Do you especially purchase goods produced in your own country?

[Defiant47]

As the recession continues to kill jobs throughout our economies, most of us start thinking of buying products made in our own country (though as a Canadian I'm fine with buying US). Rather than giving all the money and jobs to China, we prefer to help out our own people.

But how many of us do this, and how far are we willing to go?

 

[Labtec600]

I bought a Japanese Auto.

Sorry, but the resale value was better, I like the look better, it had more power, and had better gas mileage for a cheaper price....even though it was MADE in America and provided just as many jobs so I find that moot....

I think it's hard to buy only American in todays world.

 

[Mowque]

I don't, but i had a boss (in the steel factory place) who bought all tools, chairs, equipment, ectra from American places.

 

[Godwynn]

No, I don't really care.

 

[Defiant47]

I bought a Japanese Auto.

Sorry, but the resale value was better, I like the look better, it had more power, and had better gas mileage for a cheaper price....even though it was MADE in America and provided just as many jobs so I find that moot....

I think it's hard to buy only American in todays world.

That is acceptable, would be fine by me, and would agree with the OP postulation. Perhaps I need to be clearer with the thread title.

The idea is to purchase products that give money to your own economy rather than another nation's.

 

[emzie]

I don't really care. We already have a trade surplus anyway. When I buy Chinese crap, it's usually paid for indirectly through Americans buying our crap.

 

[Shekwan]

It would be impossible for me to buy Irish for most products, so no.

 

[Camikaze]

No, I don't really care. Most things are made in China, but what's good for China is good for Australia. We give them the raw materials, they give us the value-added goods.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

I don't purchase anything produced from my own country, nor do I pay taxes or live there.

 

[BARBEERIAN]

Not to my own country (Canada), but I do try to buy products made in modern nations who actually pay their employees higher than slave labour wages, have things like workers rights, etc... I absolutely HATE companies who want to sell their crap in countries with a high standard of living (because they can charge more for their crap), but aren't willing to pay employees to live within that same high standard. If I ruled the world moronic companies like that would be dissolved, and their upper management executed publicly.

 

[emzie]

I don't purchase anything produced from my own country, nor do I pay taxes or live there.

Oh don't over think it. I'm not Canadian but I answered as such!

 

[azzaman333]

I buy what's cheap.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Where possible and reasonable.

Of course, a lot of the time, it's neither.

 

[mangxema]

What Irish said. I tend to prefer American over Chinese but sometimes you can't.. Also, cars are a wash considering a good many are built in the South.

 

[general_kill]

It's a fallacy to think that buying exclusively from your country is a "good" thing. In aggregate, the world's production possibility decreases when you buy a product that is produced inefficiently.

But to break the fallacy, you have to take it to the extreme. If buying from your country is better, then why not buy only from your state/province? For that matter, why not only buy from your county? Your city? Your neighborhood? Your family?

When you don't buy from another country, they won't have money to buy from you. So what ever you gained from buying in your own country is offset by the loss of someone else in your country.

So, for the good of the world, I buy from the most competitively priced supplier ceteris paribus.

 

[Perfection]

It's a fallacy to think that buying exclusively from your country is a "good" thing.

It's also a fallacy to imply that anyone here has actually has that view. Noone here said exclusively.

But to break the fallacy, you have to take it to the extreme. If buying from your country is better, then why not buy only from your state/province? For that matter, why not only buy from your county? Your city? Your neighborhood? Your family?

I would generally prefer to buy something from my family than from my city than from my state than from my country.

When you don't buy from another country, they won't have money to buy from you. So what ever you gained from buying in your own country is offset by the loss of someone else in your country.

That's not the case, they might use the money to buy from other countries!

So, for the good of the world, I buy from the most competitively priced supplier

Maybe in magical utopialand what you pay represents real societal costs, but that's often not the case. That Chinese good might be cheaper to you but what happens if you take into account the comparative environmental destruction caused by its production and shipping into account?

ceteris paribus.

Screw ceteris paribus.

 

[QuoVadisNation]

I give U.S. made goods a strong consideration. But it is compromised because I also need to cut my expenses as much as possible. But depending on the particular purchase, I might be willing to spend a little more for an American product. I'm certainly conscious of it, is what I mean. On terms of preference, the first would be U.S; then Canada; and then down the line. But I certainly have no problem buying a Honda instead a Ford. My family's Honda has 250,000+ miles on it and is still working. Ford just can't do that.

[incidentally: my brother is even worse. The guy constantly hesitates and sometimes breaks orders whenever he hears a motorcycle part he's ordering is made in Hong Kong]

 

[general_kill]

It's also a fallacy to imply that anyone here has actually has that view. Noone here said exclusively.

I would generally prefer to buy something from my family than from my city than from my state than from my country.

That's not the case, they might use the money to buy from other countries!

Maybe in magical utopialand what you pay represents real societal costs, but that's often not the case. That Chinese good might be cheaper to you but what happens if you take into account the comparative environmental destruction caused by its production and shipping into account?

Screw ceteris paribus.

It's a fallacy to assume I assumed. I clearly did not direct my comment to anyone in here exclusively nor have I quoted anyone which further supports my claim.

You can buy from whoever you want, your actions are account for by economics because you place value on the origin of your supplier. However, for the economy as a whole, if you buy products that are inefficiently created relative to other suppliers, total production possibility decreases. So thanks to you, perhaps a whole family starves somewhere in the world. Jerk.

Moderator Action: Flaming.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

If you want to remove ceteris paribus from the equation, then I can make wild claims like if you buy from America, you are not equating the tax money that goes into funding weapons that kill innocent civilians! These things are externalities and it is hard to properly balance their effects. But we do have to admit that China has a poor environmental record while we have a poor war record in recent history. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent people died from our tax money in Iraq. Millions more have died from our tax money over the past few decades including our military operations, black op operations, and military funding to countries like Israel, Iraq, Iran, and countless other countries. Then again, China is funding our debt from the money we give them... and it just becomes a huge cycle of nonsense.

Btw, I'm too lazy to quote every single one of your arguments.

 

[Defiant47]

When you don't buy from another country, they won't have money to buy from you. So what ever you gained from buying in your own country is offset by the loss of someone else in your country.

When I don't buy from another country, my money will go to my own country. It's an economic cycle where my countrymen and I exchange goods and services.

If I purchase from another country rather than my own, all I have done is employ one more person in that other country, rather than my own country. Especially in an economic downturn, purchasing from one own's country is even better, because the number of jobs is very low (comparatively). A manufacturing plant in China won't make sure that poor unemployed Joe in Canada will get a job, and be able to put food on his table.

 

[QuoVadisNation]

I'd like to try then. You mentioned it was a fallacy to assume that buying exclusively from one's country is a "good" thing. First and foremost, what's "good" is a subjective individualized one. The world's production in itself may not matter to those people making their conclusion that it's a "good" thing. They might just care about producing jobs and strengthening the national market; regardless of how it affects international markets. If so, then it not a fallacy to the very least assume [but not be positively 100% Vulcan logically sure] that buying home products is a good thing. as long as you accept the premise that buying national will produce the result. To be valid and not a fallacy, it doesn't even matter whether the premise is correct or not. As long as you accept the premise, and the "good" conclusion follows the premise, then it's not a fallacy.

Oh no; a family isn't getting a job in Pakistan. For shame; if only logic and fallacies gave a damn about politics.

Frankly, I'm honestly having trouble understanding your third statement in post #13. I understand that sometimes people know more than others.. and they don't feel like explaining it terribly all that much.. but I just don't see the follow-up in it. Supporting country's' products a little in itself doesn't seem to logically and necessarily follow-up.