ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: BIDEN’S SON

That Ukraine is a corrupt nation is an established fact. Apparently, they agreed to clean up the problem if we would give them financial aid. Around March of 2019 they assured our diplomats that there was no longer any corruption. Congress decided that based on what they said, Ukraine should get close to $400 million dollars of our tax payer money. But Trump wasn’t convinced they’d done a good job of investigating possible corruption with the Bidens so he decided to hold up the money until they did. Now, Trump’s about to be impeached for bribery. But the Elephant in the Room is Joe Biden’s son. Is Congress ignoring the fact that his high paying jobs in Ukraine and China sounded suspicious?

Hunter Biden had a highpaying job in Urkraine due to his father's influence — Joe and Hunter Biden paying golf with Ukraine Gas Company Executives

Here’s what we know about Hunter Biden. He got kicked out of the Navy in May of 2014 because he tested positive for cocaine. He made a bundle because of his Dad’s influence as Vice President of the United States. From 2014 until 2019, he served on the board of Burisma Holding, a Ukranian gas producer,making around $50,000 a month. He made millions of dollars working with a private equity firm in China. And now, the latest revelation comes from his baby mama in Arkansas , who’s suing him in a paternity case. Apparently, this gallant fellow denied he had fathered her child born in August of 2018 until a DNA test proved he was, indeed, the father. It looks like Hunter is the black sheep of the family. But strangely, Congress hasn’t shown the slightest bit of interest in his lucrative deals with China and the Ukraine.

So, if Trump is impeached, Hunter Biden gets away with all that money he earned because he was the son of the Vice President of the United States of America. .

Well, maybe he can use it to pay child support in Arkansas.

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

IS THIS CHINA’S LAST STAND?

Labor day sales have begun, and shoppers are going wild. Shopping baskets are filled to the brim. Today, I was at a clothing store where summer clothes were 70% off. Last weekend, while shopping with my granddaughters, we found bathing suits at 80% off. It’s the last giveaway of the season, and it’s never going to be this good again. Is this China’s last stand at the mall?

When you get home, go through those piles of clothes you’ve purchased at end of season sales. Look at the labels. Can you find one item that wasn’t made in China? Only 2% of the clothing products we buy are made in the USA. But next year, it’s estimated the cost of garments made in China will increase about 25%, due to new tariffs. Which really isn’t all that much.

We’re so accustomed to cheap clothes from China that we don’t want to think about how it’s affected the American labor force. We know that many Chinese laborers work sixteen hour days to produce those incredibly cheap clothes, but it doesn’t stop us from buying them.

What is going to happen now that we’re in a trade war? Will more clothes be made in the USA, and how is that going to affect the price of our next pair of blue jeans? Personally, I would be willing to pay a higher price for garments made in our own country, but it probably won’t happen for another decade. Clothing manufacturers will probably turn to other third world countries where wages are low.

Sales this labor day will be full of bargains from China — Department stores are filled with shoppers buying bargain priced clothes made in China

Here are some other things that could happen if clothing and shoes get too pricey: We might reduce the size of our wardrobes. People could start sewing their own clothes again, which will help the fabric industry. Sales at Goodwill Industry stores may increase, providing more jobs for the handicapped. Garment manufacturers might decide to open factories in the USA, which would create more jobs in the USA.

And so, while I’m snapping up the bargains like everyone else, it won’t bother me to pay higher prices next season, as long as it benefits the American worker.

And, if you didn’t get to the mall this weekend, don’t worry. Labor Day Sales are still ahead.

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019

NO MORE CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA?

Have you looked through your closet lately? If you take the time to look at the labels, you will see that 90% of recent purchases have a Made In China label. Wow. Are the Chinese the only ones who know how to sew? I’m not sure, but I’m thinking these new tariffs may signal the end. No more cheap clothes from China.

When I was a child, “store bought” clothes were for people of means. Most lower and middle class people made their own clothes. Now, sewing your own clothes is a choice, not a necessity.

I still made my clothes until I was about 30. That’s when store clothes got so cheap that it was more actually more expensive to buy the pattern and materials to construct your own garments. A lot of those first cheap clothes came from places like Bangladesh and the Philippines. But now, almost all imported clothes are from China.

No More Cheap Clothes From China — IF WE CAN’T BUY CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA, MAYBE WE CAN SEW OUR OWN

Sewing was actually fun. First, you sat down at the pattern table and looked through the books to find exactly the dress or outfit that you wanted. Once you decided on a pattern, it was sheer pleasure to look through all the fabrics and pick out something that would give you a one -of- a- kind dress. You never had to worry about running into someone with a dress exactly like yours, and no one had the slightest idea what you paid for it. We even made pretty dresses out of feed sacks!

Young girls were taught to sew before they were teenagers. My best friend’s mother worked at Singer Sewing shop—a busy store with many customers who paid the salary of this single Mom supporting three kids. She loved her work, even gave sewing lessons. My own mom was kind of a slap dash seamstress, but this lady taught me the importance of following patterns exactly—a skill that has helped me follow directions for all kinds of self-assembled products.

Women used to make their own clothes before they were so cheap from China — SEWING YOUR OWN CLOTHES USED TO BE COST EFFECTIVE

Store bought clothing was expensive in the old days because it was made in America. Garment workers didn’t make much but it was a lot more than people in China, where the average wage per month is $270 in terms of US Dollars. A factory worker in China may work over sixteen hours, sometimes six days a week. The pay for all of this overtime is sometimes as low as 55 cents per hour.

If we can’t get cheap clothes from China because of new tariffs, will that be such a bad thing? Maybe young girls will get off their cell phones and start making their own clothes . Or garment workers in the USA will have more job opportunities. And we won’t have to feel guilty about that “bargain” coat from China made by women who are forced to work in sweat shops for low wages.