You will notice at times that there are gaps in my entries. Some days, I just don't have a thing to say. Other days, there just isn't enough time. Other days still, there is just no reception or access to the internet. I am one of those guys that has a wife (and therefore I suffer miserably) that can justify some expenses like, oh, I don't know, Food. And yet with all of her capricious expenses on food, bills, insurance and the like, will not allow me the necessary tax deductable and convenient expense for a Verizon card for my computer. Just think, I could make entries to this blog sickness every day and some days more than once. I can have absolutely nothing to say and yet just sign on and say it anyway. Better to have something to say and say it every few days rather than fill a page with nothing.
Not being on the computer every day...This is truly a blessing. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am not one of those guys that would consider using my computer as an extension of myself. That is, to say, being one of those people that cannot express himself without the aid of a keyboard, cellphone, PDA, Etc. I am a person with opinions, feelings, desires, and hobbies all on my own. I am not defined by the fact that there is technology that accents and makes certain parts of my life more convenient and enjoyable. I have a computer and that is as far as it goes much like the fact that I also have a Buick. I have no Buick tattoos and do not own a Buick T-shirt and I do not spend 3 grand annually on the Buick anal hoedown in some armpit in South Dakota where Buick enthusiast women prance about topless to show off their Buickness as it were.
I'm not smacking against the marketing juggernaut that Harley-Davidson has managed to pull off with their fine American-made motorcycles and the fine people that ride them. I am just saying that I am a person and there is nothing that I can surround myself with that will define me. If I am an ass, I am an ass that uses a computer. I am not a computer using ass. I know, I am losing you. What I am saying is that you should use this short life to do things and avoid being defined by the silly things that amount to nothing more than window dressing.
That having been said in the last paragraph. Have any of you ever given any thought to what you buy and what that says about you. Do you as Americans cast your vote whenever you buy something? I personally think that is a very important thing. Every time the cash register goes ding...think about it. That is one heck of a lot of voting that Americans do every day and you never get to register to vote. I feel that if there were a registration process to be a consumer, that people would consider their voting choices more carefully. When you register to vote you determine what party you lean towards and you can change your leanings when you vote, it just makes you think about which way you will vote. That is my impression anyway.
One look in your trash can will reveal alot about what you do, what you consume, what you read and even what you feel is unimportant and therefore throw away. When I was in the Navy, I had a neighbor that bought one heck of alot of porn. At least that was what I thought because on every trash day, I would haul my trash can to the curb and his can next door usually had 2 or 3 examples of porno video packaging visible in his trash. Based on that, I could have decided on the evidence provided that my neighbor was a porn freak. I could see him slinking down the aisles at the adult bookstore with his raincoat and galoshes and then slinking home to watch hideous displays of debauchery and rape. Really, I will never know. He and his wife sort of were snots and I never really socialized with them and never had chance to ask him about all the packaging. It just goes to show that what you buy will in some way represent what perhaps you stand for. What do you stand for?
The reason I ask that question is that there is a lot of talk about how Mexico is invading the United States. How China is removing the American worker from the work place by producing cheaper products with its slave labor. I really get a kick when I hear some moron on the Fox Network...remember, fair and balanced, blabber on about how nothing is made in America any more.
Nonsense! Fox and all the other networks are well paid for their advertizing by large corporate entities. Large corporate entities in turn are in the business of making money...profit. Nothing disonorable there. Large corporate entities also make more profit when they can circumvent the normal processes that produce products that generate profit. The largest cost in the production process besides material would be naturally, Labor. You cut out the Wages, Insurance, benefits, FICA deductions, Workmens Compensation premiums and even the cost of manufacturing facilities and I will tell you, that you have saved one hell of a lot of money in your manufacturing process. You give a Chinese company your manufacturing specs and they produce it for a fee. Nothing could be easier and the money will just roll in. And for quite a few of these companies, it has.
It would be easy to just jump on the bus and sit here and say that the Greed and lack of character of the American business executive is just terrible. It would also be easy to say that money talks. What every American needs is a big fat dope slap...think about it. Chinese labor would not be a factor if every American were to refuse to buy Chinese products. It is difficult I know because a diligent consumer must actually make an effort. Sometimes it is just a matter of asking the shopkeeper if there are any American Made products in a particular area and if they could be ordered. The internet is also really helpful. There are books on the subject, but they are really not necessary. All it takes is to read the labels of what you are buying and to put forth the effort. I think that America is worth my effort and therefore I buy American every chance I get. This is not the easiest pursuit as there are always detractors that get their information from the News Networks.
Here are a couple easy to find American Products: Give them a try.
American made shoes can be found at WWW.nbwebexpress.com click on the Made in USA section...American Made Jeans can be found at WWW.pointerbrand.com and they are forthright about whether or not you are buying made in USA. These products are not cheap. They are however, products that I have used for years and have found them to be of great quality and that makes all the difference in the world. I will list products that I use from time to time and see if I can make a difference. You will not find these two products at Wal-Mart. They cannot make cost consessions that will allow for 10 dollar jeans and shoes. They also are dedicated to their loyal employees that have produced great quality for years and years. Loyalty deserves to be rewarded.
End of Sermon, Dedication
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