My dad and his brothers run a pretty succesful logging/lumber company. Business has been pretty slow lately, and it' s a stare down to see waht company goes out of business first. Once that happens, it will get good again. One problem that' s been hurting the local companies is the CHINESE.
Around 9 months ago, maybe earlier than that, a bunch of rich Chinese started showing up around the Iowa/wisconsin/Minnesota area interested in walnut logs. Selling vaneer( very high grade wood) walnut is essential to many logging companies in the area. Well, the Chinese have very deep pockets. Deeper than anyone around these parts. They have been outbidding everyone on walnut. they get the walnut and ship it over to China where some little Chink makes it into furniture.that then gets shipped back for us to buy at the store.
Is there a reason why OUR walnut has to go OVER THERE to be made into furniture? I mean, theres alot of jobless people that are willing to work around here, why not have them make furniture? Is there a reason why we have to give raw materials to people in Mexico or China or Indonesia to make into goods that we are going to buy? It' s total B.S. Maybe im just young and havent quite figured out the ways of the world. [&:]
Well, they could just not sell it to them and accept the bid of the next highest (U.S.) bidder. I may mean the company doesn' t make quite as much profit, but if it helps out in the long run it might be worth it. It' d also give the Chinese the strong message that their business isn' t welcome and they should go elsewhere. Send them to France. French walnut is some of the finest in the world, and the French are notorious communist sympathizers. It' s too bad one can' t recycle the walnut in French military firearms. The French sure don' t use ' em!
This is a sore spot with me too. It seems that all the presidents in the last 20 years pushed the free trade issues to the hilt including Bush senior. I don' t know what GW' s stand on this was but he is now the first president to suffer the effects of ths B.S. He is now being blamed for all the lost jobs under his watch when many of thes jobs have gone to china and mexico. Somebody better wake up and realize that we better look out for our own before its to late
Deerslayer
I can relate. I closed three different buisnesses in the last few years because of one simple word. NAFTA. I couldnt compete, so my employes went jobless because my competition moved to mexico to exploit the cheap labor. I will refuse to move any of mine to another country. Ill belly up before then.[:@]
I see no reason to be angry about the Chinese. The situation is no different than one where other Americans came to your region and outbid everyone for the resource.
We did and do precisely the same thing all around the globe.
The flip side of it is that the sellers benefit big time.
If I have something to sell, I want what its worth. What its worth is subjective; it is determined by the auction process; I sell it to the highest bidder, therefore, that is what its worth.
Every day, every single American makes a decision...will I buy American goods or foreign goods? Guess which they buy the most and why? Capitalism at its finest.
Modern day Mercantilism/cheap foreign labor
