I go into work every day waiting for my walking papers. Anyone else in the same boat? BUY AMERICAN!!!!

It's getting to be almost impossible to buy American, it drives me crazy (just ask my kids). Walking through W-Mart one day I challenged one of my kids to find anything there made in the USA. The only thing she found (after 20 minutes) was a coloring book. I can't belive we continue to send our jobs overseas.

Good luck Brad.

I work in a six floor office building. I have to look pretty hard to find another American car in the parking lot--really disappointing.

SOB, we are so busy up in Vancouver in the construction industry we have had to import laborers from Mexico, and now my partner is traveling to China (yes, China) to get carpenters under some program....all while the economy is starting to edge in your direction. Scares the bejesus out of me.

We gotta try and edge our way out of this asian dependency or we are in trouble...

One problem is the store you were in. You might have better luck in an independent, locally owned store (if there are any left in your area). Wal-mart recently bought the second largest retailer in China so at least the Chinese shoppers there can buy products made in their own country.
I have never owned a foreign made vehicle and don't plan to in the future.

I for one just don't get the anti Walmart thing. All these people who supposedly hate Walmart and yet the parking lot is jam packed at everyone I have ever been too.

Not only that but the "buy at the Mom & Pop" shop is BS too. Everything in one of these so called "Mom & Pop" is the same Chinese made stuff at Walmart only not as cheap. It's all about supply & demand. If people didn't buy the Chinese crap, they wouldn't carry it...

All GM in my garage. We do a Walmart run every couple weeks and fill the cart with US company brand name stuff. We save a ton of money over the getting the same brands at other places and still get almost only US stuff.

When you get to the toys, clothing or electronics isles, it is mostly China but little US made toys, clothing or electronics is sold anywhere. Walmart sells a lot of Chinese stuff because they sell a lot of stuff.

U.S. Company stuff maybe, made in?????? Look closer!!! I will drive a foreign car when I Turn into a foreigner, Don't see that happening. It is very hard to buy some things U.S. DO the best you can.The job you save could be your own, or your kids......

After being in the Navy and traveling the world, we have got it great in the USA. BUT it depresses the He** out of me with these gov. programs giving money to people who don't work and will not work for Min Wage. They expect to be paid for exp. they don't have and they call it discrimination. Welcome to the new United States of the Offended! If you get offended, we obvisous owe you something! This is why our products cost so much more than the Worlds products. We are too busy handing out freebees and not telling tehm to get off their butts, get a job, get it the old fasion way EARN IT! But that is only my small opinion. Thank you.

The scary thing is that we are going in the direction of the country I was in 40 yrs ago...socialism...thats why I left.....now, where would I go next time??

Walmart...I never shop there, the wife neither...

as for a car I dont drive "foreign"...I drive a Volvo...lol...not foreign to me, or where I`m from , plus now US owned.....

BUT,,there IS a silver lining now that the economy is down...European and Asian companies are starting invest over here,there are talks about moving some factories etc over here.....guess what, the US $ is now so cheap that they get cheap and good labor over HERE!

I think Dave has pointed out a symptom of the major problem. Importing labor from Mexico and China. Why would we need to do this???? Answer; Because the kids are so darn spoiled that they will not work! Construction work is perfect for the young person(and older people too) to build muscle and character. When Americans and Canadians are doing their own work these countries will be healthier. I've worked on construction sites with [censored] when I was laid off in the 80's. They need to go home so the citizens can do the work. Instead of them running home with all that tax free labor money.

Already fallen out of that boat some time ago. (Think I'm gonna have to move to find a new job.)

You are so correct Jim. It IS hard to get our younger generation to work construction jobs. They all want to design video games and the like. Hell, we pay a top carpenter here $32/hr now due to the demand..and an apprentice would get around $18 and scale upwards...not too bad to start and get trained I'd say.

The worst of it is we have to under the program pay these imports equal pay for equal experience, and GAURANTEE two years work. They have more rights than OUR workers..

I agree. We have been trying to find and hire engineers for commercial building design, and college enrollment in engineering drops every single year. And once out in the workplace, many of the younger hires think they are ready to "run the show" rather than to learn what they are doing. Its been a very frustrating situation for us for the past 8 years.

On the other hand, we interview and have hired a few engineers trained in other countries, and they have all been extremely hard workers and always go the xtra mile.

Today's youth (including my own neices and nephews) want to sit back and have everything handed to them. I try every day to teach my kids that that won't be happening in our family.

Since I "imported" 7 Swedish Mechanics to work on Volvos (when I was in the businness) I know how/why that comes about.....
first you have to advertise for local workers (I think it was a 6 mo. time), then if you cannot find any , you can hire and import foreign workers...the time it took in 1984 was 2 years total before they could enter....now after importing them ,yes you need to guarantee 2 yrs work...its not really unfair...think about it, if you come across the Atlantic ,spend alot of $$ to come here, and you get laid off after 3 weeks!?? local laborers didnt lay out $$ to "get here", they ARE here...thats why that provision is there

Thank goodness My job is secure with both the business of internet sales/shipping and being a Teamster. Once again we had a record peak season at UPS, and we were still heavy after the New Year. Things have finally returned to normal.

When I started at UPS eleven years ago, the ratio of boxes with MADE IN THE USA could be seen on a frequent basis. Now when I pick up a box off the slide, it will most likely display MADE IN CHINA.

It's a shame the manufactures want profit over quality, and the public wants inexpensive products no matter where they're made. I call it shopping without conscious. Unfortunately we are not given a choice for our needs in many cases. Walmart... ya don't want to get me started on Evilmart. They're just at the top of the problem. All the retailers are guilty.

Foreign cars are made here, but their profits are going back to the manufacture country of origin. Funny how Toyota wants to move to Detroit. Not long ago I went to Red Wing Shoes. Now there's a firm you would think still carries American made shoes. The shoes I ended up buying were yes,... The last time I bought boots from Red Wing ten years ago, they were still made in the States. Next time I'm going down to Nelsonville, OH to buy Rocky boots. I hope they haven't decided to import their shoes.

I don't have kids so I really don't know first hand what their direction is going. I do know my nephews aren't interested in any of the labor trades. Only one displays any interest in tinkering with his tuner Honda.

One thing I rarely watch is these reality shows. Channel grazing, I watched a little of Real Housewives of Orange Co. One of the kids was complaining about starting out as a parts gofer in a Benz dealer. "Its not air conditioned and too hot." I had to LOL! I just wanted to jump through the TV and throttle the kid about starting at the bottom and working your way up. I never got a cake job handed to me, and I'm still waiting.

Many years ago I had my friend Jim go into welding engineering at The Ohio State University. He graduated with a bumper crop of engineering degree holders touting at the ceremony, "We have jobs, we have jobs". I lost count how many jobs my friend Jim has had over the years.

My older sis went to OSU for a degree in computer engineering back when punch cards were the technology of the day. She had a job as a computer programmer for Bausch & Lomb for many years. She was let go due to a restructure. Six months after they let her go, they had to call her back to finish a program she was in charge of. She told them to contact the temp firm she was under contract to. She got paid better with the temp firm than B & L.

Brad, it would be a wise thing to keep your eye on what jobs are available if the axe is looming to fall. Just remember when one door closes, another opens.

Hey, UPS is always hiring. It's hard physical work and ya start at the bottom with lousy pay. But as far as benefits go, they're the best I know of even for part timers. I know many part timers that have another PT job, and they stay on at UPS just for the benefits. It's also a gateway to get into a full time job or to go into management. I don't think it's needed anymore but you can use me as a reference.

I agree with you Bjorn as long as they are hard workers, but what baffles me is this is a no out guarantee, good or bad worker in the end.

Mind you we do pick them over there...they actually have a compound where you watch them perform their skillsets...but thats never an iron clad guarantee. I have no problem guaranteeing 2 yrs if they are good workers...hell, Id keep em if they wanted to stay. Good workers (at least the upper 20% are hard to find).

agreed, I actually had an ad out over there, picked out 20 from those, went over there and interviewed them ,hired 10, knowing that things happen over 2 years (it did , some got married , some divorced etc ,and then everything changed for them),and actually 6 came over in 1986....2 yrs later 2 left , one for oil rig job (better pay), one went back home (wife home sick)the other 4 are still there at the dealership...since was sold in late 90`s.....

a funny story about one of them....he first sent papers, saying he was interested, then called me on the phone, we spoke maybe 20 minutes and I pegged him as being from Gothenburg ,based on his accent,...later he sent me the application with his picture...

I went in my mind:" oh boy he got the wrong picture, this is not of him".....
it was of an Asian!.....well we later talked again ,and I found out he was born Korean ,but was adopted at age 2!(didnt even speak Korean)..you cant judge from pics! he was VERY Swedish...

I like how a lot of Chinese made toys have lead paint or some kind of hallucinogens for kids to play with. China is trying to poison our youth! http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08074.html

I was born in the Orientae Province of Cuba. That is Guantonamo Bay, Cuba back before it became Camp X-Ray. My father was (USN) military and both my bro's are lifers in USN and USAF, I hope to god that this Country is turned around before we head to that communistic way of life. I can't believe why there is a lot of people who do not want to work or even expect too, yet look for a hand out! Put all of them in a boat and send them to Cuba!! At least the (illegal) imigrants WORK!! The big problem is the GOV. is not getting taxes from the work/wages they are doing. Heck at least we are getting productive members of society and not the dirt-bags we have taking all the free hand-outs!!!! Now I'll get off my soap box, thank you.

Join the Global War on Terrorism effort. Jobs are Guaranteed through the next century at a minimum.

Montreux_Blue, just a little more on that..... Chinese made cribs that were recalled, they made a crap load of toys for toddlers (recalled), have you seen the flip-flops (Walmart was selling?!?!) causing chemical burns from the treatment of the rubber thong part! It seems they are have cheap labor and cut corners on all the safety issues and our GOV. pays them to ship it over here (taxes, tariffs, FREE TRADE AGREEMENT, remember that??) Man I can't believe that we can let this happen to us. Where do we start with turning up the heat to the politicians to right the wrongs they have done to our own manufacturing structure in the USA? Give them tax breaks so they can come back to the Smalltown, USA to build and substain business within our boarders. Not saying I don't care about other (I DO) but charity starts at home? RIGHT?

My wife is a manager at Target and tells me about the toys, car seats, etc recalls all the time. I don't understand why the government doesn't see the problem also and put a ban on products made in China, at least temporarily until they make safer products.