Made in China... no thanks.

I can remember a time way back as a child when anything made in China was considered junk. I didn't really understand why, I mean I thought the Chinese finger cuffs some relative bought me for Christmas one year were pretty cool, and so were my grandparent's glass and paper wind chimes. As I grew older and began to think things through, I thought globalization was a pretty cool thing... people from all around the world selling their wares to make a profit in the same way the US did. It seemed pretty reasonable until I realized that in some parts of the world children were still forced into unfair labor, and peasants still existed who made pennies a day for their hard work. But now the whole playing field has changed and it seems that in spite of poisoned food, unsafe product lines, and severe human rights injustices, China seems to have the market sewn up on most products offered for sale here in the US. Five out of five products I needed from the local Bed Bath and Beyond were all made in China. There were no other alternatives for these household items. I settled on buying four of the five (I didn't really need a silky puff to wash myself). REluctantly I purchased the four other items and made a mental note to check my labels more closely next time. We need jobs badly here in the states and how will we ever get them back if all the stuff we think we need is coming from China. They don't even play fair by the international monetary rules, so why are our shelves lined with all of their junky products. It's probably because no one else can compete with their low prices and so other countries including our own just give up. I know it is probably late in the game to expect people to pay more for American products, as everyone is so cost conscious nowadays, but I'm going to try really hard to shop and buy goods that are made in the US... or at least from a country who plays fair in the global market.