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VIEWPOINT
Americans’ greed dooms our manufacturers
BY BOB BELIVE For The Sunday Gazette

Bob Belive lives in Glenville. The Gazette encourages readers to submit material on local issues for the Sunday Opinion section.


    Iread with great interest the article by Dean Poeth in the Sunday Opinion section of Jan. 27. While he had some interesting points of view, comparing the principles of car manufacturing to toy manufacturing is something I would expect from a politician who tries to lump a multifaceted problem into a single buzzword, not from an adjunct professor at Union Graduate College.
    I am in total disagreement with his assertion that the low cost of labor isn’t the real reason why things are no longer made in America. In my business of licensed novelties, I can say without reservation that the low cost of labor is the primary issue.
    I have paid the consequences of trying to keep the bulk of my mug manufacturing in the United States. By importing my product, I can save close to $2.60 per mug. In the novelty business, that’s a huge cost differential. I assure you the selling price to the consumer is the same; however, as any business-minded person knows, outside the classroom, money is made in buying and not selling.
    Comparing the manufacturing of toys to that of cars may be a great topic of discussion in a classroom, but we all know cars are a necessity and toys are not. We have all seen little babies surrounded by expensive toys only to fi nd that they are more enthralled and captivated by a set of keys and seemingly occupy themselves for quite some time playing with them and bypassing those expensive toys.
BEST PRICE AT ANY COST
    The issue isn’t really about lead in the toys. The issue is that American culture is now about getting the best price and best deal no matter what has to be done to do it. We, as a culture and a society, have adopted a look-the-other-way mind-set as long as we save money at the checkout counter. We all like to look aghast and astounded when we find out that maybe some manufacturer overseas hasn’t played by the rules or cut corners to give those “bargain-hungry Americans” what they want. Yet when all the U.S. citizens are laid off because business owners decide to manufacture overseas, where the American standard of living is not a factor in the cost of manufacturing and labor laws are all but a fantasy, we just shake out heads and say, “that’s business.” Shame on us.
    What we have done is rip the soul out of the American manufacturer and sold it to the lowest bidder, and it’s taking its toll on the American dream. In our greed — excuse me, our quest to be smart shoppers — we have sold off our manufacturing prowess to become a society of waiters and waitresses.
FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS
    While our frenzy to “shop till we drop” goes on relentlessly, the financial industry has benefitted from our overindulgence with high interest credit-card rates and sub-prime mortgages.
    Had Americans not been so hasty to abandon domestic manufacturing for a better price, perhaps some of our values may have remained intact and the meaning of the phrase “Made in America” would carry the respect and pride it deserves.

Imagine how much more money we would have to spend on these things if we actually kept jobs here for our people to work.  Then, they have more money to spend at the business that you work at.  If you send all your money overseas, don't complain when you can't afford anything.

We need to stop buying s@#$ and actually save to buy quality things we need....do we have a choice to buy anything we want?--of course we do-WE ARE AMERICANS....however, we have allowed ourselves to be exploited....unlike human trade, famine, genocide, socialism etc,,,we have made our bed and allowed the carrot of $$ to guide us into a black hole of something we cant actually name.....there is a crack in our foundation......

That is probably the best editorial I have seen in eons.

The Segway PT cost about $ 5,000 new. Its made in NEW HAMPSHIRE-

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While our frenzy to “shop till we drop” goes on relentlessly, the financial industry has benefitted from our overindulgence with high interest credit-card rates and sub-prime mortgages.

I think it is called 'entitlement'.  I also think that this country has reached it's plateau  for over indulging. In this great blessed country of ours, who would have thought that after reaching the top of the global ladder, we would have people losing their homes, health care unaffordable, skyrocketing gas/heat/oil prices and a rise in food and other necessities. Not to mention a political system that continually is raising taxes at all levels while they yet vote themselves raises and benefits.

We can no longer afford ourselves. And we need to take control of OURSELVES and OUR personal spending. Just because its out there doesn't mean we need to have it. Unfortunately people have no choice but to use credit cards. Their paychecks just won't go very far these days. And the credit card companies take full advantage of that. They  just love our lack of intelligence.

Bumble I totally agree we all have to start learning to live within our own means and stop the I want it now attitude.

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The Segway PT cost about $ 5,000 new. Its made in NEW HAMPSHIRE-

How does it do on the hills?  A very long way up to D'burg

The Segway climb any incline able to receive payvment-

My point though is that -  If  they were made in China their cost would be far less  than $ 5,000-

The Segway Inc  needs to pay thier workforce a wage that enables them to live in New Hampshire

In contrast the India car manufacturer TATA Motors has a car that sells NEW  for $ 2,500-

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080112/OPINION03/801120356

What did Paul mean in 1 Timothy 6:10,  " for the love of money is the root of all evil " ?  Could he really have meant  exactly that ?

The people who worship money never have enough and can never get enough and spend hours worrying that someone is taking the money they have.

Money in itself is not the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is! So we all have a choice to pick our God...Money or....And that is what Paul ment in 1 Timothy 6:10.

Or we could say, 'the WANT of money as opposed to the NEED of money is also the root of all evil'.

The Hebrews were 'held captive' in Egypt and then their leader came to lead them out after making the Egyptians sick, and the Egyptians held back the straw to make bricks, and when the Hebrews were 'let out' of Egypt...weren't the Egyptians so glad to have them out they gave them all their gold and then still went to chase after their 'cheap workers'---the hebrews later melted the gold into a golden calf to bow down to in the 'wilderness'...?

we must be careful--the torch may be passed soon....