Sure they did. The American/Asian economies were different then. Apple was different then. Lots of other companies made their products in Silicon Valley then. Most of the tech companies that are headquartered there still used to have factories in the Valley. It's why the description Silicon was attached to the area and not "Designer" or "Programmer". Lots of things were different, not so long ago. Don't get me wrong... but all I'm saying is that things change. If you want to go back in history just a little bit, then manufactured goods should all be made on the East Coast. Before that, the UK. Centres of manufacturing change location all the time. It's just part of the pattern. Soon, it'll probably be S America, and perhaps Africa. At some point manufacturing - as we know it - will cease to exist and something else will take it's place. I'm sure there'll be a MR thread bemoaning the loss, as well.
Apple is just good at using the legal methods to avoid tax. And they should use them. It's not up to Apple to fix the tax code, it's yours (and by 'you' I am assuming you are an American citizen). If you don't like the tools that Apple has been given - then change the tools. The power is yours. Get out and vote, being the key. And not just you, but the half of the citizens who couldn't be bothered to get their butts out of the house.
Democracy is not about choosing the best person to lead, it's making sure they leave peacefully to make room for someone who will make a difference. Even if there is nobody running you think is good enough, it's important to vote somebody out of office so that the ones who can make a difference see that they have a chance to get elected.
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