Prune the Shrub in 2004 #7

[OC Cruzer]

Originally Posted by 4ABRUZN

Speaking of exporting American jobs...

Didn't YOU, I, and everyone else who purchased a PT cruiser help the process along ?

Chrysler is owned by a German corporation and the car is built in Mexico and most likely has parts from ten other countries.

Kind of hypocritical to be against the exporting of American jobs, then buy an automobile built in Mexico, by a German owned company.

When you were in the market for a new car,(a major purchase) were YOU concerned enough about the loss of American jobs, to CONSIDER purchasing an automobile made on an American assembly line ?

Did you give any thought to the people you could have helped keep their jobs, or get some overtime, if YOU had purchased an automobile made in an AMERICAN factory, by AMERICAN'S ?

When you bought your PT, you do realize, YOU also placed an order for a replacement to be built.
(in Mexico)

Check your clothing, appliances, TV's, ect. ect.
I bet you will find ALOT of things made in other countries and most likely, comparable items were and still are AVAILABLE, -----"made in America."
Did YOU think about that when you bought the stuff ?

How long do you think Diamler would continue to build PT's in Mexico, if Americans didn't buy them because they were "not made in America."
I'd be willing to bet there would be a PT factory up and running in the USA, within months.
Course you'd pay $35,000 for it.

Just pointing out some stuff here, don't take it as a personal attack.

Like I said, I own a PT also and when I bought it, I was well aware it was built in Mexico.

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[Dad Man]

.

Originally Posted by taikuchin

Or simple greed.

Absolutely but, can you separate the two? Greed beyond need is a sin and the world is full of us sinners.

Cruise it or lose it...

Dad/\/\an

[taikuchin]

Originally Posted by OC Cruzer

Check your clothing, appliances, TV's, ect. ect.
I bet you will find ALOT of things made in other countries and most likely, comparable items were and still are AVAILABLE, -----"made in America."
Did YOU think about that when you bought the stuff ?

Yea, I did/do. & I do feel bad about buying a car mot made by the UAW, but there was no comparable item available that was made in the US. When I bought my pickup, I paid $1k more for the GMC S15 than a similarly equiped Nisan was priced & never regretted it...still got the GMC (no, it wasn't made in CAnada..not even the engine). I read labels all the time. Except for gifts, all my clothes are US made...getting harder to find but stuff is still out there & it doesn't usually cost more if you are looking for quality. All my tools are US built. I refuse to buy any other & I let salespersons know that (went to napa for a torque wrench (Sears is 40 miles away & I was in a hurry) & was offered a korean one...refused it & THEN was told that they also have one made in US...you gotta ask.). Lots of stuff just aint available, but when it is, I buy it. & you're right, if more people demanded US made stuff, & refused to buy the foreign stuff, things would turn around in a hurry...course, we might have to go without a lot of unessessary junk and wallmart would go out of business but that'd be no great loss.

[4ABRUZN]

Originally Posted by Dad Man

The President of the United States is not in charge of a single company that is outsourcing overseas. Even if the Government was to use Indian clerks to check my tax returns, I wouldn't have a problem with that since it saves money that I would have to inderectly pay some 'tenured' government employee who reaps benefits far beyond the norms of the rest of the world. Cutting costs is smart business since they don't keep score with the headcount but rather the return on investment. ($) It may sound cruel but it's business, get over it fellas.

Life's a cruise...

D/\/\

Perhaps not. But when his senior adviser on domestic economic policy virtually endorses more off shore jobs at the expsnse of American workers, it make one wonder whose best interest this administration has at heart.

[4ABRUZN]

Originally Posted by OC Cruzer

Didn't YOU, I, and everyone else who purchased a PT cruiser help the process along ?

Chrysler is owned by a German corporation and the car is built in Mexico and most likely has parts from ten other countries.

Kind of hypocritical to be against the exporting of American jobs, then buy an automobile built in Mexico, by a German owned company.

When you were in the market for a new car,(a major purchase) were YOU concerned enough about the loss of American jobs, to CONSIDER purchasing an automobile made on an American assembly line ?

Did you give any thought to the people you could have helped keep their jobs, or get some overtime, if YOU had purchased an automobile made in an AMERICAN factory, by AMERICAN'S ?

When you bought your PT, you do realize, YOU also placed an order for a replacement to be built.
(in Mexico)

Check your clothing, appliances, TV's, ect. ect.
I bet you will find ALOT of things made in other countries and most likely, comparable items were and still are AVAILABLE, -----"made in America."
Did YOU think about that when you bought the stuff ?

How long do you think Diamler would continue to build PT's in Mexico, if Americans didn't buy them because they were "not made in America."
I'd be willing to bet there would be a PT factory up and running in the USA, within months.
Course you'd pay $35,000 for it.

Just pointing out some stuff here, don't take it as a personal attack.

Like I said, I own a PT also and when I bought it, I was well aware it was built in Mexico.

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Nothing made in the US even came close to satisfying the majority of my requirements like the PT did. But if there had been a domestic-made choice I would have given it serious consideration. I will also point out that my awareness of the severity of the off-shoring/out-sourcing of jobs has developed since I bought my PT in 2001.

[OC Cruzer]

Originally Posted by 4ABRUZN

I will also point out that my awareness of the severity of the off-shoring/out-sourcing of jobs has developed since I bought my PT in 2001.

That's probably true with alot of people.
In my case, I'd have to say I knew, but took an indifferent attitude about the issue.
The attitude of indifference, of the American people in general is the real cause of the problem.

So now that you know, don't you think the BEST approach to our problem, is to do exactly what taikuchin does.
In other words, put our money where our mouth is.

Rather then look for someone ELSE to blame for the problem, look FIRST, at what we have done and can do, on an individual basis, to address the issues of unemployment and outsourcing.

Read his post. If everyone in this country made ANYTHING CLOSE to his effort to buy " made in American," we wouldn't have the problems.

I don't.
I have to admit, I make very little effort to buy American made products, except when it comes to tools.
So the way I look at it, I and people like me are the problem.

Knowing this, I can't blame Bush, clinton, Congress, the sign of the moon, or anyone else, because I, as an American am not doing my part.
Not even making an effort.

For what it's worth, my wife and I, starting today, are both going to try to develop some different habits.

[JOEM]

Originally Posted by OC Cruzer

I have to admit, I make very little effort to buy American made products, except when it comes to tools.
So the way I look at it, I and people like me are the problem.

I understand your feelings. But we sell an awful lot overseas as well. If folks in other countries adopted the same attitude, a lot more American jobs would be lost.

It's a global marketplace now. It really is. Bush and his economic advisors are acknowledging this and trying to find ways to make it work to our advantage. That's the honest challenge that Congress and any presidential administration will face.

[taikuchin]

Originally Posted by JOEM

I understand your feelings. But we sell an awful lot overseas as well. If folks in other countries adopted the same attitude, a lot more American jobs would be lost.

Seems to me it kinda depends on the #s. Other countries do have that attitude or we wouldn't have a huge trade deficit...so buying american would benefit all Americans except those involved in importing & selling foreign stuff. Maybe they could go back to selling American stuff..

[lisa]

Originally Posted by OC Cruzer

Didn't YOU, I, and everyone else who purchased a PT cruiser help the process along ?

Chrysler is owned by a German corporation and the car is built in Mexico and most likely has parts from ten other countries.

Like I said, I own a PT also and when I bought it, I was well aware it was built in Mexico.

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I am not sure if you have read your window sticker. Mine says that my vehicle was ASSEMBLED in Mexico and that most of the parts were built in the U.S.. Where was it designed, and engineered? Why in the U.S.!!!

[OC Cruzer]

Originally Posted by lisa

I am not sure if you have read your window sticker. Mine says that my vehicle was ASSEMBLED in Mexico and that most of the parts were built in the U.S.. Where was it designed, and engineered? Why in the U.S.!!!

Yep, I guess they made MOST of the parts here, packaged them all up and sent them to Mexico to build a car out of them.
Then shipped the parts back to the U.S. in the form of a car.

If I was a UAW assembly line worker, OR even a non-union assembly line worker, that wouldn't give me a very warm, fuzzy feeling.

So, I guess what you have now is, the parts are made in America, sent to Mexico to be assembled, sent back here as cars, to be sold to Americans, once sold, the profits go to a German corporation
Interesting chain of events. there.

I've heard some watch companies make the parts here, ship the parts overseas to make watches out of the parts, there, they make the watches, package them up and send them BACK to the U.S. ready to sell.

Those are the things that help drive up the rate of unemployment in the manufacturing sector.

I bought my PT used, so I never saw the window sticker.