It seems like a waste of fuel and money to have to ship all those parts across such long distances.

You couldn't be any more wrong on that. Soviet industry made most of their own components. Why? Because they hated waiting months for their suppliers. Why did they wait months? Because that's how long it took for their components to arrive. Why so long? Because there was no profit motive. No need to rush. As a result Soviet industry had inventory of a year, and sometimes more. Meanwhile, Toyota typically has inventory of 2 hours. That's right. Shut down a Toyota factory completely and they'll be out of cars in 2 hours. While they're operating, they are constantly getting deliveries from Avanzar (who make seats, and are damn good at it), Toyotestsu (who make metal parts). Because those suppliers concentrate on a certain aspect of the manufacturing process, they are very efficient at providing those parts. And most of the time they use a separate shipper to ship those parts from one plant to another. The shippers no shipping. That's their expertise. Soviet Industry shipped their own parts. In fact, metal factories even went as far as making their own bricks to build their factory. This, division of labor makes things much more efficient. And results in a higher standard of living. Those wait times are passed on to customers. In the 1980s my parents applied for a telephone line. They were allocated a spot in line. Seven years had passed before they were given their phone and line. Why? Because there is no profit. Imagine somebody in the west waiting for seven years for something. Fuck that, just go to their competitor.

Um...Sibirsky, I was just talking about the physical location of the factories. Besides, if they made everything on-site, wouldn't the shipping guy's still get paid to move them to the various selling areas or something? I mean really, there's no excuse for having such a long wait to get things delivered just because they are made on-site. That and the factories would still rely on shipping to get the raw materials needed for production to them in the first place.

The long wait times are in the Soviet Industry. We don't have long wait times. And if we do, it doesn't matter, because we get constant deliveries of materials.

[Delator]

Holy thread-jack Batman!

What I am asking is, how many of you feel it imperative that you buy only products produced in the United States of America, whenever you are not being intentionally decieved about a product's origin?

Let's put it this way...

I need a can opener...I go to the store. They have three types of can openers, one made in China, one made in Uzbekistan, and one made in the U.S. I buy the U.S. made item, regardless of quality or price, partly for the economic reasons the OP stated.

I need a set of kitchen knives...I go to the store. They have only one type, which is made in China. I'm not about to go driving all over town trying to comparison shop and find US made steak knives...the wasted gas alone makes it not worth it, so I buy the Chinese steak knives.

These are specific examples, but the general principle applies to nearly all my purchases.

When possible, I shop at locally owned businesses over national chains.

When possible, I buy products not made in the PRC. I won't avoid them outright, but if given any other option (Mexico, Indonesia, wherever), I'll take that option.

For food I am more selective...I try to buy from as close to home as possible. Obviously "close" is not possible for some food items, but I'm lucky enough to live in one the most diverse regions of the world in terms of food production, so I don't lack for options.

...but a straight up boycott of foreign goods? Hardly possible in todays economy...my reasons for shopping as I do are more ecologically based than economically based anyways.