Buy American – the joke of the decade
August 09, 2009 By: Cartledge Category: Economics, Politics
Most of us around the world think American’s have no humour (humor to you), in fact the story is that Ellis Island is just a big hospital doing ‘humorectomies’. Well if you don’t think that is funny try Buy American.
But listen up, you gotta make stuff to sell stuff. Maybe there should be a Build American campaign first, like have American stuff for people to buy.
The Canadian’s have their knickers in a twist over this campaign, but they should be laughing. To start with there is the American wastewater construction program; try and buy a General Electric water filter. GE makes them in Canada. Or the bolts and ‘manhole covers’ (sexist language not mine…)
Oh! Then there is the gas. I’m sure you won’t see separate pumps marked ‘American’ and ‘imported’ anytime soon. The fact is, it is just not that simple in this global economy we had to have.
It doesn’t bother Australians of course. Where else are you going to get your canned kangaroo or your camel steaks? But perhaps we need to start thinking about what we’ll do after we’ve culled the roos and camels and dug out and shipped all the coal and iron ore.
August 9th, 2009 at 5:35 am
The day before all the coal, ore, oil run out. Big Corp. Inc., will produce something, out of thin air, to replace it. They have to use all fossils first ,to make every dime they can from every drop of oil, from every ounce of ore. As for the culling of animals to extinction, there is always Soylent Green.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:30 am
I always buy American t-shirts made in American-run sweatshops on some Pacific island that no one has ever heard of. USA! USA!
August 10th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Build American campaign first, like have American stuff for people to buy.
Hey! We build stuff. Uh…I’m just sure we do. Like all those great American automo–well…ok…maybe not those.
But how about that new great plane from Boeing, the 7-Late- OK…maybe not that either. You know, I buy a lot of clothes at The GAP. I’m just sure those are ‘American made’. Hold on [un-urrrggghh]… just looking for the ta–[eerrrrrr]… ‘Hecho en Mexico’ sh*t!
August 10th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
It’s okay folks, Barry Obama, wink wink, nod nod, has just told us he didn’t like Buy American provision either, but “given the need to get stimulus money flowing, didn’t feel it warranted a fight that could have stalled the bill in Congress.” He went on to explain that construction projects under the $787-billion (U.S.) stimulus bill would grind to a halt if the US didn’t allow access to Roo burritos and camel tortillas. “These workers are epicureans of the first degree…” he said.
August 10th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Cartledge – Americans sell ideas, not products. It’s like the old Dilbert cartoon said, “If your main product is slides, you’re already doomed”. That’s us in a nutshell.
August 10th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Frogette so true and not really very funny. But hey! You guys are working on this – right?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
I can’t figure out how come I drive into town past a flock of sheep in a pasture, go to a grocery store that advertises as being 100% Canadian and the only lamb products they have come from New Zealand. What happens to the sheep from Canada? Are people in New Zealand eating Canadian lamb?
Inquiring minds want to know. I think it’s globalization run amok.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Frogette, the problem with selling ideas is that you can only sell them once. And right now I’m wearing a Denver Hayes tee shirt that was not produced anywhere near the mile-high city. Unless of course Shanghai is also coincidentally 5,120 ft. above sea level.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:31 am
SBT, I was fascinated with NZ lamb in Canada. Not that it was there but that it was NZ and so bloody red (pun not intended). NZ has 15 million population and 5 mill think they are people… It turns our Americans like red meat, but not gamey tasting pasture fed. So the stuff is stuff is chock full of chemicals then labeled NZ. I knew a few sheep farmers in BC and suspect the ones who didn’t have a local market played the NZ game. I had to go to the boonies to find someone (a Greek cook) who knew how to touch up a good bit of sheep with lemon, garlic and rosemary…. Yummo!