This greed thing that is the driving force behind what's now made Vice-Grips the latest in a continuing stream of businesses abandoning U.S. manufacturing plants is having a profound effect on the nature of the U.S. economy, and it's really terrifying.
Fifty years ago, even twenty years ago, our economy was based to a large extent on our ability to manufacture things for sale. Today, Wall Street and laws put in place by the s--theads in Washington provide huge financial rewards to the greedy executives who make these decisions to move overseas, thereby robbing Americans of their jobs. Private investors get rich because the stock prices go up because the product costs go down, and they don't give a rat's you know what about the consequences to the American workforce, as long as their wallets are getting stuffed.
And so, we had a manufacturing-based economy, and we've now transitioned to a largely finance based economy. The frightening part of this is that manufacturing provides stability (even if the economies of some of the countries we sell to become weak, others are still strong, and even if we have to sell our manufactured products for less, we still have something to sell), but a finance-based economy is a house of cards in comparison. It has no supporting structure. If the stock markets fall, we have no stable backing to help weather the storm.
Hold on tight, boys. Put some money in the bank and figure out what you're going to do if the house of cards collapses.
The alternative is for the U.S. to reinvest, innovate, and retake a leadership position. Problem is, it ain't gonna' happen with the laws in place. Fingers crossed for better days ahead, once we get rid of the moron!
And oh, by the way, would spend $18 on the U.S. tool over the $14 Chinese tool every time. Won't set foot in a Harbor Freight, won't even look at their ads. Etc.