Stimulus? U.S. to buy Chinese condoms, ending Alabama jobs

[RamboLiberal]

Source: McClatchy News

Call it a condom conundrum.

At a time when the federal government is spending billions of stimulus dollars to stem the tide of U.S. layoffs, should that same government put even more Americans out of work by buying cheaper foreign products?

In this case, Chinese condoms.

That's the dilemma for the folks at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has distributed an estimated 10 billion U.S.-made AIDS-preventing condoms in poor countries around the world.

-----

In a move expected to cost 300 American jobs, the government is switching to cheaper off-shore condoms, including some made in China.


Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/64577.html

[CAcyclist]

1. Are the Chinese condoms going to work as well as the Chinese

drywall and the Chinese melamine-contaminated dog food, toothpaste and baby formula?

[christx30]

2. Looks like

we are going to need more of that chinese baby formula if everyone is going to be using Chinese made condoms

[morffin]

5. GOOD AND BAD

THE GOOD...THE LEAD WILL KEEP YOU STIFF FOR HOURS... THE BAD THEY ARE PROB. TOO SMALL.

[Uncle Joe]

10. The lead will protect your penis from radioactive contamination, not to mention

if the condoms are colored, Superman will not be able to see your John Thomas.

[Dr.Phool]

18. Like lead in your pencil!

[glinda]

26. they will be melamine coated

[Nihil]

61. ... thus making them hardwearing and washable?

:hide:

[liberal N proud]

3. And in a few months we will find that some process the Chinese use

is dangerous and will cause your penis to fall off and cause vaginal bleeding or something worse.

We just never stop learning that product safety is not something the Chinese worry about.

[No Elephants]

4. WTF? No, I REALLY mean it. WTF?

[GinaMaria]

6. Refuse to have sex with anyone who offers up a Chinese Condom

that's a boycot that will make an impact. Just Say No to condoms made in china. Seriously, what sort of damage are we willing willing to risk? Poison, chemicals, unclean conditions? Not on our woo woos and hoo has! Enough is enough. I draw the line at nads!

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. And how will we know they are made in China?

:shrug:

[GinaMaria]

11. "show me the label"

:shrug:

[ogneopasno]

17. Trojans are labeled "Made in USA." Other condoms have labels, too.

[Occam Bandage]

19. These condoms are for AIDS prevention in Africa. nt

[No Elephants]

51. Oh, great. Condoms of death, brought to you by the USA. Which genius is behind this one?

[No Elephants]

50. Lysistrata, is that you?

[acmavm]

7. Puts a new slant on being screwed by our government (and the

Chinese)

[Mrs. Overall]

9. Better to have melamine in a condom than in an Oreo, I suppose.

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

12. A billion Chinese can't be wrong.........Oh, wait.....................

[HopeHoops]

14. Do the math?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[blueworld]

29. I was thinking the same thing

Thanks for the extra laugh - some days I think Comedy Central is running the government. :rofl:

[sellitman]

40. Best reply.....EVER!!!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[No Elephants]

56. LOL!

[NorthCarolina]

13. The Good News is...all American's will now be able to use the Magnum Size

just kidding...... :yoiks:

[Pharlo]

15. Well,

from what I have read, the Chinese Zero Population Growth plan was far more successful than the Abstinence Only plan. Who's to say it part of that success wasn't due to high quality condoms?

Talk about irony.......Condom factories in an 'abstinence only' proponent state.

[christx30]

48. Because the abstinance only

plan doesn't involve the police kicking down the door and killing the children and holding you for days for questioning.

[No Elephants]

57. Chinese Zero Population, however, was helped by parents murdering their female babies, though. And

weren't there stiff penalties (no pun intended) for having more than one child?

[christx30]

59. I guess you can do a lot

when you introduce the fear of death in the citizenry.

[ogneopasno]

16. Good thing those small-government types insist on low-bid requirements for government contracts!

And yeah, those made-in-USA requirements will TOTALLY hurt business in the U.S.! Way to keep it real, guys!

[Lorien]

62. The same people who love Wal-Mart

go figure!

[AngryOldDem]

20. Look for another baby boom here in the very near future.

This is just bullshit.

[Occam Bandage]

21. Did anyone in this thread read past the headline?

These aren't going to America. These are for AIDS-reduction projects in Africa, and USAID has found they're identically effective in its own tests.

[road2000]

22. That's a good point.

It's fine that they're effective and are going for AIDS reduction. My concern is that 300 Alabamians in Eufala will be out of work.

[bgr1938]

23. trust

can usaid be trust?

[Dogmudgeon]

24. Chinese condoms are unfulfilling. An hour after you have sex, you're horny again.

Thank you, thank you, you've been a lovely audience. Make sure to tip your waitresses and bartenders generously.

--d!

[harmonicon]

25. way to go, morons.

[robinlynne]

27. oh that's smart. I won't put chinese products in my mouth, much less......

[eridani]

28. Oh, fuck. I suppose they come with melamine n/t

[damntexdem]

30. Maybe they're more stimulating.

;-)

[undeterred]

49. They're probably small and very scientific looking.

:hide:

[Ganja Ninja]

31. The more people we put out of work the more people that will eventually

be put out of work. It's a cycle. Lay off 10 people and watch another 3 or 4 people in completely unrelated jobs get laid off. We use to be able to see this simple logic. Apparently we can't anymore.

[tomm2thumbs]

32. maybe they weren't making them as well in Alabama

I donated repeatedly to the Obama campaign during the election. I even got some 'donate and get a shirt' Obama shirts. Cool. They were made and printed in America.

They were also printed crooked and entirely NOT even centered on the front panel. Should tell you something.

So much for 'Buy American'.

[progressoid]

33. Cheaper by 3 cents per condom

"Of course, we considered how many U.S. jobs would be affected by this move,” said a USAID official who spoke on the condition that he would not be named. But he said the reasons for the change included lower prices (2 cents versus more than 5 cents for U.S.-made condoms) and the fact that Congress dropped “buy American language” in a recent appropriations bill.

Besides, he said, the sole U.S. supplier — an Alabama company called Alatech — had previous delivery problems under the program.

It's clear that Alatech's problems over the years, which apparently have been resolved, may have driven U.S. officials to seek much less expensive foreign-made condoms in the first place.

But that's cold comfort to Fannie Thomas, who has been making AIDS-preventing condoms in southeastern Alabama for nearly 40 years in the small town of Eufaula.

“We pay taxes down here, too, and with all this stimulus money going to save jobs, it seems to me like they (the U.S. government) should share this contract so they can save jobs here in America,” Thomas said.

...

[No Elephants]

55. If Alatech had delivery problems, give it to another American company, you fools. Three cents that

stays in America, vs. two cents that goes to China? Are you kidding me? It's not even a close case.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. as a matter of fact...

The story says:
"the sole U.S. supplier — an Alabama company called Alatech — had previous delivery problems under the program.
It's clear that Alatech's problems over the years, which apparently have been resolved, may have driven U.S. officials to seek much less expensive foreign-made condoms in the first place."


BUT...

Gov. is outsourcing to TWO places:

"In fact, the government is close to accepting condoms from two offshore companies: Unidus Corp., which makes condoms in South Korea, and Qingdao Double Butterfly Group, which makes them in China."

[No Elephants]

52. American products are great for America and Americans., even if your T-Shirt came

from a faulty run. Typically, the vendor would have caught that and the manufacturer would have done another run. But a campaign is not a typical vendor.

Better that you would have returned them to the Obama campaign for an exchange than post something like this. And at least an off-center T shirt doesn't poison you or your offspring.

[avaistheone1]

35. Our government 's stupidity continues...

I thought we had a regime change here.

[Deja Q]

46. Population control; my verdict, FWIW, is still out on this issue

[SoCalDem]

36. Chinese condoms..

[WCGreen]

37. I hope they don't perform like those Chinese finger traps...

[No Elephants]

53. Good one, WC!

[w4rma]

38. This BS is pissing me off. I would expect this from a Republican administration, but not a

Democratic administration.

[Bozita]

39. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby said UAW workers are overpaid and need their contracts restructured.

Fuck you, Shelby, ... with a Chinese condom.

Maybe Alabama workers should simply work for the same wages as Chinese condom workers.

Shelbian economics at its finest.

[No Elephants]

54. I hope he is up for re-election VERY soon.

[sui generis]

41. You get eggroll with Chinese condom

awesome. Ours only have latex and lube. Theirs have lead and arsenic and melamine and mould - no charge for extra!

[depakid]

42. Alabama makes condoms?

Who'd have thunk it?

[cosmicone]

58. Only for lawfully wedded people of course n/t

[truthisfreedom]

43. Something tells me this is not going to end well.

[Acadia Blue]

44. This is crazy. Stimulus? They are trying to destroy American workers.

[BeatleBoot]

45. Since Senator Shelby prefers Foreign Automobiles to U.S. Autos

I got some crocodile tears, here.

[Joe Bacon]

47. 2 hours later. you're horny again????

Shame shame shame....

[carlyhippy]

60. LOL!

Carly