Seems to be I was working too much recently, so I missed this one. I'll try to make it short, responding to ideas in general and not individual messages.

>I don't think that the American ecomony (or the Canadian one) has shown much resiliency at all! I think that the main reason that the American ecomony continues to chug along is two-fold:
>1) Size, combined with large PRIOR disposible incomes compared to other countries of the world;
>2) The U.S. essentially makes the rules because it remains the richest economy in the world.

3) Much of the income comes from arm-twisting the rest of the world. That's actually 2.b) make the rules so that you profit on them

>>And it's better for me, the consumer, because I get the best product possible when there is more competition.

Not sure at all. Seven years ago I was working in Hungary, which was fresh into transition, straining to look like a folklorized version of Austria or Germany. The choice of products was pretty much the same, regardless of where you shopped, because all the retail was getting supplies from the same wholesales. What you find in one shop, you find in others as well. And still, the quality of most of the stuff was much better than here - and I'm not speaking about ball-point pens, I'm speaking about coffee, food, and specially clothing and footwear. I've bought incredible feather-filled jackets in a Chinese discount shop, which were sewn with ultimate quality, and lasted years. Can't find anything that good here, unless I'm willing to pay really high prices. The quality of clothing here is generally no better than what they're selling on the flea markets back home, and I'm not talking just Walmart, I'd include Banana Republic and a few other shops.

It's also the things which vanish from the market and you never see them again. I haven't seen Heineken Dark for more than a year now, and have never seen Amstel Dark at all (I wonder how did they do the market research to decide it shouldn't be sold here). Also, I have to read newspaper from home to know which movies are made in Europe - just pick any stack of videos or DVDs anywhere, and count the non-American movies you can find (and after you take the two Canadian, three British and one Australian, what's left?).

>>And the American workde does complete, quite well, against every other country in the world. Despite the movement of jobs, we still have the greatest economy in the world.

No comment.

>>And in the end, the American consumer makes his/her choice every day. If they are that concerned about jobs being shipped overseas, they can buy American.

Chris, open the tool you're using right now - your box. What's American in it, except maybe the processor and OS? Check your mouse, disk, motherboard, memory, keyboard, chair, table, phone, pencils, monitor.

>A massive change is in order. It will be very painful, but it is necessary. Right now you are sitting just where today's powers want you. But sooner or later you'll see the light.

Or dark... what most Americans don't understand is that exploitation is well, alive and kicking, it's just they're better off because they're where the money is (which is among the reasons I'm here as well). But the rest of the world is exploited much worse, and with much less respect for local customs, regulations and traditions. This can't go forever without major earthquake; will it happen when (if ever) the bubble bursts because of the accurate accounting (which I doubt will ever be done, much less published), or because the rest of the world has reached the critical mass of being pissed off at all this.

p.s. I'm driving a Canadian Toyota.