Dear Readers:
If Thanksgiving is America’s holiday, Christmas must be China’s holiday.
Sure it’s the Americans going consumerism crazy during (before, really) the month of December, but let’s not forget where those Wiis, iPods, Tickle Me Elmos and other Christmas goodies come from?that great land of cost-conscious manufacturing, China.
Sure, it may take someone working in the iPod factory three months’ wages just to purchase an iPod, but their hard work means greater consumption for us.
What I don’t get are people who want to avoid products made with cheap labor. So, you think staying away from Kathy Lee’s sweatshop styles will help the impoverished Central American workers? Not really. It just takes business away from a company that’s giving someone a job that would otherwise not have one. They may only be making pennies a day, but where would they be without Mrs. Gifford?
God bless the big-hearted capitalists that give poor workers in developing countries the opportunity to have a job. If they kept their manufacturing facilities in the U.S. all the jobs would go to the greedy American workers who demand their outrageous minimum wages and luxurious working conditions. These fat cat U.S. laborers drive up the price of goods for the rest of us. How much would an iPod, designer blouse or Wii cost if they were produced in the U.S.?
Speaking of video games, will Mr. Fisher and Mr. Adams be willing to play Pacman again? Could be exciting. Maybe he’s that missing ingredient.
But there’s another contest going on this season: the race for the U.S. presidency. Interestingly, the top two Democrats in many polls are not white men.
We could see how far America has really progressed towards racial and gender equality if one of these untraditional candidates gets the Democratic nod.
They are the two best funded candidates, and there’s probably nothing like Obama or Clinton receiving the nomination that would bring out the backwards bigot vote just to keep a woman or black out of the White House.
Is the media giving them the most attention because they are different? Because they are the best funded? Because they are truly the Democratic frontrunners with the majority of Americans? Or because they may receive the nomination, but would lose to most of the Republicans in the general election?
Peace,
Bracken Mayo, Editor in Chief
