Originally Posted by phidauex
There are a lot of really reasonable factories run by reasonable people in Taiwan, which is only communist because they can't seem to break free. There is no shame in buying a product from Taiwan, if an American company isn't filling the niche. You've obviously searched high and low for an option, and if you can't find it, then well, you can't find it. A Taiwanese bike will be fine for him.
Psst. Taiwan is the non-comunist one.
Originally Posted by va_cyclist
My buying decisions are based on economic criteria, not socio-political criteria. If the U.S. government establishes favorable trade conditions with China that bring cheap bikes over here, then by god, who am I to tell George Bush he's wrong?
Go along, get along, eh?
That's your choice, that's ok.
I choose to try to spend my money according to my beliefs as well as my needs and wants. If there is a product or company or country that I object to enough, I'm not going to give them my money if I can help it.
I agree with Alan about China, but communism has nothing to do with it. They've been communist in name-only for several years. Human rights, economic poilcy, trade practices, and political bullying of their neighbors are my reasons. If there was more equal trade reciprocity, if China allowed access to their ecomony simliar to the access that they have been given to in other economies, if they were to start behaving like a "good world citizen" I would gladly recondsider.
Originally Posted by ohplease
American labor simply cannot make or sell a bike for $79. That bike's price is a direct result of all the things with which the original poster claims to have a problem. Either one's principles matter or they do not. Personally, I think they should matter most when there's something on the line, when there's a personal sacrifice involved - like $420. Otherwise, it's all just noise.
Ay. And there's the dilemma. You either pay up, give in or do without.