Barry, I've been telling my wife for 4 or 5 years "I wonder where all of us will work when ALL our manufacturing jobs go overseas?"

This country used to produce things that were top quality and crafted by skilled workers. Then we entered the age of the throw away society and threw our jobs away in the process.

True craftsmen are practically impossible to find in this country because people do not want to pay for quality, they just want it to look good for now and don't care if it falls apart in a couple years. The widget is cheap enough so when it does fall apart, they' ll just go buy a new one. Thats the mentality of todays consumer.

I consider myself to be a skilled craftsman, having been restoring fine antique furniture for 35 years. I am quite capable of doing everything from veneer to carving to matching or restoring a 200 year old finish. I've seen a decline in restorations starting about 10 or 12 years ago, about the same time that our trade defecit [sp.?] started. In the 70's when i first started, I had literally years worth of back log. They were waiting in line at my door.

There will come a day when nobody will know how to work with their hands and its all because of this import/sell cheap/ then throw it away mentality....

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Cheers,
Bill