DEAR EDITOR:
I read where "Obama takes on China" in Tuesday's edition of the Tribune and how he is going to attempt to block Chinese auto parts. If this would have been done years ago by former presidents hundreds of thousands of Americans would not have lost their jobs. China, Mexico, India, Taiwan, all these foreign places make and sell America their goods. That's why all the steel mills in our area shut down or downsized. I worked for a couple of companies years ago; one was where I unloaded what they called "pup trucks," small containers similar to semi-trailers which were loaded with imports from China, Mexico, India, Taiwan.
Everything from toys to clothing, to mechanics' tools, furniture, this stuff would be shipped over on barges to the United States. Nothing in these little "pup trucks" said "made in America." I won't name the companies that all these items would go to, but I'm sure you can guess as to where they would go, and of course the American people would buy them up. The prices were made cheaper than they would be made in America, same with all the foreign automobiles on the road today. The other company I worked for said that if we didn't speed up production for the money we were making they would shut us down and move to Mexico, where they could pay their workers $3 an hour versus the $12 to $25 an hour depending on what job we were doing.
We need to get back to the basics of life and keep American workers making American goods. I understand that a lot of cars, trucks, merchandise, and other things made elsewhere appeal to the American public, and that not much will ever change in that aspect, but we as Americans can do our part to change our habits and needs and desires to simply "buy American made products." I'm guessing at this, but I think there are more people working in these other countries than there are Americans working here in America today. America needs the opportunity here in Ohio or anywhere else in the United States to benefit, not only from the president's policies as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan says, but from every aspect of American goods. So I urge every American to think about "buying America" back. I honestly believe if the American auto industry would lower the prices on American-made automobiles, you would see more of them on the road today.
-- Michael Adkins, Warren