[Number 3]

1st, Dragoneye, I love that Avatar.

2nd, Junkie is hitting the key point. I always say follow the money.

Even when GM brings a car in from Korea or Australia, the control of the money and what gets done with the money is here in the U.S. That is important. Yes a Hyundai, Honda or Toyota factory brings jobs here to the U.S. But that's it. The creating and inventing takes those dollars back to the Japan or Korea (and someday China) where the Hi Tech (Engineering/R&D/etc.) jobs remain.

Someday, perhaps, Americans will demand that their products be manufactured here. We could, but Americans are hooked on the deal. That is why Wallmart works so well. We want our "freedom of choice" and the lowest price.

If you go to Germany, they are willing to pay a premium to buy German made. It keeps their countrymen and women working and they believe that they get a better product if it is made by Germans. That may or may not be true, but they believe it to the core.

And as for "where the money goes", ask any American woman if she would buy a car from GM if a female worker was expected to quit when she got married. You would have a national uproar. But in Japan it is EXPECTED. The woman would be now supported by the man she married and further she would be taking the job of a man trying to ultimately support his family. I'm not judging this as bad or good, but I know that no American woman would tolerate it from GM, Ford or Chrysler. But they will sure buy a Honda or Toyota.

My late father tried for years to buy only gifts that were made in America. He ultimately broke down and just bought what he wanted to give as there simply wasn't anything to choose from.

For me, I like to say it started with socks. We had a very nice textile industry in this country once, in my lifetime. But we had to save .50 on a pair of socks, so we sent that industry and it's jobs off shore.

All we have to do as Americans is DEMAND where our products are made. I will assure you that the reason GM, Ford and Chrysler had to go offshore to get some components was only to be competitive with the imports. GM would have gone out of business years ago if they had tried to stand on "100% made in the U.S.A.".

Sadly it doesn't matter to us as a society.

I hope there is a ground swell of support, Scott.

And sorry, Scott, but you pushed my hot button.