American made??

[Awf Hand]

What's American Made?

I'm curious as to what anybody here feels is "Amercan Made".  I don't want to start quarrels, but I'm curious how someone who's buying an American vehicle would decide about it's 'American-ness'.

[Graybeard]

If the manufacturing plant is on American soil and US citizens are primarily what's are employed there then it's American made. These days some parts are gonna be imported no matter what the product or company.

These days many "import" brand name products make more here than many "American" brand name companies do.

[spruce]

I think the argument of American made vs. foreign is pretty much a moot point anymore whether you're talking vehicles or anything else.

Nobody thinks twice about where their computer, clothes, light bulbs, etc, comes from or that the Glocks, Uberti's, Berettas, Brownings, etc, etc are made overseas or owned by a foreign company.  It's just too hard trying to figure out who makes/owns what nowadays.

My wife bought some peppermint patties for Halloween and when I opened the package to "test" a couple of them I read the inscription "Made in Mexico for the Hershey company"!!!  I mean if Hershey chocolates aren't sacred then nothing is!

I say buy the vehicle you like and that best fits your needs - don't worry about the name on it.

[Drilling Man]

  On many of the new cars, it says on the window sticker the amount of forein parts that are in that vehicle and where it was made.

  DM

[nodlenor]

My father operated a repair shop and back in the 60's and I worked with him for a while. Even at that time parts came from all over the world. I'm talking Ford & Chevy too. I would like to buy products made here in this country but I would have to do without a lot of things if I didn't buy some foreign made products.

[R.W.Dale]

Here I'll give you cliffnotes of what the other side will say


blah blah blah-  something unintelligible about profits going overseas  ("yeah look at what US ceo's do when they have a little money")

blah blah blah- some obligatorily comment about unions saving everyone's bacon

blah blah blah- no mention of Mexican made Dodges and Fords made in Canada

blah blah blah- I buy American when I can (meaning I'm only going to bother on my truck so I can disparage others choices)


Bottom line to me is where the payroll checks for the people assembling the thing go is where the truck is made. By far the assembly process employs the most people and payroll fuels our economy not "corporate profits"

[Lloyd Smale]

blah blah blah

[rwng]

"American made" is made in America. "American" means American company. I understand it's a mostly a moot point but I still "attempt" to buy American products, made in America. I could never understand the reasoning for giving foreign companies incentives etc. to build in our country / comunities, when we don't do the same for American companies that are already here.

[R.W.Dale]

I could never understand the reasoning for giving foreign companies incentives etc. to build in our country / comunities, when we don't do the same for American companies that are already here.

Because the corporate pirates running American companies won't do it! While they're busy closing American facilities they're abandoning the workers here like rats on a sinking ship in favor of cheap mexican and chinese labor.

The Japanese won't invest in China for obvious reasons and not in Mexico because they cannot be trusted to assemble things much more complex than a shopping cart. Look at Volkswagen less than stellar quality with their crappy hecho en mexico models. They invest here (germans too) because our labor costs are cheaper than in Japan but we can still put together a quality product without fear of our country descending into insurrection next Tuesday, saves shipping costs too. American corporate leadership will by default strive for the highest profit margin and stock price RIGHT THEN with absolutely NO consideration for the future on any level.

Now I'm by no means going on a Marxist kick here. But we've kinda taken hyper Darwinist capitalism to a bit of an extreme of late.

"The trouble with capitalism is capitalists; they're too damn greedy."

Herbert Hoover

[rwng]

My point was that our Government gives foreign companies tax breaks, Govt / banks give interest free loans, Power companies give crazy cheap power rates, free or dirt cheap land is given etc.. Meanwhile the "greedy" American companies get their taxes raised, power costs increased, have to pay premiums for land and are raped by the tree hugging eco fascists with EPA red tape. Make the playing field level and things would be different.

[SHOOTALL]

Well in the end its where the money goes to me . Alot of "domestic" trucks are made in Mexico and Canada . Those that are assy. here are from parts made elsewhere .
 I have to ask , if I buy a truck from yoda and its made here the profit goes  to the stock holders . They reinvest here and pay employees here . If i buy a chevy the same is true ( THE GOVT. IS A STOCK HOLDER ) . The difference is union deals in a world economy . I find it crazy that the American auto industry expects the public to buy vehicles that are over priced ( for the world market ) in order for them to meed contracts that are wasteful . When a pu truck hits the market that will carry the load in both bulk and weight at a lower than domestic truck price i will buy them . I don't blame those buying offshore brand cars now . Its funny to see how the big three  compare themselves to yodas as it is a comantary to how low their quality had dropped going back to the late 60's . They have not caught up yet . I hate to feel this way .

[R.W.Dale]

My point was that our Government gives foreign companies tax breaks, Govt / banks give interest free loans, Power companies give crazy cheap power rates, free or dirt cheap land is given etc.. Meanwhile the "greedy" American companies get their taxes raised, power costs increased, have to pay premiums for land and are raped by the tree hugging eco fascists with EPA red tape. Make the playing field level and things would be different.

Cite please

Yes local and state govt's do everything in their power to entice a NEW manufacturing facility to their local. This has NOTHING do do with where the corporate headquarters are located but has everything to do with the fact that only one of the parties being discussed are building factories in this country.

  I'm sure China and Mexico are giving GM some sweet tax, workforce safety and environmental regulation breaks  There's your level paying field

[Lloyd Smale]

lots of poititians are being greased under the table. My thoughts (and granted im not the most educated man in the world) is the japs made a good product. Back in the day a better product then we did. People bought them because of it. When america caught up with quality people started to go back to american and the japs had to do something so they decided to take a bit of a loss and build cars here so all of us true americans couldnt claim the cars wernt made in america. that poor president on toyota probaly took a bit of a pay cut but believe me he still makes enough off the amercian public to spread alot of money around in the jap economy. FLAME ON!! 

"American made" is made in America. "American" means American company. I understand it's a mostly a moot point but I still "attempt" to buy American products, made in America. I could never understand the reasoning for giving foreign companies incentives etc. to build in our country / comunities, when we don't do the same for American companies that are already here.

[SHOOTALL]

They beat import laws ( COST) .

[Drilling Man]

They beat import laws ( COST) .

  True story...  Toyota use to bring their pu's in with the beds off, then they bolted them on here, and beat the inport tax.

  DM

[SHOOTALL]

Yep then it went to % maj. parts had to be assy.