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A call to Americans

3K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  Albi-Fishin 
#1 · (Edited)
There is a great need to crush the imports. I will not buy the china made products. When you buy the imported products from china you are supporting a product made with slave labor. Your call. I will not buy from them. We must stand together. Subsidized products designed to destroy our economy. JUST SAY NO.
 
#14 ·
We will rock the tackle world like we rocked the firearms world. McMillan Brothers. :wave:

Just make sure you know the difference between Taiwan, Japan and China before you rock the tackle world...thanks..:)

2/3 are major allies which support many American jobs and own a large amount of American companies and properties including the company I work for. 2/3 hate China more than you do.. Rock on brother...:thumbsup:
 
#5 ·
It wouldn't hurt if you could show people some viable options for American made products. I personally only fish avets and some penn reels, but what about rods? Hooks? Leader? My boat is american made but what about outboards? I make my own sinkers so they're American made, and I know my next rods will be "fish poisons". So they will be American made.
 
#7 ·
Quality comes at price that most are not conditioned to pay for. Terms of value have become upset with the flood of Chinese goods in most markets. Quality is second to price to the masses. If your product isn't better or priced less why should anyone buy it, most don't care about service after sale because 99% of time there is no service at all, which most have Accepted as the norm. Sorry I have a very dim outlook. The Chinese are slaves to our need of consumption of goods and we are slaves to taxation and a welfare state that has grown out of this call to class equality. Which is really just a form of free communism that we have chosen.

Rant over
 
#9 ·
It is probably impossible to eliminate consumption of ALL Chinese made goods, but we can ALL start somewhere. It is your own future that is at stake.

Do a little research and make your discretionary choices accordingly. That's a start.

I personally don't have as big a beef with Japanese products as I do Chinese. China's monetary value manipulation is criminal. Their human rights and fair wage policies are non-existent. Environmental concerns - are you kidding me? Japan was no angel with past trade policies, but at least their economy and business standards are much more similar to ours than China.

Leveling of the world's economic waters does not solely mean that other countries increase their wealth and prosperity to USA levels. It means that we will decline to meet them, probably somewhere well below the middle. Think about that and then decide for yourself the future that you and your children would prefer.
 
#15 ·
#11 ·
What Crap is made in China???

Isn't most of the quality tackle made in Japan and America?? I fish Shimano and Avets!! I have no problem buying tackle manufactured in another country especially if its kick ***!! You guys are beating a dead horse!! If a superior product is available whether it be a car or fishing reel, why wouldn't you buy it!!! Toyota Camrys are assembled here in the USA!! So before ya start bashing good ole Japenese product's think about all the Americans they employ. As far as China is concerned..have no fear as they are going to self destruct from pollution and the highest rate of cancer in the entire world!!!
 
#12 ·
Isn't most of the quality tackle made in Japan and America?? I fish Shimano and Avets!! I have no problem buying tackle manufactured in another country especially if its kick ***!! You guys are beating a dead horse!! If a superior product is available whether it be a car or fishing reel, why wouldn't you buy it!!! Toyota Camrys are assembled here in the USA!! So before ya start bashing good ole Japenese product's think about all the Americans they employ. As far as China is concerned..have no fear as they are going to self destruct from pollution and the highest rate of cancer in the entire world!!!
MT, This is not just about tackle or superior products. Let's be specific. This is a Chinese problem - not much of anything superior coming from that source.

If we keep buying their products they may take us all with them to the grave. Would you let your kids play with lead-painted toys from China?
 
#13 ·
Cant agree less with u mr nest,next thing we will start doung is let forigen fishing fleets harvest our fish because they give a petter prepaired product at at cheaper price , its only a commodity right,see thats the problem we as a country are ok to sellout instead of suport our locals who suport us , and yes its a plus to buy a american made toyota over a mersades,but still not as good as a ford,also note that those toyotas dont pay the same wages and benifits as ford , this is a fight for americas survival more important then one sector,now please help suport OUR country
 
#16 ·
I believe the thoughts should be buy all american if you can , then buy from companys that employ alot of americans , but never buy cheap poorly made products that are made elsewere,our politicions and corporations woyld sell our childern , we are incharge of our own destiny, now lets act like it
 
#17 · (Edited)
3 Misconceptions That Need to Die
At a conference in Philadelphia earlier this month, a Wharton professor noted that one of the country's biggest economic problems is a tsunami of misinformation. You can't have a rational debate when facts are so easily supplanted by overreaching statements, broad generalizations, and misconceptions. And if you can't have a rational debate, how does anything important get done? As author William Feather once advised, "Beware of the person who can't be bothered by details." There seems to be no shortage of those people lately.

Here are three misconceptions that need to be put to rest.

Misconception 1)

Most of what Americans spend their money on is made in China.

Fact: Just 2.7% of personal consumption expenditures go to Chinese-made goods and services. 88.5% of U.S. consumer spending is on
American-made goods and services.

I used that statistic in an article last week, and the response from readers was overwhelming: Hogwash. People just didn't believe it.
The figure comes from a Federal Reserve report. You can read it here.
A common rebuttal I got was, "How can it only be 2.7% when almost everything in Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) is made in China?" Because Wal-Mart's $260 billion in U.S. revenue isn't exactly reflective of America's $14.5 trillion economy. Wal-Mart might sell a broad range of knickknacks, many of which are made in China, but the vast majority of what Americans spend their money on is not knickknacks.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics closely tracks how an average American spends their money in an annual report called the Consumer Expenditure Survey. In 2010, the average American spent 34% of their income on housing, 13% on food, 11% on insurance and pensions, 7% on health care, and 2% on education. Those categories alone make up nearly 70% of total spending, and are comprised almost entirely of American-made goods and services (only 7% of food is imported, according to the USDA).
Even when looking at physical goods alone, Chinese imports still account for just a small fraction of U.S. spending. Just 6.4% of nondurable goods -- things like food, clothing and toys -- purchased in the U.S. are made in China; 76.2% are made in America. For durable goods -- things like cars and furniture -- 12% are made in China; 66.6% are made in America.
Another way to grasp the value of Chinese-made goods is to look at imports. The U.S. is on track to import $340 billion worth of goods from China this year, which is 2.3% of our $14.5 trillion economy. Is that a lot? Yes. Is it most of what we spend our money on? Not by a long shot.
Part of the misconception is likely driven by the notion that America's manufacturing base has been in steep decline. The truth, surprising to many, is that real manufacturing output today is near an all-time high. What's dropped precipitously in recent decades is manufacturing employment. Technology and automation has allowed American manufacturers to build more stuff with far fewer workers than in the past. One good example: In 1950, a U.S. Steel (NYSE: X ) plant in Gary, Ind., produced 6 million tons of steel with 30,000 workers. Today, it produces 7.5 million tons with 5,000 workers. Output has gone up; employment has dropped like a rock.

Misconception 2):
We owe most of our debt to China.

Fact: China owns 7.8% of U.S. government debt outstanding.

As of August, China owned $1.14 trillion of Treasuries. Government debt stood at $14.6 trillion that month. That's 7.8%.
Who owns the rest? The largest holder of U.S. debt is the federal government itself. Various government trust funds like the Social Security trust fund own about $4.4 trillion worth of Treasury securities. The Federal Reserve owns another $1.6 trillion. Both are unique owners: Interest paid on debt held by federal trust funds is used to cover a portion of federal spending, and the vast majority of interest earned by the Federal Reserve is remitted back to the U.S. Treasury.
The rest of our debt is owned by state and local governments ($700 billion), private domestic investors ($3.1 trillion), and other non-Chinese foreign investors ($3.5 trillion).
Does China own a lot of our debt? Yes, but it's a qualified yes. Of all Treasury debt held by foreigners, China is indeed the largest owner ($1.14 trillion), followed by Japan ($937 billion) and the U.K. ($397 billion).
Right there, you can see that Japan and the U.K. combined own more U.S. debt than China. Now, how many times have you heard someone say that we borrow an inordinate amount of money from Japan and the U.K.? I never have. But how often do you hear some version of the "China is our banker" line? Too often, I'd say.

Misconception 3):

We get most of our oil from the Middle East.

Fact: Just 9.2% of oil consumed in the U.S. comes from the Middle East.

According the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes 19.2 million barrels of petroleum products per day. Of that amount, a net 49% is produced domestically. The rest is imported.
Where is it imported from? Only a small fraction comes from the Middle East, and that fraction has been declining in recent years. So far this year, imports from the Persian Gulf region -- which includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -- have made up 9.2% of total petroleum supplied to the U.S. In 2001, that number was 14.1%.
The U.S. imports more than twice as much petroleum from Canada and Mexico than it does from the Middle East. Add in the share produced domestically, and the majority of petroleum consumed in the U.S. comes from North America.
This isn't to belittle our energy situation. The nation still relies on imports for about half of its oil. That's bad. But should the Middle East get the attention it does when we talk about oil reliance? In terms of security and geopolitical stability, perhaps. In terms of volume, probably not.

A roomful of skeptics

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe," said Andy Rooney. Do these numbers fit with what you already believed? No hard feelings if they don't.

 
#19 · (Edited)
OK, more smoke and mirrors from none other than the federal reserve. I suppose we have no inflation either and unemployment is only 8.5%? Lots of good the federal reserve has been doing us lately:rolleyes:.

So, since it has now been explained to us dummies so succinctly in LARGE BOLD TYPE so that we can ALL understand, let's all just go back to our little lives of fantasy and forget all about reality. I am certain that only the elite leaders, journalists and Wharton professors of our world are capable of rational, detail-oriented thought, anyway, so who are we commoners to even attempt a rebuttal? Elitism at its best - and nothing less. Please take that article and shove it where the sun don't shine. It is not even worthy as toilet paper.

There is nothing generalized about company dormitories and there is no misconception regarding how chinese labor is paid, nor the chinese' disregard for human rights and environment. Unfortunately, those are a few DETAILS your author chose to overlook.
 
#20 ·
The phrase Buy American typically comes from union members who want us to disregard the price of goods and "be loyal" to your fellow Americans, at your expense. The real yardstick has to be "what makes sense for me? Competition is what makes America strong. It keeps prices low, wages in check, and offers consumers a range of products, prices and quality. If you want to buy a cheap rod and reel, do it. It may provide you with the utility you desire. Do your research. Open borders for foreign goods serves us well. Apple produces it products in China. Do you think they're poorly made?
 
#25 ·
The phrase Buy American typically comes from union members who want us to disregard the price of goods and "be loyal" to your fellow Americans, at your expense. The real yardstick has to be "what makes sense for me? Competition is what makes America strong. It keeps prices low, wages in check, and offers consumers a range of products, prices and quality. If you want to buy a cheap rod and reel, do it. It may provide you with the utility you desire. Do your research. Open borders for foreign goods serves us well. Apple produces it products in China. Do you think they're poorly made?

The quality of Apple products made in China does not negate or justify the practices used to make them.

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. If boycotting unfair practices of China supports American unions then so be it. The existence of one extreme does not justify proliferation of another.
 
#21 ·
If you know made in America Imac and Iphone, let me know. I will buy it. And my other PCs... they are all made over seas. Maybe some computers are assembled in America. Most of memory chips are made over seas. I belive 100% bananas and a lot of fruits are imported. We just have to provide better products and services than foreign countries, then you don't have to beg to buy American product. People will simply buy better and cheaper product.
 
#32 ·
Dave-

Interesting Statistics. I can believe that US consumption of Chinese goods are lower than many might think. I would, however, like to unpack the statistic that 88.5% of US consumer spending is on American made goods and services. "US consumer spending" might be very narrowly defined, while "American goods and services" is probably very broadly defined. My only point is that statistics can be easily manipulated in such a way to support any point that one is trying to make.
 
#27 ·
The author just presented facts. I wasn't weighing in either way on the debate. If you want to discuss a topic you should atleast consider dissenting points of view.​

My response was not directed at you, so much as the so-called facts of the article's author. It is not rejection of dissenting opinion. It is simply part of debating it.

There are too many "Wharton Professors" presenting skewed facts these days that are taken as gospel by those with lesser degrees. I think the way NMFS counts seabass catch falls into the same category.

The one sad true fact is that America is in decline. Regardless of what our president just said on TV. Just look around for yourself to see the truth. It does not help us in any way to support a country that pays its workers in biscuits and tea.
 
#24 ·
Oh you just try and keep my wife out of Walmart.... I dare you.

I make my own sinkers - does that count for anything. I refuse to pay $2 for a sinker im going to lose in the rocks in a few minutes.

now i must say, ive gotten pretty good at getting them back motoring that light and fluffy boat around up anchor and yanking them out...

im a cheapass
 
#26 ·
Is the discussion about compassion for the Chinese workers, or what's best long term for our economy?

If it's the Chinese worker we're talking about, I would submit that the only reason they even get a biscuit is because there is 12 hours of work for them. Stop buying their goods, and their government will simply let them die.
 
#28 ·
Is the discussion about compassion for the Chinese workers, or what's best long term for our economy?

If it's the Chinese worker we're talking about, I would submit that the only reason they even get a biscuit is because there is 12 hours of work for them. Stop buying their goods, and their government will simply let them die.
It's about our ability to compete with unfair practices.
 
#31 ·
Rebait I wish I was young enough to except facts given , when I heard how bead global warming was I said hay the eath has changed for millions of years so why do I care,when my son came home from coledge and told me christopher columbus is not itailian but a pirtugese jew I said these proffesurer know nothing and they need to put the pupe down , when I get a new colledge kid cime in for a job im suprised how much they dont know sorry about being jaded,i do believe your numbers some what but I belive import numbers are closer to 5% , and yes if we can Spend more here we will be better off , of my salary 35 % is federal and local taxes 5% is fishing expensise 20 % is insurance and food , so yes we do spend alot on services that is what most on this board make a living at, but just think what we could accomplish if we cut our foreign purchases in half , and I jave been in wal-mart twice,im sure my wife sneaks in but I do rip when I find out I tell her if she continues I will push to outsource her goverment job im sure I can find some foriener to do it better and cheaper , heck using her thoughts we should fire our police and hire china policeman, they have little crime and no drug abuse, all it takes to be real is buy more american products and stop cheaping out to save yourself a few pennys , you would not feel so good if we outsoursed your job,its survival
 
#33 · (Edited)
I think that the Chinese are quite capable of making quality in anything they want to. They make 'high teck' products that, for the money seem to be a value, TV's, computers, electronics. What I find odd, is that in fishing tackle, people pay many times the actual value, and dont relize that it is way inferior for the cost. Yes, I am a US rod builder, so I will say mine is better than theirs. There are several US rod builders that sponsor this site. With offshore rods, any of us could build a rod for $300 that is far superior to the Chinese, Japanese, Taiwaese, Korean, Malaysian etc.
What I feel is funny is intelligent guys, that make a good living, can afford a nice boat, and they buy rods for $300-1,000 that are not the high quality that they should receive. The fact is, they got hosed through a "cute advertisement" [I'll post photos to prove this]
I know several people that source in the Orient for lures and other tackle. They sell the lures for $10,20 30 retail, or higher, and many times they themselves got screwed with a bad finish, bad hook, colors that wash out of vynils. I find most rods built overseas that are priced high are a joke. Again, I will post photos of two spin rods, one that sells for $700, one for $800, the customers thought they got a deal, no, they got screwed. I can build a superior spin rod, any length, for 1/2 the price, this is a fact.
Buy frrom an American, it will be a value.
Kevin Bogan Rods/Fish Poison Rods= Built in America for 30 years Many customers still have our rods that have been used for over twenty seasons.
Killing Fish for a long, long time!!!
Calstar Jig Rods, Popping Rods $285 the competetors say "oh no, they wont work" Bull$h!t, they will kill fish, plenty of them and they will last for years.
 
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