Now I know that for the majority of us imported goods is a touchy subject. most of us had just rather not own them. but the truth is that you would be missing out on a lot of good items out there if it were not for the imports. for example.... nearly every major brand of wide screen TV on the market is an imported TV. most all of your appliances are imported. even the famous Harley Davidson Motorcycle which has always boasted that it is made in america can honestly no longer make that claim. they might be assembled in the U.S.A. but many of the parts used are being imported from Japan. now the truth is this. it is america that has caused this onslaught on imported items to flood our market. while we might maintain headquarters for most of our major companies here in the states, we have moved our production facilitys overseas so that we can take advantage of the ability to pay lower wages for the work being performed than we pay here in the states. now dont get me wrong, the pay these workers are getting is fair. the difference is that our american dollar is worth more than the monetary systems used in these countries. the folks working overseas whether they be american or native to that country get paid with that countrys money. and while it takes more of it to equal our dollar, it is a lot those folks. the fact is that while the product you are using is most likely imported (even your computer) it could be being made by americans working in overseas production plants. and frankly, I have seen very little wrong with the quality of the merchandise being imported. lets blame this one on ourselves america. we send our jobs overseas and in some cases give immigrants better oppurtunitys than we do ourselves. so before you turn your nose up at that pocket knife that was made in china, compare the quality and you won't find anything different about than if it had been made on american soil in a facility that is being operated by foreigners or immigrants.