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Spartacus · Jan 20, 2005, 02:52 am

I just saw a report on CNN that told of how almost all of the souvenirs for the Bush Inaugural have been outsourced to other countries. Most of them have been manufactured in China and other Asian countries instead of being made in the good old USA like before. There is something not right about gifts made to honor the election of a President of the United States being made in a foreign country. I guess this the logical extention of the Bush-Cheney campaign that secured campaign goods from Cambodia, China and Burma (even tho the Burmese ones were illegal). The irony is deep here. Can you imagine the howling from the GOP had Kerry won and done this? I guess if Bush does it, it's OK since he hasn't made a mistake in four years.

tinybear · Jan 20, 2005, 03:22 am

Yay, Hong Kong makes them cheaper and nicer, that's why!

Rainbow · Jan 20, 2005, 04:04 am

Quote:

Quote by: BaronVEsslingen

I just saw a report on CNN that told of how almost all of the souvenirs for the Bush Inaugural have been outsourced to other countries. Most of them have been manufactured in China and other Asian countries instead of being made in the good old USA like before. There is something not right about gifts made to honor the election of a President of the United States being made in a foreign country.

It could be due to the fact that China is one of the countries that uses U.S. Dollar for trade and transactions ? :-)))
Mao would be delighted :-)))

tinybear · Jan 20, 2005, 05:32 am

Mao wouldn't know. He died 30 years ago.

**Pooeypants** · Jan 20, 2005, 06:17 am

Quote:

Quote by: tinybear

Yay, Hong Kong makes them cheaper and nicer, that's why!

In this Century? Nearly all the factories have moved just over the borders to China (where they pay about significantly reduced wages ofc) so you'd have to be crazy to get anything manufactured in Hong Kong.

tinybear · Jan 20, 2005, 09:52 am

Yeah. But the owners of those factories In Shenzhen are Hongkongers.

**Pooeypants** · Jan 20, 2005, 11:13 am

Quote:

Quote by: tinybear

Yeah. But the owners of those factories In Shenzhen are Hongkongers.

Interesting new words there...
Yes, I see what you mean but the workers are nevertheless, severely underpaid mainland Chinese.

tinybear · Jan 20, 2005, 11:16 am

Whether you're underpaid or not is all relative. The cost of living in the Mainland is much lower than that in Hong Kong.

**Pooeypants** · Jan 20, 2005, 11:39 am

Indeed it is, though the economy was kind of going downhill till China decided to flush it with money, so to speak, to save face. Infact, I think wages are still pretty poor in China for the average worker, someone at McD only gets about 2.5 pound/hour or so whereas in UK it's roughly 4 to 5. The HK Dollar has slipped quite a bit too from 1GBP for 12HKD to 14.9HKD now. But I digress, Hong Kong is a part of China so this is a fruitless debate.

Rainbow · Jan 20, 2005, 01:41 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tinybear

Mao wouldn't know. He died 30 years ago.

It is a joke, since Communists believe that their ideology will survive forever :-)))

allen · Jan 20, 2005, 03:53 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tinybear

Yeah. But the owners of those factories In Shenzhen are Hongkongers.

I think there are more Americans than Hongkongers.

The Dunedan · Jan 20, 2005, 04:06 pm

If the workers in the PRC are getting paid at ALL, it's a good start. Harry Wu and his associates have repeatedly produced damning evidence of toys, clothing, and textiles being produced in Laogai concentration camps, including video, but have been ignored.

allen · Jan 20, 2005, 04:29 pm

Quote:

Quote by: The Dunedan

If the workers in the PRC are getting paid at ALL, it's a good start. Harry Wu and his associates have repeatedly produced damning evidence of toys, clothing, and textiles being produced in Laogai concentration camps, including video, but have been ignored.

This won't suprise me. In third world country, everyone has to work for food. If inmates don't have to work, prison would become a desired place...

I think the workers are underpaid in those factories, and the blame goes to the employers, most of which are americans (according to a survery, 70% of the "made in china" products sold to US are manufactured by factories owned by Americans).

Comrade · Jan 20, 2005, 10:58 pm

Yeah, we should take our capital elsewhere. The reason Americans own those factories is because America has the capital to set up the production facilities.
The Indians are more of our allies than the Chinese, and they'll have out-reproduced the Chinese by 2050, we should hire them to make our teddy bears, etc. instead. Much better choice of an ally.

allen · Jan 21, 2005, 09:44 am

Quote:

Quote by: Comrade

Yeah, we should take our capital elsewhere. The reason Americans own those factories is because America has the capital to set up the production facilities.
The Indians are more of our allies than the Chinese, and they'll have out-reproduced the Chinese by 2050, we should hire them to make our teddy bears, etc. instead. Much better choice of an ally.

you want to choose an ally to exploit? The low end manufacturing is a curse, rather than a blessing for the third-world countries.

Spartacus · Jan 21, 2005, 02:04 pm

I guess that's why the Bush stuff is made there. More people to exploit.

tinybear · Jan 21, 2005, 02:07 pm

Workers in China would rather you buy the goods they make than boycott them. Believe me, a boycott does not help them. It would only plunge them deeper into the depths of poverty.

Lou Minotti · Jan 21, 2005, 02:54 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tinybear

It would only plunge them deeper into the depths of poverty.

You got the numbers on that?

tinybear · Jan 21, 2005, 11:48 pm

No, but then I haven't got numbers on how many times the sun rose from the east and set in the west either.

Spartacus · Jan 22, 2005, 02:35 am

Quite frankly, Tinybear, I have no allegiance to the Communist Chinese government, the people it employs at barely sustenace wages while the Party rakes all the profit off the top, or the people who willingly do business with said Party. Bush 41 was a big suck-up to the Reds when he was f*cking up the country as CIC and now Bush 43 is walking the same path.

If I had a choice in the matter I would rather pay an extra dollar per item for something made in the United States realizing that it kept an American job from being outsourced than give one red cent (pun intended) to buy cheap shit from China. If Chinese workers are toiling away in poverty, who's fault is it? Their government's and our multinationals for buying into the whole scheme. Sorry if I refuse to participate. At least Kerry had the good sense to have American made products in his webstore. I bought his stuff and I'm proud to say it was ALL made in America. Bush is an un-patriotic, money-grubbing little turd and his Inaugural souvenirs prove it.

Jan 20, 2005, 02:52 am	#1 (permalink) (top)
Spartacus voyager Location: where I am free Posts: 111	Inaugural Gifts Outsourced to China I just saw a report on CNN that told of how almost all of the souvenirs for the Bush Inaugural have been outsourced to other countries. Most of them have been manufactured in China and other Asian countries instead of being made in the good old USA like before. There is something not right about gifts made to honor the election of a President of the United States being made in a foreign country. I guess this the logical extention of the Bush-Cheney campaign that secured campaign goods from Cambodia, China and Burma (even tho the Burmese ones were illegal). The irony is deep here. Can you imagine the howling from the GOP had Kerry won and done this? I guess if Bush does it, it's OK since he hasn't made a mistake in four years.

Jan 20, 2005, 11:39 am	#9 (permalink) (top)
Pooeypants Neo Moderator Location: England Posts: 5,549	Indeed it is, though the economy was kind of going downhill till China decided to flush it with money, so to speak, to save face. Infact, I think wages are still pretty poor in China for the average worker, someone at McD only gets about 2.5 pound/hour or so whereas in UK it's roughly 4 to 5. The HK Dollar has slipped quite a bit too from 1GBP for 12HKD to 14.9HKD now. But I digress, Hong Kong is a part of China so this is a fruitless debate. War is Peace Freedom is Slavery Ignorance is strength Harness the power of Ingsoc, then you can capture someone killed the year before

Jan 20, 2005, 10:58 pm	#14 (permalink) (top)
Comrade Hot Lava Location: Texas Posts: 1,229	Yeah, we should take our capital elsewhere. The reason Americans own those factories is because America has the capital to set up the production facilities. The Indians are more of our allies than the Chinese, and they'll have out-reproduced the Chinese by 2050, we should hire them to make our teddy bears, etc. instead. Much better choice of an ally. Oh, it's really too bad, isn't it? -- http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050121/480/watw10701210224 Hahaha, that's funny. Liberals are so silly!

Jan 20, 2005, 03:22 am	#2 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	Yay, Hong Kong makes them cheaper and nicer, that's why!

Jan 20, 2005, 05:32 am	#4 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	Mao wouldn't know. He died 30 years ago.

Jan 20, 2005, 09:52 am	#6 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	Yeah. But the owners of those factories In Shenzhen are Hongkongers.

Jan 20, 2005, 11:16 am	#8 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	Whether you're underpaid or not is all relative. The cost of living in the Mainland is much lower than that in Hong Kong.

Jan 20, 2005, 04:06 pm	#12 (permalink) (top)
The Dunedan Hot Lava Posts: 917	If the workers in the PRC are getting paid at ALL, it's a good start. Harry Wu and his associates have repeatedly produced damning evidence of toys, clothing, and textiles being produced in Laogai concentration camps, including video, but have been ignored.

Jan 21, 2005, 02:04 pm	#16 (permalink) (top)
Spartacus voyager Location: where I am free Posts: 111	I guess that's why the Bush stuff is made there. More people to exploit.

Jan 21, 2005, 02:07 pm	#17 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	Workers in China would rather you buy the goods they make than boycott them. Believe me, a boycott does not help them. It would only plunge them deeper into the depths of poverty.

Jan 21, 2005, 11:48 pm	#19 (permalink) (top)
tinybear Volcanic Erupter Location: Hong Kong (for now) Posts: 7,008	No, but then I haven't got numbers on how many times the sun rose from the east and set in the west either.

Jan 22, 2005, 02:35 am	#20 (permalink) (top)
Spartacus voyager Location: where I am free Posts: 111	Quite frankly, Tinybear, I have no allegiance to the Communist Chinese government, the people it employs at barely sustenace wages while the Party rakes all the profit off the top, or the people who willingly do business with said Party. Bush 41 was a big suck-up to the Reds when he was f*cking up the country as CIC and now Bush 43 is walking the same path. If I had a choice in the matter I would rather pay an extra dollar per item for something made in the United States realizing that it kept an American job from being outsourced than give one red cent (pun intended) to buy cheap shit from China. If Chinese workers are toiling away in poverty, who's fault is it? Their government's and our multinationals for buying into the whole scheme. Sorry if I refuse to participate. At least Kerry had the good sense to have American made products in his webstore. I bought his stuff and I'm proud to say it was ALL made in America. Bush is an un-patriotic, money-grubbing little turd and his Inaugural souvenirs prove it.