Made in China

"There'a trade deficit. That's easy to resolve: People can buy more United States products if they're worried about the trade deficit."--George W. Bush, December 15, 2004

What is made in the USA these days?

Mr. President, did you buy an Xbox for your teenage relative this holiday season? If you tried purchasing one that was made in the United States, you're out of luck. According to Flextronics CEO Michael Marks, "We moved all of the production of Microsoft's Xbox consoles from Mexico to China."€

Did Mrs. Bush buy you a pair of Ariat cowboy boots for Christmas? Well, guess what, Mr. President? Every last one: made in China.

As everyone knows from your accident last summer, you are an avid bicycler. How about a sturdy mountain bike for Christmas? Oops, 85 percent of our bicycles are made in China.

As our commander in chief, you might be thinking about picking up some more rare-earth magnets for our military's smart bombs and cruise missiles. Well, guess what? Eighty percent of those magnets are made in China.

How about an American flag? Since 9/11, more than 10 million American flags were made in China.

Levi's Jeans? Sorry, they aren't made in the United States anymore either. Did your staff purchase Christmas decorations for the White House this year? Approximately 80 percent of these decorations are now made in China. (By the way, did you read about the so-called Christian “dissident” who was placed under house arrest in China because he wanted to have a party with his friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ?)

Ground Control to Mr. Bush

American Flags made in China? Now that's way ironic. Not long ago, I bought one of those little American flag pins you see people wear these days and guess where it was made? Yep... Made in China.

So this outsourcing really works huh?