Free Trade Makes American Paychecks Go Farther

The flow of inexpensive goods really means that we are saturated with goods that are of cheap quality and are very poorly made. I would rather buy my child one well-made toy which is manufactured in the United States than a carload of junk from China. I can remember a time when there was a tremendous amount of domestic manufacturing. We still could buy, if we wished, items made in other countries. Yes, we would pay a bit more, but then again, we were buying quality and unusual items which were not available domestically. Once, buying imported goods meant buying better quality goods – usually from Europe. We now find ourselves in a society of unsafe toys and tainted toothpaste. We have shuttered factories, high unemployment and people who can no longer afford health care. So how exactly do items like maple syrup from Canada, clothing from the Philippines and –Oh Yes – those ubiquitous toys from China make us better off? ..and by the way what is wrong with maple syrup from Vermont?