Janet's Jargon

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Tuesday, January 08, 2013

God bless the USA

Remember when WalMart first started opening stores? They vowed that there would be nothing on their shelves that was not "Made in America." Someplace along the way, that promise got lost.

As we look around, trying to find American products, we hear Diane Sawyer on the ABC Evening News lamenting the fact that she could only find one place in the entire country, a small company in Georgia, that made American flags. The majority of them were made in China.

Recently, L. Losone Parmeter (Author of War Stories and Little White Lies, Lumberton and The Last Tear Drop) sent me the following essay on the subject of "Made in China." Please feel free to copy it from here and circulate it as widely as you would like to, but be sure to credit him for the fine job of writing he did on the topic. His email address is at the bottom of the essay, and he welcomes emails from people on the subject.
Also, I am dealing with this subject today on my weekly radio program, "Marketing for Fun and Profit." You can listen to it at http://www.pwrtalklive.com. Just click on my name on the list of hosts and tune in if you missed it live. I have several other things to say on the topic.

Thank you, and please, if at all possible BUY AMERICAN! We can, if we band together, make a difference.

CHINA, WHAT IF?

By L. Lee Parmeter

As you read this article, it may seem like an old black and white science fiction B movie and any minute a sea monster will try to eat New York. No, there isn’t any sea monster but there is a monster that lives in the silent world of global merchandising. The facts are in evidence that Chinese products come into contact with our daily lives 24/7. I only touch on a few facts that are part of our everyday presence. The influence of Chinese products extends far beyond this short writing.
Sit back for a few minutes in your favorite chair and think what would happen to the United States in our day if everything made in China would suddenly disappear.
Every electronic communication device would disappear. No cell phone, I-pads, smart phones or cell towers would exist. No tweets, texting or voice mail. All Internet services would cease to exist. Of interest that is closer to the hearts of all electronic equipment users, there are no computers or peripheral devices that provide America with integrated intelligence and access to the international electronic world.
If you are lucky enough to live in an area where your telephone company uses old American technology and have some old phones in the house, you will get a dial tone on your land line when you pick up the phone. The modern telephone systems all are computer driven with Chinese technology and there will be no dial tone. If your phone service is via a cable modem, then there will be no dial tone as most of the products made for cable systems are made in China.
The cable splitters, line amplifiers and modems are all gone. It really doesn’t matter because there are no televisions to watch as 100% of televisions in America have Chinese technology.
What about cars? Most vehicles made since 2001 would stop running because of the integration of Chinese technology into automotive computers. The parts for the Buick automobile are made exclusively in China and assembled here. Buick is the most popular car in China and accounts for the recent sale of its three millionth Buick in China.
Ah, you say your old 65 Mustang was made in the good old U.S. of A. and it will still run. Didn’t you just install a new set of points and condenser when you did a tune up? Oh, well, it won’t run because the points and condenser are made in China.
This brings up the after-market automotive parts industry. They are wholly dependent on parts supplied by China from gaskets to new brake pads and beyond for your trustworthy made in America car or a new vehicle. You can’t buy American because very few automotive parts are made in America any more. Even if they were, the vehicles that distribute the products aren’t running any more.
You say you found your old points and condenser, cleaned them up a bit and the old 65 Mustang is running. You head to the local gas station and find it closed. The owner tells you that the credit card reader doesn’t work and the inside computer doesn’t work to control the gas pumps. He will take cash to hand pump 5 gallons and no more because some older cars are still running, and are lined up waiting for motor fuel.
You have only a few dollars on your hip but your main method of payment is either debit or credit card, so you walk to your local bank just down the street. The line is long but finally you are inside the bank when an announcement is made by the manager.
“We can’t access any of your account because the bank’s computer system and encrypted data base has all your personal and business account information. It is not retrievable and is lost somewhere in the ether-world of a malfunctioning Chinese computer system. We have no idea, if ever it will be corrected and we are truly sorry that we don’t have an American backup.”
Almost overnight, our entire economy is converted to a cash basis as no plastic can be used. Just what do you do when the bank has your money and won’t give it to you? There is no answer to that one. Perhaps it would be a nightmare repeat of black Friday in 1929 when the stock market crashed and the banks closed. Many people couldn’t get their money out of the banks. There is an empty and sick feeling in the pit of your stomach because you can’t get any money out of your account and your thoughts are “what am I going to do?” This scene is played out all across America for the victims of the Chinese intrusion into our lives.
You look in your back yard and see that your travel trailer and boat trailer don’t have any tires. It is too late to learn that all tires for trailers and boats are made in China.
Don’t go to Wal-Mart. The store is almost totally empty of all products from electronics, clothing, toys and daily use items. The largest retailer in America has closed its doors with all the products made in China gone from the well-stocked shelves. Every major store in America is suffering the same conundrum; all the Chinese products have disappeared from their shelves.
You can’t go outside because you won’t have any clothes to wear. You dig into you old duffle bag and come up with some old military garb to keep you warm. You know they were made in America. Most all clothing sold in the United States is made in China. Not all clothing is made in China but it certainly isn’t made in America. Look at the labels and you will find Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Indonesia, India, Russia and Bangladesh and many others.
What about shoes? In the past few years, China has been buying up shoe leather across the world to make shoes. What about those few companies that make shoes in America? Yes, there is one company but think about this. The thread used to sew the shoes is more than likely made in China as well as shoelaces.
This brings up another important issue about products made in America. Many tools and equipment used to manufacture American products are made in China. The light switch that turns on the light and the electrical outlets are made in China. In newer facilities much of the wiring that powers our industrial and commercial strength are made in China.
You are thirsty and go to your refrigerator that was made in Korea. It’s there in the kitchen, but not working because the electronics that control the operation are missing as they were made in China. There is water spilled everywhere. The bottles that hold the water were made from Chinese plastic and there is no water to drink out of the refrigerator.
Don’t think about going to a local casino to play a few slots. The gaming industry, nationwide, will no longer exist. If it is around Christmas time, you won’t have to worry about taking the tree down or putting up ornaments and decorations, they will all be gone.
I haven’t touched on the aspect of food, military, medical, commercial aviation, utilities, toy industry and law enforcement. You can visualize what would happen. The only area that isn’t affected that much are guns, as most are made in America or another country without a plethora of Chinese parts. Where will that lead our nation?
In a few short days we would be in the new “American Stone Age” with no way to sustain our national and global economy. What would happen to America without government or military control? Those stable elements are deeply affected by the role China has in our economy. At first, the influx of Chinese products was benign with a few items showing up on the shelves. The intrusion of these products is like an addiction or slow developing disease; we can’t help it or stop the influx as it has spread like wildfire all across America with no antidote available.
At least I can reach for my trusty box of “Made in America” tissues and wipe the tears of sadness from my face. The box is also gone, as I didn’t read the package “Made from domestic and imported material.” You guessed it; the imported material was from China. I tried to turn on my old “Made in America” lamp and there is no bulb. I had forgotten about the new-fangled light bulbs that were mandated by the infinite wisdom of our government, are made in China. The Federal Trade commission (FTC) has convoluted the usage of “Made in America” so badly that finding an article that is truly "Made in America" is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Every facet of our life is controlled by the consumer products that surround us and the services we receive for our well-being. Every minute of every day products that are made in China touches our lives in countless ways. If these products disappear, our way of life, as we know it, is gone forever, the America we know, and love will no longer exist.

There are many answers to the Chinese infusion of products and none of the answers are good or what we want to hear. Without exception, we have been placed in this inexcusable situation by the Sooth Sayers in Washington. They are all pointing their fingers at each other. Neither political side has opted to address the issue or even acknowledge it exists. Now it’s too late, but we all know that it is all about money and greed on both sides of the political arena and the oceans of the world.

L Lee Parmeter Author

losone@cableone.net





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