I think it is time that we come to a decision as to whether we want to continue buying goods from countries that do not have the same standards as we do here in the United States. Whenever the people rise up and stop buying a particular company’s goods, that company takes notice. So why is it that Americans seem to be willing to buy tainted products in exchange for low prices? It is mostly because almost nothing is manufactured in America anymore.
Americans have boycotted companies and even some countries for such things as slave labor and poor working conditions. In the 1980’s there was a large campaign where Americans were told to buy American made products. In the early 1990’s Japan was a dominant force in America and the American people were critical of the Japanese corporations because it seemed that they were buying too much land and property. It was only when the Japanese stock market crashed, that we saw that trend curtailed.
Why would we not boycott China now? There have been several instances of food, toys, toothpaste, and now clothing being tainted with chemicals that the United States has deemed harmful to human health. The United States government has banned the use of lead in paints, yet apparently, this practice is no problem in China. We even find that antifreeze has contaminated the toothpaste. Antifreeze is a deadly poison, but from what I hear it taste great, so if it had not checked for it, it would have gone unnoticed.
I do not think we can fully blame the Chinese companies; they are simply doing what they are being paid to do. American companies outsource to many other countries so that they can get away with paying slave wages. Of course, they justify this by saying that they are helping the people in other countries, but I am sure that is not their intention. It is now that Americans must say that they are tired of the practice of manufacturing in poor countries and then shipping in their tainted goods to the unsuspecting public.
When outsourcing started, many companies thought that it was a good idea, and many still do. The motivation behind it was less costs for labor and less government involvement in safety. Well, now we know what that gets us, a poor economy, very little manufacturing in the United States and the loss of all of those manufacturing jobs. How many towns were abandoned due to companies pulling out to go overseas to save a buck?
I for one believe that it is time that manufacturing begin again in America. American companies should be held accountable when they exploit poorer countries at the expense of the American worker. America stand up and be heard. Do not let these money hungry corporations get away with destroying our infrastructure. It is not likely that America will survive as an economic power if it does not manufacture products. Do not continue to let China ship in its poisonous good so that our children can die.
Let’s not just boycott Chinese goods, but we must boycott all companies that have their manufacturing in poor nations, where they earn their profits off the backs of the poor citizens of those countries, and where they increase their revenue by not imposing the same safety standards as our government has designated as acceptable. Please before it is too late, stand up, and be heard.