Community Chat

[Tinkrbl44]

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@itiswhatitis wrote:

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

I think many are willing to pay whatever it takes to have our clothing and anything else manufactured in the USA. I know I am. Whatever it takes. Make us great again.

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@proudlyfromNJ, I mean no disrespect, but I think we never stopped being great.  American born and raised and I know I'm great!

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@itiswhatitis

America has always been great ... even in its darkest moments.

[QueenDanceALot]

Manufacturing jobs aren't coming back to the US.  We can't compete with the cheap labor overseas.

And from a news report I heard this morning, other industries are going to be replacing workers with automation at a furious pace over the next decade.  Not just manufacturing, but tech jobs as well.  Lots more people are going to be losing their jobs.

As far as Susan G is concerned, I see clothing online and in the stores that is pretty much comparably priced.  I don't buy retail much.  I wait for sales or shop TJMaxx and Marshalls.  I'm a bargain hunter. 

That's code for cheap.

[RedHeadedWench]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@itiswhatitis wrote:

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

I think many are willing to pay whatever it takes to have our clothing and anything else manufactured in the USA. I know I am. Whatever it takes. Make us great again.

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@proudlyfromNJ, I mean no disrespect, but I think we never stopped being great.  American born and raised and I know I'm great!

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@itiswhatitis

America has always been great ... even in its darkest moments.

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It irritates me to no end when I hear that phrase. America has always been great, it still is. There are not many countries that are great-ER. 

Empty promises to bring jobs back to the US, are just that. Companies that manufacture clothing and other goods are not going to bring the jobs back unless they can pay American workers what they pay foreign ones...not too many people can live on $1.25 or $2.25 and hour here. Heck, they can't live on that over there either.

Companies rely on cheap foreign labor to make a profit. If it weren't for these foreign employees, there wouldn't be a Walmart or a Target or a QVC for that matter.

And it's a shame.

[Tinkrbl44]

NOT to take this thread in another direction, or become political, but one thing rarely mentioned is that this country (and the rest of the world) is seriously overpopulated!

I read an ecomist's report years ago that this country could operate at a maximum efficiency & prosperity with a population of no more than 150 million people.   Right now, the U.S. is at about 318 million people.

Just where are all the jobs for these people supposed to come from?

[QueenDanceALot]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

NOT to take this thread in another direction, or become political, but one thing rarely mentioned is that this country (and the rest of the world) is seriously overpopulated!

I read an ecomist's report years ago that this country could operate at a maximum efficiency & prosperity with a population of no more than 150 million people.   Right now, the U.S. is at about 318 million people.

Just where are all the jobs for these people supposed to come from?

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Rut roh.

[hckynut]

(thread title)

Changes in our country have always been a part of its history. Being born in the late 1930's, I have watched/seen and experienced many of the ups and downs. Regardless of it's changes, it is my country and there is none even close to it.

Economy always has had ups and downs, with differing opinions on those reasons and solutions. I am far from an expert on such a huge economy, but that does not exclude me from having opinions, coupled with some statistical facts.

One does not need a Doctorate in Finance to understand how to set up their budget and live within it's boundaries. The same goes for any business, big or small, if they are to succeed. I am not giving my opinions, or what I consider to be statistical facts. That reason should be obvious to all that post on these forums.

That's it for, and from me.

[tansy]

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@Cakers3 wrote:

I would never spend $50 for a top made out of polyester.  Or buy any other article of clothing made out of polyester no matter where it has been manufactured.  Even a tie.

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Do you wear other manmade fibers?  

[esmeesmerelda]

People don't really care imho.

They say they care but they don't.

Look at the thread in the Fashion board "Got the prettiest gown at walmart ."  

People look for bargains, don't want to know about the horrific conditions of the people who make the products or the way the companies treat their workers.

[Marienkaefer2]

I agree that her clothing is expensive and getting more so.

I have two really cute summer tops from her that I bought about 4 years ago. I love them and wear them every summer.  They are in great shape still, and look great. 

I think I paid about $45 total for each top at that time, which I thought was a lot, but I've gotten great wear out of them, and will probably still for a few more seasons.

Just because they might be made in China, don't forget there are Americans working on her line too.  Designers, supply managers, vendors, etc.

For US made clothes, I shop in a local boutique that mainly carries items made in the US.

Those are also some of my favorites.  I have a couple of summer tops that I love, and those were about $60 each with tax.  Cotton summery type tunics with cute prints.

I don't think that on a large scale, we are going to get the same manufacturing jobs back (like clothing) that we had in the past.   The ship has sailed on that one.

We are at a crossroads now, and the reason that everything seems to be so chaotic and in a turmoil is because we haven't, as a nation, properly prepared for this over the years.

The US was the dominant nation in the years after WWII and nobody could compete with us.

Then, slowly, in the 1970s, things started to change.

Now, the rest of the world is competitive with us on many levels, yet we haven't changed our outlook enough to deal with it.

There are many new technologies out there that could employ Americans, but there aren't enough Americans trained with the skills to do those jobs.  For some people, it's a matter of access to that training, and/or financial means to get it.

We see a lot of disparities because some people are doing really well, while others have never recovered.

I think together we need to look at that.  In my view, education is the biggest driver of financial security. 

We need kids to be graduating high school more skills.  In addition to academic skills, there should be training and apprentice programs where they can come out with a marketable skills, either in a trade, or an office job, when they graduate.

We need to invest more in community colleges that train for technical education.

On the other side, more companies need to be encouraged to develop partnerships with schools to provide internships and training for younger as well as older workers.

I think that would be a good start.