Merry globalized Christmas everybody !

Mrs. bearfan and I went to the Walmart sale Friday morning after Thanksgiving. We got a $39.43 fiber optic Christmas tree - made in China. We got a $4.86 12 cup coffee pot - made in China. We got a $4.86 waffle maker - made in China. We got a $58.87 Black and Decker vacuum sealer for deermeat and stuff in the kitchen - made in Korea.

Can you believe this shit ? Our own government is giving tax breaks to companies to fire all their workers and move overseas. It is win - win for the companies. No matching Social Security, no workers comp, no high dollar workers, hell who wouldn't ? Our own government is going out of their way to help destroy our economy. Fuck the power elite. I want my country back !

when people who should know better, buy the crap.

I get "stuff" for every holiday from people at work, for my toddler. They are trying to be kind, but he doesn't need anything -- he has it all, already -- and I wish they would put their money to better use. Like donating to some good liberal cause, or if they must buy, buy something useful or nutritious for the homeless kids in town.

Any ideas?

I am in luck. the Irs has some of my money, the ins, has taken a good deal, my retirement has falling to almost nothing so gifts I will not have to worry about. I have turned un-American and will not be going to Wal-marts this year.I am willing to bet I spend more time an every one than the Wal-mart people but so be it.I am marching to my own drum beat.

If you have to get some items, they are simply not made in the USA anymore. But if you have a choice, check out labels. I've found shirts made in the USA, and I know of mom/pop stores and small chains that still look around for locally made/US made items. But I know what you mean about the difficulty of finding things made here. Please consider not going to Wal-Mart this season but to trade at local businsesses. You'll find that they are more appreciative (at least the ones around here are) and more likely to listen when you ask them to stock things made here. They understand your concerns, and are more likely to act on them.

Didn't Walmart only stock things made by America? Guess that policy went by the wayside fast.

Another consideration, at least for me, is the morality of buying such items. The way I see it, our foreign policy is designed to exploit and to keep masses of people making things for our consumption, as cheaply as possible. These people are laboring in sweat factories, albeit overseas ones. It bothers me to purchase such items, so I try to find alternatives. If I have to pay more, I pay more. The little extra to assuage my conscience is insignificant to me.

The most telling is when one knows what goes into a the making of a product. For example, as a teenager, I learned to sew and did some garment construction into my late twenties. From that, I know what it takes to make a garment. That's why I can't purchase some garments because they are too inexpensive and others because they are way too expensive.

Another example is food. As an organic gardener, I know what goes into making a "can" of tomatoes. A helluva lot of tomatoes, let me tell you. Then I started reading about agribusiness and I began seeing the connections between health problems and our method of food consumption. Definitely made some changes as a result of that research endeavor.

These solutions aren't for everyone, especially younger people who are just now purchasing the basics in life. It is, however, something to think about.



Cher

Your right...all that red white and blue nonsense at WalMart is nonsense...its a ruse to get people to shop there. Funny thing is finding American flags made in Red China......hee hee...

By the way you are right...I have been doing a lot to simply my life. So many things today are done from pure convenience and they end up costing people so much money.

Gardening to grow food and spices. Home cooking to make your dollar stretch. Making clothes or buying fewer clothes but making them last and making sure that they work with other things...