[Vision2020] Look for the Union Label

[Joan Opyr]

On 22 Nov 2005, at 22:23, John D wrote:

> Joan Opyr <joanopyr at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>  > Here's a statistic for you -- if every American bought (or was 
> given as
>  > a birthday, Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza present) just one
>  > USA/union-made garment per year, we'd inject an estimated $9 billion
>  > into our economy. Amazing. We could save or even create some 
> American
>  > jobs; help offset our unsustainable foreign trade deficit; and 
> perhaps
>  > re-learn the lyrics to that great "Look for the union label" song.
>
>  Protectionism results in reduced competition. Reduced competition 
> leads
>  to higher prices and poorer quality. As an example, just look at how 
> poorly
>  designed and inefficient domestic US cars are.

Who's suggesting protectionism?  I'm suggesting that we read the labels 
on our clothes and shoes and make an informed decision.  Do you want to 
buy inferior clothing made in a sweatshop?  I don't, and I won't.  I 
have been unhappy for several years now with inexpensive Chinese-made 
shoes, shirts, jackets and pants, while I have loved my American, 
union-made Carhartt's and my Danner and Chippewa boots.  And so, from 
here on out, I'm going to spring for the better domestic goods.  It's a 
sensible consumer choice, and it makes sense to me in terms of reducing 
our foreign trade deficit.

As for poorly designed and inefficient American cars, do you know where 
Hondas and Toyotas for the American market are built?  Kentucky.  Ohio. 
  Mississippi.  But who owns Swedish Volvo, British Jaguar, and 
Germany's Daimler-Benz?  These are all global conglomerates; you don't 
know which bit of your car was made where.  Unless you obsessively 
devour Motor Trend, you don't know which engineers in which country 
designed which component.  I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle with a 
Volvo-designed CVT transmission.  I love the car; the quality, the 
acceleration, and the handling are terrific.  Over the past twenty-odd 
years, I've owned both "foreign" and "domestic" cars, but this 
distinction is now essentially meaningless.  My first new car, a 1991 
Dodge Colt, was a re-badged Mitsubishi.  It ticked along nicely for 
about 65,000 miles before it began to blow blue smoke.  I traded it in 
on a 1994 Ford Escort which I drove into the ground; a great car.  Now, 
if you want to talk about inefficiency, let's look at Consumer Reports 
auto testing.  Are you really better off with a Toyota Prius?  Or would 
you be better served, at least in terms of gas mileage, by a 1995 Ford 
Festiva, manufactured in South Korea?  I had one of those, too.  (It 
averaged 58 mpg.)

Protectionism and smart, socially-conscious, deliberate shopping are 
not the same thing.  That said, I do not believe in the "free market."  
Why?  Because there's no such thing.  The free market is Milton 
Friedman's Santa Claus.  It's a stalking horse for dismantling 
anti-monopoly laws and reducing, not expanding, free and fair 
competition.  I expect now I'll be asked if I support imposing tariffs 
and quotas.  The answer is yes, on certain goods and under certain 
circumstances -- to prevent dumping, to halt the generation of national 
and/or global monopolies, and to ensure a level playing field.

Next?

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
www.joanopyr.com

PS: Because I love you all and am truly selfless in my exploration of 
American-made clothing suppliers, I've ordered a pair of jeans, two 
T-shirts, and a fleece sweatshirt from the Union Jean Company in Ohio: 
http://www.unionjeancompany.com.  The jeans were $29.50, the T-shirts 
$4.97 each, and the fleece thing was I forget what.  The shipping was 
minimal -- UPS Ground.  I'll report back on the quality of the stuff as 
soon as it gets here.  And, of course, I'll be sporting it about town, 
should you feel the urge to stop me in the street and cop a feel.  Of 
the clothes, I mean!  Sheesh!
  
   
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