: Whle I would never be one to deny any of you the right to voice your opinions
: on these matters, it seems just a little bit ironic that we in North
: America, find it so convenient to ignore our own history in these very
: same matters when it comes to flooding markets with cheaply made goods.

: Look back to the Industrial Revolutuion period in the US and Canada and you
: will see sweat shop factories, excessive polluton and filthy working
: conditions, cheaply made products killing-off established manufacturers,
: the overwhelming zeal for profits by the owners of said factories... the
: whole tamale pie of things that we so comfortably try to criticize when it
: comes to the manufacturing of products from China and/or India.

: Engage for a moment, if you will, our still nearly unbridled over-consumption
: of these goods at breakneck speeds while we make our own excessive
: pollution. The pollution is especially gross when you look at it on a per
: capita basis compared to the rest of the planet.

: Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black... ain't it?

: Yeah, sure, make the turn to buildng your own boat, but do try to keep this
: in perspective. If we were so conveniently entitled to our own manifest
: destiny process as a developing, industrialized nation, is not the same
: entitlement to be recognized for any third world nations who wish to have
: the same? Or, are they only to be regarded as good guys as long as they do
: it the way we tell them to do it?

: Are your own companies of employment selling any products into the now
: exploding middle class markets of India and China? If they aren't, then
: they should be soon, or they will be left well behind the curve of
: opportunity in the competitive world of business. Should be a really big
: potential there with such superior goods. Well, unless the Chinese and
: Indians buy their goods in the same philosophical fashion as do Americans
: and Canadians, that is... ;-)

: Chris

We are headed for disaster. We can see it off in the distance. The world cannot sustain the consumption at the American rate when China and India try to duplicate our gluttony. But we'll put off dealing with it.

We have allowed ourselves to become insatiable consumers.

We have allowed the profiteers to whisper in our ears from birth to death to buy more, to replace the old, to buy goods of designed obsolescence, to choose solely on low price.

Endless commercials show us this American Dream that we must all be millionaires.

The "American Dream" is now the world model. Bigger is better. Gotta have the latest thing. Buy a big house and car and second house and car and work two jobs to pay the debts of for the rest of your life. And move and buy a new bigger house and bigger car!

With this hunger for the money needed to sustain this style, everyone becomes an opportunity for plunder.

Can we think, less is better? Can we stop buying throw away trash?

Can we get by with one car and move to a smaller house?

Can we control greed?

Rob

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
Confucius