Usa Thread

[TheCorinthian]

I'd say the cafe could be setting itself up for a lawsuit.

 

HH

 

 

A big one. They gonna stop serving people for being say... black next?

[Flashermac]

 

 

At Smithsonian, Americana 'Made in China'

 

 

 

Tens of millions flock to the Smithsonian museums in Washington each year to see Americana -- everything from Abraham Lincoln's top hat to Archie Bunker's chair.

 

But one thing you'll have a hard time finding is something American in the gift shop.

 

Take the miniature sculptures of presidents sold at the National Museum of American History, located right on the Mall in the nation's capital.

 

From the busts of George Washington to Barack Obama, they were made in China.

 

Last month Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, was so outraged by the situation that he fired off a letter demanding that the museum sell products made in the USA.

 

"It appears that a museum owned by the people of the United States, celebrating the history of the United States, cannot find companies in this country employing American workers that are able to manufacture statues of our founding fathers, or our current president," Sanders said in a letter to the museum.

 

"That is pretty pathetic!" he exclaimed. "I was not aware that the collapse of our manufacturing base had gone that far."

 

But it's not just the Smithsonian. Walk around the capital city's monuments – the great symbols of America – in search of products made in the USA and you might be surprised what you find.

 

The Lincoln Memorial gift shop sells magnets of the Washington Monument – made in China. A bell – made in China. A toothpick holder – made in China. Plates designed in the US – but made in China. And yes, a Barack Obama coffee mug – made in China.

 

The Jefferson Memorial gift shop sells actual replicas of the memorial – made in China. Even American flag pins – you guessed it - made in China.

 

[color:red]You might spend $400 on souvenirs all over town and not buy a single product made in the USA, not even a keychain of the Supreme Court gavel.[/color]

 

But those Made-in-the-USA products are out there if you look, even if they are harder to find.

 

Why? It all comes down to dollars and sense.

 

The Lincoln Memorial gift shop sells two hats – one made in America and one made in China – and the price difference is drastic. $19.95 for the former, only $10.95 for the latter.

 

The Memorial used to sell spoons made in America, but then the manufacturer decided to move to Mexico.

 

The Smithsonian, for instance, did find an American manufacturer of presidential busts, but at nearly double the price. Faced with that prospect, the museum chose to stick with the Chinese-made presidents – and the Elvis bobblehead, too.

 

After Sanders' released his letter last month, Brent Glass, the director of the National Museum of American History, called ABC News to explain their stance on the made-in-China products.

 

"We do whenever possible try to buy from US-made manufacturers and we contract primarily with companies that are based in the US. We have more than 400 vendors just at our museum that are American that we work with. And our buyers only attend American trade shows," Glass said. "But a lot of distributors carry products made domestically and internationally. We try to offer items to the public that are affordable and many of those products come from other countries, not only China."

 

But some stores in Washington have found a way to sell virtually all products made in the USA – like the gift shops in none other than the US Capitol itself, where a whopping 99 percent of products are domestic-made.

 

The Capitol gift shops are proud of it, too, with signs hanging all over the store touting that the products are made right here at home.

 

Last month Sanders even stopped by the Capitol gift shops to buy some made-in-America products to take with him to a meeting with Smithsonian officials – just to prove that it could be done.

 

 

 

Link

 

 

[cavanami]

Another stake into the heart of liberty...

 

Wis. Assembly passes bill taking away union rights

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110225/ap_on_re_us/us_wisconsin_budget_unions

 

MADISON, Wis. – Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers, abruptly passing the measure early Friday morning before sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening.

 

The vote ended three straight days of punishing debate in the Assembly. But the political standoff over the bill — and the monumental protests at the state Capitol against it — appear far from over.

 

The Assembly's vote sent the bill on to the Senate, but minority Democrats in that house have fled to Illinois to prevent a vote. No one knows when they will return from hiding. Republicans who control the chamber sent state troopers out looking for them at their homes on Thursday, but they turned up nothing...

[Steve]

I keep telling you guys we are no longer a free and fair republic.

 

The most dangerous time for the righs of Americans is when there are economic, social or military problems. Our rights are stripped under the premise that its an emergency.

 

History is replete with examples. Income tax came about during WWI and was supposed to be temporary. Price and wage freezes, etc. during WW2. The taxing, reducutions and changes to social security all came during recessions.

911 has ushered in the Patriots Act and either the introduction of programs to limit or remove certain civil liberties.

 

I'm no big fan of big labor. In a few companies and industries (education for one) I've sometimes seen unions as an obstacle to progress.

 

However, collective bargaining has always been a mainstay of their rights since unions came to power. The bad economy in the rust belt has forced unions to make huge concessions for the past 30+ years. If unions are going to die make it a natural death and not murder.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Federal Income tax came about during the civil war. If it wasn't for the Federal income tax, the Union might have lost.

[TheCorinthian]

I keep telling you guys we are no longer a free and fair republic.

 

 

 

And I keep telling you, you are more free here than any where else.

 

 

You cant make it in the US? Where you gonna go? Have fun trying it in China!

[Flashermac]

Texas demographer: 'It's basically over for Anglos'

 

 

 

Looking at population projections for Texas, demographer Steve Murdock concludes: "It's basically over for Anglos."

 

Two of every three Texas children are now non-Anglo and the trend line will become even more pronounced in the future, said Murdock, former U.S. Census Bureau director and now director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University.

 

Today's Texas population can be divided into two groups, he said. One is an old and aging Anglo and the other is young and minority. Between 2000 and 2040, the state's public school enrollment will see a 15 percent decline in Anglo children while Hispanic children will make up a 213 percent increase, he said.

 

The state's largest county - Harris - will shed Anglos throughout the coming decades. By 2040, Harris County will have about 516, 000 fewer Anglos than lived in the Houston area in 2000, while the number of Hispanics will increase by 2.5 million during the same period, Murdock said. The projection assumes a net migration rate equal to one-half of 1990-2000.

 

Most of the state's population growth is natural, Murdock told the House Mexican American Legislative Caucus today. About 22 percent of the growth comes from people moving to Texas from other states.

 

About 6 percent of the state's population is not documented, he said.

 

By 2040, only 20 percent of the state's public school enrollment will be Anglo, he said. Last year, non-Hispanic white children made up 33.3 percent of the state's 4.8 million public school enrollment.

 

Of the state's 254 counties, 79 recorded declining population during the past 20 years. All are rural. An additional 30 Texas counties, he said, would have also lost population had they not experienced Hispanic growth.

 

[color:red]The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos, he said.[/color]

 

[color:red]Unless the trend line changes, 30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040, he said. And the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000. That figure is not inflation adjusted so it will be worse than what it sounds.[/color]

 

"It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried," Murdock said.

 

 

Link

 

 

Tu4Hnbor9rI

 

 

 

[cavanami]

If it wasn't for President Lincoln printing up greenbacks, the USA would be a different place today! The greenbacks got Lincoln killed, IMO.

[cavanami]

...can you say, day late and a dollar short?? WTF...

 

Video of a TSA Pat Down AFTER Mother and Sons Get Off Train

 

This is so mind boggling to me! I am still trying to figure out within WHAT law or right would the TSA have to pat down people AFTER they got OFF a train in Savannah, Ga.?

 

Where is the sense in patting down people when they have gotten to their destination?

 

But, more importantly what RIGHT OR LAW allows TSA to pat down people riding on trains?

 

If all of this is true, then we are so down the rabbit hole in being a POLICE STATE in the United States! All of this invasion of privacy and having to SUBMIT to other people feeling us up all in the name of keeping us “safe from terrorism�

 

It seems to me there is one terrorist that is standing above all others now! After watching this, I believe those who are reading these words know exactly who/what I am claiming is a terrorist!...

V1B3AubsTBo

[Bangkoktraveler]

I have told TSA that the only terrorist I see is them.