Where have American Products Gone?

Today is the opening day for the Cactus League. Baseball is here,and so is warm weather. Things are heating up in the State House here in AZ also as our legislators deal with a budget crisis. Matter of fact, all our cities are involved as is our schools. There is no money and for some reason, no one wants to raise any.

This all goes back to the Great Communicator, Ron Reagan, who cut taxes and programs and is seen as the pentultimate person who turned a flagging economy around. Our local city government is considering raising taxes on food. Presently, we do not have a tax on food. So, the one dollar price for an avocado used to make guacamole is one dollar. When the tax goes into effecgt, that same avocado will be $1.02. Doesn't seem like much, does it? Opponents are saying that it will cost the poor and they won't be able to afford food. They can probably still get the $50.00 carton of cigarettes, though, on the res. I only mention Ron, because some have now found that it could be that Reagonomics has brought us to where we are.

On another economical note, GM has announced a recall of a million cars that seem to have a problem with the power steering. Most of these cars were assembled in Mexico, not Detroit or some other American city. Does anyone, besides me see the problem with the US government having a big stake in GM and having another country's workers put their cars together? Our people are out of work, so it is time to bring these American owned entities back to our shores. I don't see any recalls for cars that are put together here in the good old USA.

Whatever happened to America that made us go elsewhere to have our manufacturing done? Are our folks less able to do this? NO, we priced ourselves out of jobs. These companiees went overseas because labor was cheap, and our government gave them incentives to go. Now, it should give them incentives to stay, or bring back jobs!

I am not an isolationist. But, I do believe that if a product is going to be made overseas and brought into the country, when it could very well be made here by an American company, then that company should have a high tariff to protect our workers. Companies that leave our shores for the benefits of cheap labor should not receive any tax dollars, nor should they receive any breaks.

This, he says, as he types on a computer marked, "Some components Made in China"

Was my computer made in a sweatshop, like my shoes?

Doughnut