Re: “Another View: The new ‘Buy American’ is bad news for Americans” (Jan. 30):

We’re all looking for the best price, but what we pay at the time of purchase isn’t the only cost of goods made in countries where workers are paid very low wages, who have minimal benefits and minimal rights and where companies have minimal (if any) regard or legal obligations relative to polluting.

We’re running a half-trillion annual trade deficit. We can make anything here that we are now importing. If we can’t, we may as well surrender the country now, rather than going through years of frittering away our wealth and skills.

Buying from countries with some (or all) of the noncompetitive characteristics noted above, results in us paying more welfare and more unemployment. Results in people losing manufacturing skills. Results in a dirtier world.

We’re running huge deficits annually in both trade and national budgets; “Cashing in” our kids’ future.

We fought a war to rid our country of slavery, but we don’t seem to mind buying slave-made goods.

“Excuse me, Mr. Xi, we need to invade you next week, but you haven’t sent us the submarines you promised us. We really need to invade you. So, please expedite the production of those subs!”

Demanding a $15-an-hour wage, while consuming goods made by people earning $1 an hour, in an environmentally adverse manner, doesn’t work very long.

Pete Wilson
Cumberland