What happened to the American......  

It is not profitable to be an American Company. With our tax structure, legal codes (law suits) and government regulation it is easier and cheaper to make products overseas and ship them back. Foreign Companies are buying American Companies because they are a great deal and can make a lot of money if they are not American.

We find the same thing happening here in Australia. Many of our once Australian owned companies have been bought out and end up in "foreign" hands, which is not good for us. Then we find that the products are being manufactured overseas and returned here to be sold as finished product. I suspect that part of the reason it happens with us is the same reason it also happens in America and possibly other develped nations. That is the cheap labour which is available in many of the developing countries and it is uncompetitive for locals to make the goods for the same price.

For many years now we have always checked where a product is made before putting it in our shopping trolley. Firstly we will buy Australian made products, and if what we want has no Australian made products the same then we will consider if we really need the item. Yes we do buy some things that are made in other countries but on the whole will look for an alternative before going down that track.

Where a company has been bought by a foreign one, we can accept that IF the new owners continue to produce the goods here in Australia. What really riles me is when a company starts to export jobs by having the goods produced overseas. At the same time they will want to be known as an Australian company. If they cannot keep the jobs here in my country, then they do not deserve my support and I will not buy their goods.

We all need to stop buying goods where the jobs has been exported elsewhere in the name of the mighty dollar. Then, and only then, some of the companies would think twice before they make such decisions on their future. We have seen so many examples in the past couple of years were contaminated products have been imported into our countries. There have been a number if instances in some countries where, as a result of eating this stuff, some people have become seriously ill or died. I recall reading last year about a huge number of livestock which has to be destroyed as a result of contaminated stock food being imported into the U.S.

It is scary and another reason for us to buy goods produced in countries where we know the quality control standards are high and the company held liable for the products they manufacture.