By Ray Cardello for July 28, 2025, Season 32 / Post 10

Some countries are not allies of America, but we can still have a relationship with them. Some say Russia is our greatest geopolitical threat, but we still purchase its valuable rare earths. It defies logic that we would support and arm Ukraine while they are at war with Russia, and then negotiate for rare earth minerals from the evil empire. There is one thing you will never see as you browse your local department store: Made in Russia! Besides vodka and caviar, I cannot tell you a single export from Russia that would end up on American store shelves. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for China. It is nearly impossible to pick up anything in your local Target or Walmart that is not labeled “Made in China.” We have foolishly put ourselves in a dependent position when it comes to everything from toys to over-the-counter medication. It is probably our biggest mistake of the 20th century, proving very difficult to reverse in the 21st century. That is the sad reality for consumer products, but what is happening behind the scenes puts us in a very dire situation with our greatest foe on the planet.

Over the last 50 years, we have watched an endless parade of American companies abandon their American workers for the slave-labor wages and ready-made distribution network afforded them in the People’s Republic of China. We used to be proud of the “Made in the USA” label, but the large profit margins of “Made in China” trumped patriotism. Slowly and methodically, we saw the factories where essential goods like prescription medications, computer chips, and even processed foods were closed in the United States, only to be reopened in China. When China exported the COVID-19 Virus to the United States and the rest of the world and interrupted distribution channels, we learned the extent of our mistake. We were now beholden to our biggest foe for mere existence. But wait, it gets worse.

In addition to filling our shopping baskets with cheap products, China stole our intellectual property while we were engrossed in Blue Light specials. While many were getting addicted to TikTok, China was manipulating the minds of our younger generation and stealing personal information. Right under our noses in rural America, the Chinese cartel was buying abandoned properties and converting them into illegal pot farms and havens for sex and human trafficking. There are nearly 300 such operations in central Maine. A Chinese millionaire is attempting to buy the Pennichuck Water Works, which supplies fresh water to most of southern New Hampshire. What better way to impact a population than through their drinking water? And then the worst offense of all, the killing of hundreds of thousands of our 18-40 year old Americans with Fentanyl made in China, processed in Mexico, and polluting everyday medications taken by unsuspecting Americans. We know all these things to be true, but we do little to change the narrative. We are weak and feckless when we should be firm and retaliatory. Heck, we may eventually learn that the Joe Biden Auto-Pen carried the “Made in China” moniker.