General Discussion

OrwellwasRight

(5,170 posts) Fri Jul 11, 2014, 05:12 PM Jul 2014

X-Post From Activism Group: Two economic policy online actions that need DU support!!

Please help not just by signing but also by re-posting on Facebook, Twitter, and etc.

First, the issue: The Obama administration, in a move to help outsourcers, is considering a change to reporting rules that would count iPhones, Air Jordans or any other products made overseas as “American.” The manufacturers who contract for these products to be made would categorized as "factoryless goods producers" (think about that for a minute), and the computers, cell phones, clothing, toys, and other items that they contract to be made in China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and elsewhere would be categorized as at least partially "American-made," a move which will cook the books for such numbers as "manufacturing jobs" (it will look like we have more than we do), strength of the manufacturing sector (it will look stronger than it is), and even our trade deficit for manufactured goods (it will look small than it really is).

There are two ways to weigh in:

1) You can click on this link to send an email directly to the Census -- this is an official federal comment period, so your email will be read, counted, and considered. We need to generate more comments than the pro-outsourcers!

http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8804

The deadline for official comments is JULY 21, 2014.

2) You can click on this link to sign a Moveon Petition opposing the change as well.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/dont-let-the-obama-administr

If you want to know a little more about this bizarre, Orwellian proposal, read this:

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Economy/Statistics-that-Spin-Foreign-Goods-to-Be-Considered-U.S.-Goods

Please take both actions and also help publicize this issue. This effort is supported by the AFL-CIO and all its unions, Public Citizen, the Economic Policy Institute, and the Coalition for a Prosperous America.

Thanks!