The Problem with DHS's Plan to 'Buy American'

An anonymous reader points out a Cnet report on the Homeland Security Authorization Act, which would require that more than 50 percent of the components in any end product bought by the Department of Homeland Security be produced or manufactured in the U.S., writing "The Pentagon has agreements with 21 countries that waive the act, but an amendment that just passed the House would prevent the DHS from waiving the 'Buy American' restrictions. "The president of the Information Technology Association of America observed that this means the DHS may 'have to learn to do without computers and cell phones,' since he could not think of any manufacturers of those devices that would meet the 50% threshold."

Comments

Re:The problem really is

[Sheetrock]

Actually, the scam is that free trade is supposed to work to the benefit of both countries but in many ways works to the benefit of neither, particularly in the long run.

Funny?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is +5, Insightful. Not funny at all.

Re:Capitalisam = Human Destruction

[Stormwatch]

Yes, tovarisch! We must abandon the evil ways of capitalism, and follow into the glorious age when all the world will prosper and live peacefully, just like Cuba and North Korea!

Oh, wait...

[[ PLEASE INSERT "IN SOVIET RUSSIA" JOKE HERE ]]

Are those lost jobs even worth having?

[LordZardoz]

If your going to live in a capitolist socieity, you have to be aware that this sort of thing can happen. You cannot tie your personal prosperity, or the prosperity of that nation, to jobs that will be undercut.

So the textile and clothing industry has locally gone to shit. Either you find a way to stay competitive, or you tighten your belt, suck it up, and work at Walmart. You you retrain for a job that cannot be out sourced. Or you find a tall building and take the quickest possible route to the side walk.

If the work is simple enough that it requires little to no skill, or can be taught on the job, its not a job worth keeping. It sucks if its the only job you are qualified to do, I suppose. And I suppose that such a job is better then nothing.

Bemoaning the loss of a job you would never choose to yourself is just stupid in any event. Worry about your own bottom line. Unless you worked at the textile plant and now work at walmart, what cause have you to complain?

END COMMUNICATION

Re:Damned if you do, Damned if you don't.

[torpor]

I figure that the only reason Bush used the WMD argument for going into Iraq was because that was what the Europeans would go for. I figure that we went in because it was a humanitarian nightmare, we had forces tied up just guarding the border, he was flaunting the sanctions, the oil for food program was a joke because of all the corruption, and Bush didn't want another Cuba hanging around for decades.

ermm.. it would be nice if he told the truth, just once, before killing 100,000 people, about why it is important for him to kill 100,000 people.

that american's can't take any responsibility, whatsoever, for their government, is the reason their government is so atrociously out of control in the first place ..