IDK. If China sells a part for ten cents and it works like it is suppose to, why pay an American company ten bucks for the same part? Yea, I like America first, but not at the expense of my tax dollars going to the highest bidder!
The problem with that, as has been proven now for years, is that you cannot trust the Chinese product to be (so to speak) "kosher." Huge variability in the quality of Chinese goods. (My stepdaughter was once dealing in dry goods and went to China to purchase them wholesale. About 4 grades of quality in, e.g., shoes. Chinese "rice" imported into Africa was discovered to be plastic. Filled you up, but had no nutritive value.) Also, Chinese goods are products of a near-slave economy, which creates a moral hazard. Many products are manufactured by the Chinese defense industry, which sale provides their budget.
I learned from experience. Decades ago, this situation wasn't so clear and I purchased two Chinese-made firearms. One was a Chinese copy of a Russian TT-33 Tokarev pistol. Very tough. I rebarreled it to .38 Super and it is a potent defense weapon. The other was a Chinese copy of an M-14 rifle, restricted to semiautomatic fire. Excellent appearance and handling. But then I read that these rifles did not have the requisite steel heat-treating and would wear out after a few thousand rounds. Bummer. And then I read of an outfit in Arizona that would take one of these rifles apart, heat-treat the required components, and reassemble it. So it sent it for the rejuvenation process. Hallelujah! But lesson learned.
We are also seeing the huge defense industry vulnerability of incorporating Chinese components in our electronics, potentially with "backdoors" that can be exploited. Then they also undersell other products (e.g., steel) at rates designed to crush American competition. "Buy the cheapest" is fine, until you discover you are dependent and they can arbitrarily change the price or threaten to shut off supply. This is why most nations of international weight maintain their own defense industries and capabilities. There is a valid argument for the economic principle of "autarky" (being self-sufficient in things that matter).
Thanks for taking the time to educate me. Yea, it irkes me to pay ten bucks for a widget, but if it keeps the bad guys out of our defense, I can see it. It doesnt make it feel any better, but I certainly understand self security for the nation.
This is the whole debate between the (global) "free market" and "autarky." If you are properly indoctrinated in the principles of capitalism and a free market, it is very seductive to think that what is proper to prevail in one's own nation, should also prevail among other nations. What is forgotten is that a free market is utterly dependent on an environment of liberty and the protection of personal and property rights. No such environment internationally. Thus the argument for autarky, or being sure you have enough agriculture, industry, and business to sustain yourself if cut off from the world market...through world events... Not a lot of people understand this.
China uses slaves for unskilled labor. China pays skilled labor $5 a day. China gets discounted oil on the black market. China manipulates their currency. China steals intellectual property. China steals military secrets. China blackmails our politicians and foreign nationals. China imports bio weapons to attack our food supply. China supply's the cartel with precursor chemicals to make fentanyl. These unfair and immoral advantages will eventually make them the world's superpower if something isn't done and soon.
IDK. If China sells a part for ten cents and it works like it is suppose to, why pay an American company ten bucks for the same part? Yea, I like America first, but not at the expense of my tax dollars going to the highest bidder!
The problem with that, as has been proven now for years, is that you cannot trust the Chinese product to be (so to speak) "kosher." Huge variability in the quality of Chinese goods. (My stepdaughter was once dealing in dry goods and went to China to purchase them wholesale. About 4 grades of quality in, e.g., shoes. Chinese "rice" imported into Africa was discovered to be plastic. Filled you up, but had no nutritive value.) Also, Chinese goods are products of a near-slave economy, which creates a moral hazard. Many products are manufactured by the Chinese defense industry, which sale provides their budget.
I learned from experience. Decades ago, this situation wasn't so clear and I purchased two Chinese-made firearms. One was a Chinese copy of a Russian TT-33 Tokarev pistol. Very tough. I rebarreled it to .38 Super and it is a potent defense weapon. The other was a Chinese copy of an M-14 rifle, restricted to semiautomatic fire. Excellent appearance and handling. But then I read that these rifles did not have the requisite steel heat-treating and would wear out after a few thousand rounds. Bummer. And then I read of an outfit in Arizona that would take one of these rifles apart, heat-treat the required components, and reassemble it. So it sent it for the rejuvenation process. Hallelujah! But lesson learned.
We are also seeing the huge defense industry vulnerability of incorporating Chinese components in our electronics, potentially with "backdoors" that can be exploited. Then they also undersell other products (e.g., steel) at rates designed to crush American competition. "Buy the cheapest" is fine, until you discover you are dependent and they can arbitrarily change the price or threaten to shut off supply. This is why most nations of international weight maintain their own defense industries and capabilities. There is a valid argument for the economic principle of "autarky" (being self-sufficient in things that matter).
Thanks for taking the time to educate me. Yea, it irkes me to pay ten bucks for a widget, but if it keeps the bad guys out of our defense, I can see it. It doesnt make it feel any better, but I certainly understand self security for the nation.
This is the whole debate between the (global) "free market" and "autarky." If you are properly indoctrinated in the principles of capitalism and a free market, it is very seductive to think that what is proper to prevail in one's own nation, should also prevail among other nations. What is forgotten is that a free market is utterly dependent on an environment of liberty and the protection of personal and property rights. No such environment internationally. Thus the argument for autarky, or being sure you have enough agriculture, industry, and business to sustain yourself if cut off from the world market...through world events... Not a lot of people understand this.
China uses slaves for unskilled labor. China pays skilled labor $5 a day. China gets discounted oil on the black market. China manipulates their currency. China steals intellectual property. China steals military secrets. China blackmails our politicians and foreign nationals. China imports bio weapons to attack our food supply. China supply's the cartel with precursor chemicals to make fentanyl. These unfair and immoral advantages will eventually make them the world's superpower if something isn't done and soon.