After trying to understand the hostility towards the imported boards, I’ve developed an interest in the source of consumer products. Obviously, it’s a global economy we’re living in and this is a tough one to figure out sometimes. I’m not knocking Clark for distributing Hitachi or anyone for using Hitachi (or Surftech) - practically everything I own or use is made somewhere else. Finding a power tool actually made in US is increasingly difficult and even Milwaukee is outsourcing production of some products. What makes surfboards made in China (or Slovokia) so different from power tools or the rest of the crap we own? 
This fricken problem pisses me off so f_cking bad!!! We do live in a global economy and I think that is fine. What I hate is corporate greed!!! When products are made in other countries by american companies, CEO’ and investors make bigger profits. In turn, these investors CEO’s etc can now buy bigger and fancier cars, made where…abroad. The dollar is leaving the country!!! I really believe middle america is going to find itsself in a economic mess soon. With even service jobs being outsourced to India etc, there will be know jobs for us. The corporations will be rich, but it won’t do them good when we can’t afford their products, even if they are made in China. It is going to backfire. I’d like to see american goods return to America. It isn’t because I think they are made better, it is because we need an economy here in our country. To make my point clear let me exagerate the scenerio. Imagine if “every” good and service was made in another country what would 300 million Americans be doing for money? I think all this foreign outsorcing is a disgrace. The Governments computer networks were jsut fixed and upgraded by an Indian company. So…FUCK GEORGE BUSH!!!
you beat me to the hitachi issue. If everything were made in the USA we as a country would be in isolation. Yes we would be making alot of money but we would need it to afford three hundred dollar toasters with no hope of selling them elsewhere. In this country you can still live the american dream and have a career of your choice you just have to be good. Anything less than good will be taken over by someone else from another country looking for their american dream. Global economy is good learn to use it!
See, it isn’t like you get to tell people what to spend their money on. And since you are only capable of understanding about 1% of the economic picture… BOY am I glad. You don’t like when the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The societies which wind up with only two classes are authoritarian societies where their leaders tell people they aren’t allowed to buy cheaper foreign goods. In free societies people get paid for producing products and selling them for less than other people. Each producer wants to capture the market and get paid as much as possible. When producers get rich they can’t EAT their money. They invest it on producing more products. Think “feeding wage-earner families”. Or they spend it greedily on houses, food, alcohol… you name it. Again, think “feeding wage-earner families”. Your government could impose strict import quotas and tariffs. But that would mean your rich neighbor gets to triple the price of his products so that you can’t afford them. He may pay a little more to his employees. But our population and workforce are expanding about 3% per year… more mouths to feed. So you’ve just eliminated an entire industry’s ability to expand as required. Or the government could just tax rich people. So your rich neighbor isn’t allowed to make a profit or feed wage earner families. Wage earners become unable to afford domestic products or foreign products. Bureaucrats become the bourgeoisie rich and the poor become poorer. Economic competition, both foreign and domestic, is the only means of selecting producers. It may be awful, but it’s better than anything else. Bill Gates is one of competition’s greatest winners. He’s probably one of the greediest people on earth. Gates directly feeds 10,000 hungry families. The market he dominates feeds millions more. Greed is the only factor which feeds families, provides for a working class, and allows you to live in freedom… enough freedom to criticize your government.
Explain what would happen if 70 percent of the goods were made elsewhere? Smarty pants!!!
Well said St, but Bush is not the enemy, Bill Clinton in 1996 signed NAFTA and it has backfired totally. Fu&^ Howard Dean and the democrats.
PLEASE TAKE THIS DISCUSSION TO ANOTHER PLACE. ANYPLACE BUT SWAYLOCKS.
You guys don’t see the irony in all this? You have an American complaining about using a Japanese planer that was made in China, typing his/her complaint on a Korean keyboard and reading said message on a Malaysian monitor. All the while, he/she is probably wearing a logo’d surf t-shirt and shorts made in Mexico and eating bananas shipped in from Panama. Instead of complaining about this country, he/she should be wondering why all other countries can’t be like this… Shut the f— up, go out and catch some waves. CoWaBunGA
“Explain what would happen if 70 percent of the goods were made elsewhere? Smarty pants!!!” This is any people’s goal, a swing in a nation’s economic cycle which results when a people competes so successfully that they work into ownership of world corporations and markets. So the main business in the nation becomes ownership and finance. Design and construction, not so much… because skilled laborers earn more than anyone can afford. The people buy “foreign” products, but they own the foreign companies which produce those products. So the consumer’s money merely goes through the foreign country, and back into their own country. Of course laborers and suppliers in the producer countries take their cut out of the middle. The scenario actually looks better than it really is. Access to foreign labor and material exist at the whims of their governments. The access can be denied just as easily as it can be granted. However, denying such access, for those countries means starving peasants. But their natural state is one of starvation. For them foreign exploitation means a chance at survival. During times of international conflict most countries close their labor and material markets to foreigners. At such a time, if a nation works itself into major dependence on the industrial capabilities contained in foreign countries, it could harm the nation. A core of industrialization is beneficial but not necessarily required to build its internial defense capabilities. The diplomatic and economic forces which form industrial partnerships in peacetime may continue the partnerships in wartime.
Sounds like noodle’s got a new handle
you got that right Billy BOB!!! What americans are whiners now??Shut up and go to work and surf and love your familyBut please cut the racism and whining crap or go to lebanon!!!
Villagephotos.com locked my account for “excessive bandwidth usage” today. The photo was simply a Hitachi Planer badge showing clearly “Made in China.” My point was just to try and deliver some perspective on how outsourcing is here, now. “Slant eye”, “Chink”, etc really have no place in our discussions. We are all consumers and I doubt if any of us can claim exclusive USA product loyalty.
I have no problem with the Chinese boards and popout bullshit. It’s the magazines trying to brainwash people that they really care about human rights and all, Just like Surfrider Foundation and a slew of other liberal organizations, Yet they sell something made in sweatshops with little regard for worker safty or inhalation, for $250.00 a month and pass it off by saying thats the top of the pay scale there. They should just level and say it’s all about money at any cost. In the old days no self respecting surfer would be caught dead riding a popout. I think it’s revenge of the nurds in surfing for awhile. At least you know what your dealing with when you see someone paddling out on one of the things.
John!..pretty amazing how quickly that “villagephotos.com” locked your account! People, especially certain businesses, are quick to react to any potential backlash over a product’s change in origin. (ah, the mighty spin control). While you were just showing the facts (and the country of origin may or may not have a bearing upon it’s quality), I love it when companies get all “huhu” because the facts are put out into the light. Ironic that during the 40’s, after the war, japanese goods were regarded as “cheap” junk. Look what’s happened over the course of time. the japanese stuff - cars, electronics - are coveted. Chinese stuff gets that rap nowadays. The conditions you work under has a direct bearing upon the quality of what comes out. A big difference between the japanese “you’ve got a job for life”/health care, etc. from the chinese “move your ass, make more” approach, and we know that this does go on. Who knows what the future will hold for a nation like china. Another irony is the bad blood between the chinese and the japanese since the war. Wonder what the chinese think about working under a japanese name. Do they even know, or are they just desperate to eat! Rough to fault or point fingers. We don’t know who’s behind what half of the time (except that money is at the bottom of it). Thanks for putting the photo up. sorry you had to experience any fallout over this. Funny (scary) how people can misinterpret your intentions (I refer to “out of hand” readers). I’ve not read the book, but there is one that describes where american goods come from (as well as what a company’s nation of origin is) called “how to buy american”, by roger simmermaker. Not sure of the tone of the book - not having read it yet - but I’m sure it’s chock full of “opinions” as well as info. Aloha, T.
I agree with you but,Surfing and capitalism are not anything like it use to be .It really is a revenge of the nurds!!!What was uncool is cool and verse a visa.welcome to the future!
It wasn’t political. I’m just too cheap to give them my credit card for unlimited bandwidth. Every time someone opened the link, it added to the total bandwidth usage which on a free account is limited. I notice it works today. (for now)