"radioman390" wrote in message
oups.com...
The Chinese are sitting on $200 Billion of US dollars which are
becoming increasingly worthless. First they bought the British
automaker ROVER, then tried to get Unocal, and now are talking to
Marconi Communications, the Brit defense contractor.

See all those plastic doodads in your closets? See all those
Chinese-made clothes?
How about TVs and stereos? That's how they'll end up owning everything

Nothing wrong with Chinese clothes hangers, Japanese TVs or many European
made cars.

All countries export. Protectionism is on the rise; US industry being the
first to yell "Dumping" when they lose market share or can't compete! End
result is American consumer pays more than necessary every time a
'Protection' or US government subsidy is empowered as a result of the many
lobby groups!

Sometimes get impression US government is run by US industry not the voters?

Cultural influences: Been a lot of complaints, in some countries about, for
example the heavy import of US films and music. But there are signs that
other countries of the world are starting to catch up and also producing
more suitable/acceptable product, especially to the younger members of these
other cultures.

Some will argue that since movies, are outgoing, i.e. being 'exported from
the USA' that's alright?

That growth of US industry, whether it was Bethlehem Steel or Boeing
Aircraft is exactly how the US grew prosperous in the late 1800 and 1900s.
Immigrants, availability of labor, opportunity (i.e. freedom or lack of
restrictions sometimes called American Enterprise etc.) Sikorsky Helicopters
for example was founded and led by an émigré/refugee from Europe. Einstein
was also an immigrant; so also Werner Von Braun of Nazi rocket fame was
hired! If you had something to offer come right in past the Statue of
Liberty.

Not clear about these current rants; for example Lou Dobbs, on CNN with his
"Exporting American Jobs".

Many of the products the USA imports come from countries where it is more
expensive to produce; have higher wages, and taxes to pay for more extensive
health and social programmes, many of these countries have fewer natural
resources than North America, have harsher climates, are a long distance
away and yet compete well for the US consumers dollar and yet are not
subsidized within their own countries competing world wide in an
international market. But many produce superior/competitive goods!

Working in the Middle East for example my relative had the practical choices
of buying either a German or a Japanese vehicle. US vehicles are few and far
between! In the same area US truck type vehicles are virtually unseen.
Trucks made in Europe or India predominate.

So if a US consumer wants to buy say a SONY Japanese TV (Very expensive
country Japan) a BMW or Mercedes (Germany very costly country live and work
btw) or a teak dining room set from the Philippines, a cheap tee-shirt from
China, a good quality wool garment from Australia or canned Dole fruit from
South America, who should say "No".

The international market now includes India and China (each of which have
tree times the US population many of them well educated and smart) and other
'emerging nations' and it will get increasingly competitive and demanding
both in buying and selling.

Another factor is US protectionism: For example the multi year ongoing
complaint by US softwood producers that "Canadian lumber is too cheap" has
been lost so many times on appeal through NAFTA (North American Free Trade
Agreement) that Canada is now starting to export to China and other
countries. The US government having long imposed a hefty tariff on that
lumber, at request of the US industry which is estimated to add a couple of
thousand dollars to each new US built home! Next thing there'll be a US wood
shortage; and prices will rise. Which is fine for the wood industry but
expensive for the US consumer.

And Bush wants to extend NAFTA to South America!

The bottom line is that no country can 'protect' itself from outside
influences (look at the current price of oil!) or say to it's citizens you
cannot buy such and such an item that is otherwise freely available on world
markets. In our case that is the purchase of Yaesu, Kenwood, Sony etc.

Is it true that Wal Mart the world's biggest retailer (So they are
'supposed' to be doing something right!) alone, buys more from China than
some world countries GDP (Gross Domestic Product)? So if you don't like
their plastic 'doodads' don't buy them. Maybe buy wooden ones made in the
USA?