Something to think about when listening to your receiver, or using you iPad or iPhone

[TLS Guy]

You should all take an hour to listen to this.

The industry has put it about, that there is extensive automation in the Chinese factories. Apparently another corporate lie. It is all apparently hand labor under deplorable conditions.

Another reason to get tough with China.

We need to insist on quality goods made here or China under modern western conditions.

Electronics is far too cheap and should probably be priced several times what it is now.

 

[markw]

An hour???

I'm actually quite interested in this subject bit really cannot spare an hour to sit and watch this. Is there some sort of written document that covers it?

 

[ski2xblack]

Mark, there is a transcript at the link in TLS' post if you want to read it.

Thanks for posting this, Doc. Sickening, really.

Now I have an overwhelming urge to purge my portfolio of any tech companies that manufacture in China. And for a stiff drink. Then I think I'll turn off the Samsung TV and go rock out to my American made speakers driven by American made amps.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm actually quite interested in this subject bit really cannot spare an hour to sit and watch this. Is there some sort of written document that covers it?

It is audio. There is no video. You can download it. Then if you wish you could put it on media you can listen to in the car.

This is an excerpt from a stage presentation this guy gives after going to China.

This audio is creating quite a buzz and may become a game changer.

John Stewart made an oblique reference to it on yesterday's show.

It is something we all need to be aware of.

It is all part of the gigantic mess we have got ourselves into.

 

[agarwalro]

Those record breaking multi billion quarterly profits had to come from somewhere... People that call Apple a supply chain innovator are either naive or blind (ignoring the fan club and paid reports/reviewers).

Apple does great things for us by pushing industry norms. But, nothing worthy of the pedestal they have been placed on.

 

[lsiberian]

Abuses in China are common, and sadly part of the industrial revolution they've been going through. We had similar issues here around 100 years ago. Despite how terrible the situation is. It was even worse before the factories. We must demand our products be made under reasonable conditions. Things as simple as rotating workers and limiting hours per employee would really improve things.

I think China is headed in the right direction we just need to lean on them to keep on working that way.

That said American made normally means Chinese parts.

 

[ski2xblack]

Abuses in China are common, and sadly part of the industrial revolution they've been going through. We had similar issues here around 100 years ago. Despite how terrible the situation is. It was even worse before the factories. We must demand our products be made under reasonable conditions. Things as simple as rotating workers and limiting hours per employee would really improve things.

I think China is headed in the right direction we just need to lean on them to keep on working that way.

That said American made normally means Chinese parts.

It took some pretty disruptive social unrest in the US to confront these issues. You are correct that certain things have improved (working at a multinational pays more than growing rice, some semblance of a middle class is developing...), but that doesn't make the abuses any easier to stomach. Any change for the better will be at a glacial pace as long as the corporate interest have a willing partner in the Chinese gov't to deny labor and basic human rights.

The pinnacle of capitalism, Apple, using factories that require suicide netting. That about says it all. Think they can work suicide nets into an ad campaign?

It's too bad none of the workers at those plants can actually use the devices they create. If they could, maybe they would then google up the old "Big Brother" Apple ad from the 80's. That's probably censored over there too. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

Such strange juxtaposition, that ad and the current reality.

 

[3db]

You should all take an hour to listen to this.

The industry has put it about, that there is extensive automation in the Chinese factories. Apparently another corporate lie. It is all apparently hand labor under deplorable conditions.

Another reason to get tough with China.

We need to insist on quality goods made here or China under modern western conditions.

Electronics is far too cheap and should probably be priced several times what it is now.

Expect no changes when you have corp execs and their greed running business. They don't give a rat's *** about inhumane working conditions as long as their fat undeserved bonuses come rolling in.

 

[lsiberian]

Expect no changes when you have corp execs and their greed running business. They don't give a rat's *** about inhumane working conditions as long as their fat undeserved bonuses come rolling in.

You seem a little upset this morning, but I'm certain that not all corp execs feel that way. I suspect the majority are not more inhumane than any of us would be. The truth is that many cultures in the world still come from a slave-owner feudal system way of thinking. They don't view all as equals like some Americans. Enlightenment takes time. Outsourcing to China has blown there economy up from 92.01 per capita in 1960 to 4,392.61 per capita in 2010.

 

[3db]

You seem a little upset this morning, but I'm certain that not all corp execs feel that way. I suspect the majority are not more inhumane than any of us would be. The truth is that many cultures in the world still come from a slave-owner feudal system way of thinking. They don't view all as equals like some Americans. Enlightenment takes time. Outsourcing to China has blown there economy up from 92.01 per capita in 1960 to 4,392.61 per capita in 2010.

Naturally not all corp execs feel that way and I don't believe all are like that. However, there are far too many that do. The Catepillar article that I posted in the stream vent set me off this morning. I've been dead set against outsourcing from the get go because I knew it would lead to the problems we are seeing now.

 

[Adam]

The Catepillar article that I posted in the stream vent set me off this morning. I've been dead set against outsourcing from the get go because I knew it would lead to the problems we are seeing now.

Ummm, wasn't it outsourcing that led to the Caterpillar jobs in Canada?

 

[3db]

Ummm, wasn't it outsourcing that led to the Caterpillar jobs in Canada?

Sssshhh But you get more than your money back in spades when we snowbirds migrate to FLA.

 

[Adam]

Sssshhh But you get more than your money back in spades when we snowbirds migrate to FLA.

Yeah, a bunch of slow-a** drivers. "Where's that buffet? Is it here? No.... Here? No.... Oh, no worries. I have all day. Huh, people here sure are in a hurry."

Well, at least in Tucson. I can't speak for Florida.

 

[psbfan9]

When I first started thinking about system upgrades, I wanted something thta was made, mostly made in America. I found B&K. Guess what. They were bought out by ATI and now, although I'm not 100% sure, but believe B&K pre pros are now made in Asia and not New England. As for speakers, I found one company, Source Loudspeaker Technologies, which are mostly made in the U.S.


I think this goes beyond electronics. Remember melamine in pet food, baby formula. 80% percent of all vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is manufactured in China. I have stopped taking it.
I have become an avid label reader. I look for made in America. Don't be fooled by processed or distributed in America. It's not the same. I have stopped drinking some of my favorite teas and stopped using some of my favorite spices as well.
It's going to take an outcry from consumers to change anything. I personally would and do pay more for American made products.

In case anyone is interested. Here is a link to a vitamin company that does NOT source products from China.
I ordered from them early this week.

opurity multivitamin multi-mineral supplement: Best quality multivitamins made China Free! opurity is a Premium Daily Multivitamin

 

[psbfan9]

Apple's response

Apple not turning "blind eye" to supply chain problems: CEO - Yahoo! Finance

 

[huff]

Yup the one article was saying that it costs $8.00 US to manufacter an I-phone. Customers pay over $500.00 for them here. Apple could make them here in North America and still make billions in profit and keep the jobs here if they actually cared.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Abuses in China are common, and sadly part of the industrial revolution they've been going through. ....

Yep, and they have no way of getting union bargaining rights for better conditions, etc..

 

[davidtwotrees]

I was a union ironworker in the 1980's- (Local 63 Ornamental Ironworkers). I was a young man and had voted for Ron Regan in my first presidential election as one of the digruntled union regan democrats. It went downhill from there as Ron proved to be really anti union. Throughout the 80's I told everyone that would listen not to buy Japanese products, and then that morphed into Asian products. First it was electronics, then cars, then textiles. I gave up preaching to people about it. People go for price, automatically. Shrewd sellers know how to hide costs. Two identical shirts, exactly the same. Shirt A sells for $10 and Shirt B sells for $6. No brainer, right? Shirt B is the one to buy. It is made in China by people you have nothing in common with, and really could care less about. Shirt A is made by Americans who (used to) live and work here. They spend money here and buy goods here.
Shirt A no longer exists, or if it does as a niche product that members of unions buy. As I turned 50 I hold some truths evident in America. We will buy the cheapest product without thought. Price is king. We will use up resources until they are gone or the price is beyond our reach(gasoline, food, timber).
Sadly, I am in the matrix. I drive a Toyota, own an iPhone and buy cheap clothes and drive many miles per week. I am not as bad as some, but we for the most part are in a real mess- all in pursuit of the American dream that was built on pollution, deception, use of natural resources and greed. Funny that we are watching China do the same thing and find it ugly.

 

[Alex2507]

I was a union ironworker in the 1980's- (Local 63 Ornamental Ironworkers). I was a young man and had voted for Ron Regan in my first presidential election as one of the digruntled union regan democrats. It went downhill from there as Ron proved to be really anti union. Throughout the 80's I told everyone that would listen not to buy Japanese products, and then that morphed into Asian products. First it was electronics, then cars, then textiles. I gave up preaching to people about it. People go for price, automatically. Shrewd sellers know how to hide costs. Two identical shirts, exactly the same. Shirt A sells for $10 and Shirt B sells for $6. No brainer, right? Shirt B is the one to buy. It is made in China by people you have nothing in common with, and really could care less about. Shirt A is made by Americans who (used to) live and work here. They spend money here and buy goods here.
Shirt A no longer exists, or if it does as a niche product that members of unions buy. As I turned 50 I hold some truths evident in America. We will buy the cheapest product without thought. Price is king. We will use up resources until they are gone or the price is beyond our reach(gasoline, food, timber).
Sadly, I am in the matrix. I drive a Toyota, own an iPhone and buy cheap clothes and drive many miles per week. I am not as bad as some, but we for the most part are in a real mess- all in pursuit of the American dream that was built on pollution, deception, use of natural resources and greed. Funny that we are watching China do the same thing and find it ugly.

See what voting for Regan got you?

 

[3db]

See what voting for Regan got you?

*shaking my head in an uncontrollable fashion.* Well.....