Gold: $470.60/oz

[AlanM]

You exaggerate a bit Mike, but the trend is in that direction. Lumber, automobiles, trucks, mining equipment, airplanes, semi-conductor chips, among other things, are still manufactured here.

Lumber is expensive.
American automobiles are the laughing stock of the world, and rightly so.
Mining equipment and airplanes?? Who can afford that?? Wealthy businessmen, perhaps.
Semi-conductor chips?? Maybe a few companies still make them here, but they're learning their lessons and outsourcing rapidly.

I'm not exaggerating, Alan.

Out of all the equipment and supplies in my office, the only things made in America are...? myself, the phonebook... ummm... some stickers, some software, two Intel processors, 3 lightbulbs, some candy... umm... some homemade signs, a small shelf I created, a fire extinguisher, maybe one old chair.... some books, batteries, and various household cleaning chemicals.

That is a very tiny fraction of the value of everything in the room.? ?

What about the floors (American carpets?) walls, paneling (most likely American), ceilings (drywall by Americans). Your furniture might have been made in America.
As I said, I agree with you, the trend is bad.

[Michael Fisher]

What about the floors (American carpets?) walls, paneling (most likely American), ceilings (drywall by Americans). Your furniture might have been made in America.
As I said, I agree with you, the trend is bad.

I think our home was manufactured in America 25 years ago, so the room itself might be made in America.

[Fluff and Stuff]

I think our home was manufactured in America 25 years ago, so the room itself might be made in America.

How is it bad to not produce many things in America?  I call it progress.  I am glad that I, as an American, am helping to increase the standard of living in the 3rd world.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Those who went to college and accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and now can't find a job.

There is a job for everyone in America.  Also, I cannot imagine anything about anyone that would actually get hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for college. 

[KBCraig]

So, Mike... start making affordable quality stuff that everyone wants.

Simple, wot? 

[Russell Kanning]

And yet exchange rates have pretty much stayed the same.

I think they all print money.

[Russell Kanning]

Uhhh... guys. Don't look now.

The sky is falling.

Why is the sky falling? Just because gold is going up compared to dollars, doesn't mean disaster from above.

[Russell Kanning]

Do we laugh at Switzerland because they import things or mostly do "service" industry work? Is Hong Kong screwed because it imports all it's food and most of it's stuff is manufactured in the rest of the world?

[Kat Kanning]

They make ball bearings in Keene.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I bet 75% the things in this room are made or have parts that are made there.

How many Administrative Assistants can this country support?

Name anyone you know who creates any products of value at an affordable price.

Almost everyone I know is in the service industry, or actually provides a service.

Even all the employees and contractors I know at Timberland create nothing.? 92% of Timberland products are made by independent manufacturers in China.? The other 8% are made in the Dominican Republic.

I think some food and novelty products are still made in the US.? Useless crap like promotional items.? Everything else we make is unaffordable or complete garbage.

I make nice, reasonably priced toys and picnic tables. Everything else I do is service oriented, except for what I build for people.
Novelties are, technically,  Ice Cream items.

[Russell Kanning]

People are comparing us to China and saying we are screwed. Why not compare ourselves to other import dependant countries?

[Lloyd Danforth]

So, what year will China pwn us?

When they are prepared to invade Taiwan. They hold all the chips.

If they do this and we take the side of Taiwan (ClusterFuck!), the claim of Free Market Economists that countries that trade don't go to war will be void!

[Lloyd Danforth]

Uhhh... guys. Don't look now.

The sky is falling.

Why is the sky falling? Just because gold is going up compared to dollars, doesn't mean disaster from above.

This has happened before

[Lloyd Danforth]

Gee, I wish I could stay up all night and play with you guys in real time

[Russell Kanning]

I wake up in the middle of the night and stoke the fire post some jibberish then off to bed again.