First, I want to preface my post with this statement.
I am a proud, native born citizen of The United States. I love my country dearly. Freedom and Truth are kindred spirits, more like close siblings.
In the spirit of Truth, I feel compelled to state some important demographic facts regarding some of the above posts.
The current estimated population of the United States is estimated at about 314,000,000. 314 Million.
The current estimated population of India is estimated at about 1,220,200,000. 1.2 Billion: okay that's 1200 million or four times the population of the United States.
The current estimated population of China is estimated at about 1,344,130,000. 1.3 Billion: 1300 million or a little more than four times the population of the United States.
I don't want to go off a bunch of different directions here but I am well aware of the press that both China and India have gotten press re: dangerous corresponding exports of everything from baby cribs to toothpaste to probably quite a few other things. Usually what accompanies that is some sort of inaccurately based pseudo-nationalism based thought pattern that goes something like this: " See here's another reason not to buy __________________(insert a country) stuff! It's all crap and it's dangerous/deadly etc."
I have oh so quickly joined in on singing that song many a time, but...
Sometimes that's very valid, and in truth I would really rather buy and support my country, the United States of America. Our economy needs it our national morale requires it to thrive and survive.So if I can get it locally (read nationally, because it's really the same in the grand sphere of things) I will definitely buy and support American. I could go on here about the importance of supporting our needy economy but it would be too much of a copious digression. But..
I guess the bottom line is this. Generalizing the entire economy of nations four times the size of our own based on 2 or 3 examples (or 2 or 3 dozen for that matter) of manufacturing glitches or poor management is laughably ridiculous if you do the math.
So, what...are you going to stop buying Ford because of the "exploding Pinto" or another U.S. car manufacturer because of a failed seat belt or non-deployed airbag?
And this would go for any other foreign country, really. It's just that China and India are so huge the math really reveals proportional disclosure of the actual statistics.
If I have ten dollars in my pocket and I need something essential that I can get at the local market for 18 dollars;
or go down the street to Wal-Mart (where a bunch of local people work) and pay 8 dollars for the same Chinese import......
What do you do? There's theory and there's practical reality. And I guess it's how much you need the "widget" in the above example.
Now hey, let's say I have bank accounts with billions of dollars. Or just doing really, really well. Then, sure, of course, I have the luxury of being a true patriot. And sure, I will buy U.S. made items as often as possible.
But if I am walking down the street under the subtle but ever-present heavy spirited stress of wondering "How I am going to pay 'such and such' next week or tomorrow" it's not a matter of Patriotism, but survival.
The corporate conglomerates that manipulated politician's grubby little green-greased palms (of years past and even present) have directly and indirectly put us in a position to where many cannot afford to support their own country economically.
You want to support this country? Go volunteer somewhere in your town and help another local in need. Send your charity donations somewhere in this country, instead of some exotic locale to make it seem more worthy. Go to a retirement home and tell some old guys (that were as young as your are now, once) a few jokes that really made you laugh lately. They might have heard 'em already, but they will still appreciate your presence. Take some flowers with you and give them to some "young lady" while you're there. Pay it forward next time you can, however you can. Be a human being to someone else who's doubting humanity.
That's patriotic.
So hey, I digressed a bit, but if I can get good DIY to where it's going mostly, at least, to support this country, then yeah, sure.
But I am not going to purchase inferior product for an inflated price based on the possibility of a partial maybe that could or couldn't be true.Yeah, that's meant to sound that way.
