[Christ]

Jammer - I can see your point, but you, sir, are not the "norm".

When's the last time you went anywhere near a state assistance office? It's easier "work" to go through bureaucracy and paperwork for miles, than to actually get a job. As bad as government run programs are for helping people, there are thousands on those programs who are capable of working, yet choose not to.

I, too, am not above any work that is worth my time. I won't take a job that doesn't pay me in an overall sense to work there. At my current wage (unemployment), It wouldn't be profitable or reasonable for me to take a job at less than $12 per hour, or $14 per hour for the distance I'd have to travel for a job that would pay that much.

Later on, after my UC is exhausted, I'd be willing to take a job for $9 an hour, which is the norm around here. Of course at that point, I'd have no other income option, but at the same time, I can live on far less with a family to support than the average single person household is supposed to "need" to survive.

What I find amusing is that with all the people in the world who think that they need to make thousands of dollars a month to be able to survive, when presented with green alternatives that are cheaper and safer in most cases, they back away, claiming they can't afford it.

When facts come to facts, obesity is a problem for a country whose residents are lazy and overfed, not for a country whose residents work hard and are prosperous and happy without making more money than they could hope to spend.

America has an obesity problem - I.E. Lazy and Over Fed.

Remember, we are not the "norm" here. The fact that we're even having this discussion makes that obvious.

RE: The stores switching to parts made from/in China - of course they did. The tools aren't made here anymore, so there's no comparison to US-built tools. If your product's manufacturer moves, you don't control that. You could make it cheaper, but chances are, it's not any cheaper for HD to begin with, since the MFR moved their processes to China to save money for their own pockets. They could care less about the little guy.

Also - I never said there were jobs here, I said that part of the reason companies are moving is because of the labor/price equation. In China, they get more work for less pay, and employees who don't complain/cause problems over their own lack of willingness to work.