Made in China – So What?

I’m taking a short break from discussing health care to address Olympic uniforms. My main thought is “Big deal!” In 1776, Adam Smith explained:

It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy… If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage.

 If China can make clothing cheaper than we can, we’re fools to make it ourselves. We should make the things we can make most efficiently and trade with China for our shirts and shoes.

There are legitimate things to debate concerning international trade. Why is it cheaper to make clothes in China? Do we have too many business regulations in the U.S.A.? Are our corporate taxes too high? Are the Chinese workers underpaid? If so, would we help the Chinese people by refusing to do business with their country, or do we help them more by providing jobs that are better than what they would get otherwise? Do American workers receive enough in unemployment/welfare that they are unwilling to take low-paying jobs like manufacturing clothes?

If news shows want to cover Olympic uniforms, I wish they would deal with these questions. Continually running video clips about burning the uniforms is not news. It’s emotional hype, and I’ve had enough of it.