>Blue jeans - a western commodity that had lots to do with the demise of Communism in western Europe - are now having one of their largest producers totally exit the continent (production in both the U.S. and Canada being shut down). I don't know if they produce in Mexico, so maybe not the whole continent.
>
>Apparently, over the last several years, the jeans have only been assembled here anyways, with all of the preliminary production steps being done off-shore.
>
>It would be great irony if it turned out that production is now to be done in (communist) China.
>
>UNcheers

And the home company of Greensboro, NC, CONE Mills, is filing Chapter 11 because of this. Levi-Strauss is a large buyer of the textiles produced here. A lot of people here are fearful of losing their jobs during this time. Heck, we have lost about ALL of the textile producer's here (and furniture producing industries).

It is just a lot cheaper to produce the goods overseas. Why? Because it costs less (salaries are far less, raw materials are less....). The only solution I see is for people here to take big salary cuts and to buy American made, even if it is more. As they are quickly finding out, we live in a global society, and buying overseas merchandise can quickly bite back with a vengence.

Tommy