You do know that a vast proportion of global manufacturing is done in China - Apple are not some unique anti-western company here.
So that makes it alright then??? Sorry, I don't agree. I'm Pro-American, not Pro China or Pro Communism. In my opinion, MOST of the fat-cats in this country ARE 100% Pro COMMUNISM whether they know it or not. Why? Because they DON'T CARE how or where things are done so long as they get more money. Money is their god and it's what they worship and they don't care if they bring the whole darn country and Western civilization in the long run down in the process so long as they get theirs. And when I speak of Apple acting this way, it's because I'm on an Apple discussion site. I don't approve of ANY company taking their business over to a country that run a form of government that my ancestors risked their lives to fight. I cannot buy a cigar from Cuba because they're Communist and a dictatorship, but because China isn't some tiny little island and there's real money to be made there, we make them are favored trading partner, despite constant huge trade deficits, dirty-handed financial dealings to keep their currency low, slave labor rates, the murder of anyone there that would speak against their government and the massive outsourcing of American jobs (and thus the financial backbone of the country itself) ALL so less than 5% of the country can make more money. That's why I say people like Steve Jobs can stuff it. They are contributing to the destruction of this great country. If they like Communism so much, they should move there. But no their definition of Capitalism is that using ANYONE to make more money is good even if it destroys the very country they live in in the long run.
So what if their grandchildren have to learn Mandarin and live as 2nd class citizens in this world when China eventually takes over this country without even firing a shot. We're in a sinking ship and short of a miracle, we're done within 50 years. The U.S. will either be owned by China in every conceivable way (we're over halfway there now) or we will simply drop to 3rd world country status. The greatest military in the world cannot help a country from destroying itself from within. We should have learned that lesson from the downfall of the Roman Empire, but people who ignore history are doomed to repeat it and most people in this country are more concerned with living the Vida Loca and jamming down Big Macs than getting a proper education and even those that do get that education cannot find jobs because we outsource EVERYTHING these days, even jobs that require degrees (India is very good for that).
I'm sorry, but the U.S. cannot maintain a Middle Class (and thus a 1st order standing in the world) with only jobs at places like Wal-Mart and McDonalds. It just doesn't work. If U.S. companies are unwilling to support the country that made their existence possible in the first place, then they should move elsewhere. Most already claim their headquarters are in places like the Bahamas (with like 1 or 2 people actually working there) so the real one gets a massive tax break and our government goes further and further into debt. They should be forced to move their actual headquarters out of this country and be branded the traitors they actually are, both to their financial obligations and their part in this destruction of this country through bribery of the government to make it possible for them to legally get away with this crap. Yes, screw the Middle Class. Let them pay the taxes while they put theirs in tax shelters. There's only one problem there. If you destroy the Middle Class, who is going to keep our government afloat then? It won't be the ultra-poor. I think you can see from our record deficits under both Bush and Obama that we are already unable to meet those financial obligations and the Middle Class is already half extinct and the ship we are on is fast sinking. It sure as heck won't be BP's oil well that will make the difference.
But it's this acceptance of 'Oh making goods in China is NORMAL' that has lead to this path of destruction. It's the US Chamber of Commerce demanding tax cuts be made permanent and FREE Trade (as opposed to FAIR Trade) agreements be made with every slave labor-toting country out there that is sinking this ship. The US Chamber of Commerce are complete Anti-U.S. (as in their actions are pushing for the complete destruction of this country in the long run) if I've ever seen such a group. They want everything for big business and to hell with the country and the rest of us. I'd call them traitors. They should have their charter revoked.
I'm sure every aspiring millionaire on here is steaming mad right now since they plan on doing the same to get their payday, but it's the absolute truth. We can't even afford to go into space anymore...the country that put a man on the moon has to start riding Russian (pseudo or perhaps "stealth" Communists these days) rockets to get to the International Space Station starting next year. Our flag is already in the shadow of Communism. We may have won the battle with the USSR, but Communism itself has clearly won the war. China will be the major Super Power of the 21st Century (not good for any of Western Civilization, not just the U.S.) and it's nearly impossible to stop that now. But it's "normal" so it's OK.
I dont understand the mentality of suing Apple either. If the product is
It's pretty simple, really. It gets publicity and massive bad publicity is the ONLY thing that moves Apple to do ANYTHING that benefits its patrons. Otherwise, they delete messages, threads, etc. while IGNORING the people that wrote them (there are NO people from Apple on their boards to answer any questions about ANYTHING, but yet they read the threads and quietly delete ANYTHING negative about Apple, true or not. Delete it all and maybe the problem will go away. Do you think someone like Toyota would even announce the potential for acceleration issues with their vehicles if they weren't forced into the spotlight? Corporations aren't people. They don't have feelings. They don't have morals. They are run by people who are told they MUST answer to their shareholders and no one else and people only buy stock for one reason, to make money. Nothing else matters. Capitalism wasn't designed only to make the rich richer. Competition is supposed to be good for consumers, but the fat cats have done everything they can screw the consumers any way they can get away with as long as it pads their wallets. There simply is no such thing as a moral or ethical corporation. By charter, it exists only to make money and that is the root of the problem.
Our Constitution should be more important than the almighty dollar. Our way of life is about more than just the dream of getting rich (at any cost it seems). It's also about freedom, but freedom isn't free and if you undermine the citizens, you undermine the country and vice-versa. If you destroy freedom, then good luck being able to make money in the future. Things weren't so great in the Middle Ages, after all. No one WANTS things like caps or regulations, but some things are necessary for the long time survival of this country and the Western way of life. Companies need to meet their obligations and not hide from them or bribe their way away from them. People like Steve Jobs should recognize he would not be where he is if he grew up in a country like China and so he should think twice about cutting corners and using slave labor to save a few bucks. And don't think for a second that prices have gone down since they moved production of their hardware from the U.S. to China. Prices have gone UP (let alone factoring inflation and then they're astronomically higher). Apple went to China to INCREASE *their* profits, not reduce costs for consumers).
If that's the worldwide market then we should go back to protectionism because it's all bad for us. But then rubber rafts at Wal-Mart will go up in price and my pills from China won't be tainted anymore and I might have to pay more for oranges that grown here instead of Chile! Yes, and your wages will be higher, your health better and more jobs will stay in the U.S. or be re-created here. This country needs to make more than just fast food. When's the last time you saw ANTHING AT ALL that said "Made in the USA" on it??? It's absolutely sickening to those of us that are old enough to remember a strong U.S. manufacturing base and quality products that don't often break after the 90 day warranty is up. But it's "normal" to the "Gimme Gimme Generation" that only thinks China is our friend and responsible for low prices at Wal-Mart.
This country is in for a rude surprise in coming years.
