It's too bad BD joined the ranks. But I suppose their stance is that the climbing world is growing globally as is every other market so why not outsource? Problem is, that labor force and manufacturing cost is going to support a country that you don't live in.

I believe anyone seriously interested in the reinvestment of the dollar back into the national economy should inform themselves of companies who manufacture in the US and choose to support them. The problem is, this grossly limits our choices during the consumer process. You only have to start looking at labels to get an idea of how minimal the production of US goods is on US soil. The real issue is that no one wants to sacrifice their lifestyle (however minimally) for the sake of saving a few extra coins to purchase US made products. Shave off some extraneous expenditures and you'll find yourself with the few extra dollars needed to conciously support this country's economy. It's simple economics, not a finger pointing "us good guy-them bad guy" political agenda.

I still haven't found a site without a patriotic tune playing in the background that supports my way of seeing the issue, post one if you've got one.

it'd be somewhat better if BD could keep all camalot manufacturing in the USA. It's practically their signature product. They can get their greedy larger profit margins via reducing labor costs on all the other non-Camalot products in their ever expanding product line. Hell they have other ways of fattening up the bottom line- like increasing their stake in government sales (read: war profiteering- not just US gov'ts)

Moving C3 & C4 production to China really further cheapens camalots as well as the BD brand. I am not the only person to feel this way.

It's true that America in general does spend beyond its means. It is usually a matter of people being ignorant. If you've ever gone through the process of buying a house, it generally seems that loan institutions are interested in making the most profit, and thus home buyers believe that they can afford something they can't...(house poor). Financial institutions should loose their shirts for lending to people who obviously can't afford it...(huge increase in home loan default). The reason banks have managed to stay afloat through this is by selling their loans to foreign investments.
The median income is increasing...but so is inflation. Also, the middle class is shrinking, and the lower class is growing faster then the upper class...this is a fact. I don't want to sound like a pinko, but i feel that businesses should have the slightest bit of social responsibility, and the government should enforce that..i don't know how, and there is always the slippery slope argument.
In a perfect world we would all have the same opportunities and education, but that isn't so. What is the line between social responsibility and personal responsibility.

I doubt very highly if BD was on the verge of financial ruin because of their US based cam production...hell they make most of their money off their soft goods..i.e. china-made-crap. They are sellout punks, i don't know if they deserve a bitch slap or a karate chop.
I wish i didn't like their stuff so much...

haha, i completely agree with you that BD didn't need to outsource to save their penny-pinching arses. many companies, however, do, especially to compete with foreign companies. i also agree that there is certainly a predatory aspect to many lenders, which sickens me. "payday quickie loans!" for example. still, no one's forcing anyone to take these loans.

in the 2000s inflation has averaged 2% each year, while our GDP has increased at an average of 2.6% each year. this results in a real increase in economic output comparable to most industrialized countries. it is true that the lower class has grown much faster than the upper class, but this has always been true. also, people have been saying the middle class is shrinking since the industrial revolution. i cannot say whether this is true today because there is not really a definitive answer for what constitutes lower, middle, or upper class. it might be true, but i have never seen any conclusive evidence either way. personally i believe that the middle class appears smaller by comparison because the lower class is growing much faster than the middle and upper classes can possibly match. this is not due to people from the middle class slipping into poverty so much as that there are more people being born into lower-class homes today than ever before.

it turns out i was wrong when i said the median income is increasing at a rate comparable to the 1990s; the real median income has increased only slightly since 2000. note that this is real median income, so inflation is taken into account.

anyway that's all kind of off-topic. as far as outsourcing is concerned there is indeed a solution that is a far better fix than placing an artificial restraint on the free market, but i think that solution involves changing our culture as much as it involves changing our economy.

great points tony. more often than not a company will outsource due to necessity as opposed to greed. even outsourcing that appears greedy often has an element of necessity in it. how is a company in the US supposed to compete with a company in, say, france that can hire 10 chinese workers for the cost of one american worker then sell their product for half the cost of the US company's product? just like tony said, they'll either go out of business or pack up and move to a country where they can actually produce a competitive product.

i believe the cause of this is the belief that it's OK to tax the heck out of companies and people who invest in those companies. what do you guys think?

i believe the cause of this is the belief that it's OK to tax the heck out of companies and people who invest in those companies. what do you guys think?


I don't like taxes...who does? I would like more control over where my tax dollars go. What about removing the income tax, and increasing sales tax. That would eliminate some of peoples urge for buying useless crap. Want to live in a 9,000 square foot house for you and your wife...great!..just send a check.
Lets make it more profitable to do business here. Lets use American ingenuity to find away to be competitive with foreign made products. America's biggest car maker is Toyota?...why?..Because it is cheaper to send over parts to be assembled here. Lets make foreign companies work a little harder to sell goods here.

Thanks for listening to my soap box.

cool, another advocate for eliminating the income tax and replacing it with a flat sales tax.

i agree with you luke, we need to do exactly what you said. instead of condemning american companies for outsourcing let's find out why they're doing it and fix the problem by eliminating the need for them to outsource. just like with crime, you can condemn the individual for breaking the law but the only sure way to reduce crime in a general sense is to eliminate the need. similarly, the only sure way to eliminate outsourcing is to make it more profitable to keep jobs here in the states.

EDIT:
caughtinside i think we are essentially saying the same thing (in my previous post), i'm sorry if i wasn't clear.

Just a general comment - pick the gear you like, that makes the most sense to you, that appeals to your climbing style, or technical knowhow, take reviews with a pinch of salt, and don't worry if they're not manufactured in the US. IMHO the best gear is being hot forged in a little town in Wales...but hey I'm biased.

I'm sure if the owners of the company in Wales pull up stakes and start hot forging in China next week, there would be some unhappy British climbers and some Brits w/out a job.
Merry Christmas!

Just received a Chinese made .75 camalot in anticipation of the creek season. Thought I was doing my part to "boost" the US economy by spending recklessly, oops. Guess I'll keep being a commie... and Happy Chinese New Year everyone.

I remember getting those Chouinard Catalogs saying that camming devices were a waste of time, and that Hexes could go anywhere a Friend could. Amazing how they've changed their tune - economics I guess.