http://byunspeed.com/Port%20Job.pdf . . . .and very true. A global market is here and we are going to see it. I understand GM or Ford going over to Asia and making parts. I don't like it but the "Walmart" mentality of our buying habits the last couple of decades have forced their hand. At least what they are doing is not ripping off other companies. The guys in this article with the "knock off " stuff just send it over through their Chinese contacts and say here reverse engineer it and let me know how much.

 

I know the feeling. How do you think I felt when I bought my Z28, Z06 wheels from the US, only to find out they were made in China.
You should have seen my face before I had the checked for balance
Good quality though, that I cannot dissagree with.
On the other hand ROC wheels here in Dubai suck big time in quality standards.
Now I make sure that I ask for the "Made in USA" logo

 

weren't our cars assembled by the french ... uh oh

 

The whole problem, is an easy one to solve, but would take some politicians to actually look out for the american worker, not the american investor. Toss a 30% import tax on any machined/cast metal parts that come from overseas, and there you go. You just put 1000's of american's back to work as machinists, and will put a stop to a great deal of the knockoff junk from entering the country. Wasn't that easy?

 

I wish 30% would work, more like 300%. Case in point. To mfg a set of aluminum roller rockers it cost us $112 a set in parts and labor. This was 9 years ago when I worked for a rocker mfg. At that time the Chinese rocker was coming into the country for $80 a set for alumimum rocker. Now $112 was our mfg cost before margin mark up. The $80 set of Chinese rockers we were told cost $24 to make.

 

Or do what I do, buy American if at all possible, shoes to car parts, period.

 

I buy american whenever it's pratical... I chose a subaru as a daily drover, mainly because it was capable of travelling in winter conditions here in CT with ease and still gets about 25 mpg on the highway... so it was a better choice then my pickup ( a dodge ) for the longer commute, my wife uses the pickup to go to work, as her drive is about 1/2 of mine distance wise.

It's not really possible to only buy domestic, but whenever I have a choice, I do. I think a good hefty tax on all incoming goods would doa couple things, like help decrease the crap quality stuff in the country, wether it be a tv or a car part, put alot of american's back to work, that kind of stuff. Probably hurt the top 2% in the country, taking $ away from their overseas investment profits, but screw them.. tehy are as much a part of the problem as the junk that's invading the country's marketplace

 

Amen! If I was a politician, I'd shoot for a hefty import tax too!

 

To that end, did you guys know that Hess Oil claims that they only sell domestic petroleum products?

 

Wouldn't work. The Chineese would retaliate by refusing to buy US Treasury Bonds which they've been doing at huge rate to stabilize their currency. Without the Chineese to float our national debt, spending would either have to be cut, taxes raised, or more dollars printed to float our debt (which means even more inflation.)

Al

 

I think we're fools for allowing a country like china to even buy our currency, which I was aware of.

It could be done, just not at once.. it would have to be a gradual thign, like start at 3%, and raise it a 1/2 percent every 6 months.