This Is Only The Beginning

The Epoch Times is reporting today that Ford Motor Company is suspending production in its manufacturing plant in Mexico’s Sonora state.

The article reports:

Ford had also suspended production from Oct. 11–12 at its Hermosillo plant, where it makes its Bronco Sport SUV and Maverick compact pickup.

The union did not specify which materials were in short supply, but other automakers have been struggling with a chip shortage as manufacturers shifted production toward parts needed for laptop computers, cellphones, and video games during the pandemic.

Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, Ford said it would suspend production at its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant and at parts of its Kansas City, Missouri, plant.

The global shortages, attacks on civil liberties, and attacks on small businesses are all part of “The Great Reset.”

In June 2020, The Hill posted an article about The Great Reset.

The article reported:

For decades, progressives have attempted to use climate change to justify liberal policy changes. But their latest attempt – a new proposal called the “Great Reset” – is the most ambitious and radical plan the world has seen in more than a generation.

At a virtual meeting earlier in June hosted by the World Economic Forum, some of the planet’s most powerful business leaders, government officials and activists announced a proposal to “reset” the global economy. Instead of traditional capitalism, the high-profile group said the world should adopt more socialistic policies, such as wealth taxes, additional regulations and massive Green New Deal-like government programs. 

“Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed,” wrote Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, in an article published on WEF’s website. “In short, we need a ‘Great Reset’ of capitalism.” 

This is where we are. America right now is the last real bastion of freedom. As Americans, we can defend that freedom and the economic freedom that comes with it or we can quietly give up our freedom and our prosperity. One of the arguments for The Great Reset is the idea that we can eliminate poverty by taking money from the wealthy (which never happens–the money always winds up coming from the middle class) and give it to the poor and thus end economic inequality. It doesn’t work that way. If you gave every person in America $50,000 and checked back with them six months later, their position in the economic spectrum would not have changed significantly. I believe someone has already done an experiment similar to that. The way to end poverty is to educate people and encourage them to work their way out of it. Until you teach a student that he can succeed if he is willing to work, all the poverty programs in the world will not make a difference.

Moving Our Supply Lines Out Of China

Yesterday The Epoch Times posted an article reporting that American companies are moving away from relying on China as a single supplier.

The article reports:

The U.S.–China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic have forced companies to reduce their excessive dependence on China as a single supplier.

U.S. brands have started to explore sourcing options closer to home, with Latin and South America gaining significant traction in recent months, according to a survey by Qima, a Hong Kong-based supply chain inspection company.

The survey conducted in July among more than 200 businesses around the world found that respondents are increasingly moving their sourcing away from China. Ninety-three percent of U.S. respondents reported that they had plans to further diversify their supply chains. Meanwhile, less than half of EU respondents had a similar strategy.

The article notes that China is rapidly losing ground as the primary supplier of goods in the world:

For example, 75 percent of respondents globally named China among the top 3 sourcing geographies this year, compared to an overwhelming 96 percent in 2019.

The article concludes:

President Donald Trump pledged to end U.S. reliance on China and bring back 1 million manufacturing jobs in his second term. He recently proposed providing tax credits and allowing “100 percent expensing deductions for essential industries like pharmaceuticals and robotics” to incentivize companies to produce in the United States.

Trump also signed an executive order on Aug. 6 to ensure that essential medicines, medical supplies, and equipment are made in the United States.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, also pledged to “bring back critical supply chains.” He promised to “bolster American industrial and technological strength and ensure the future is ‘made in all of America’ by all of America’s workers.”

In the past two decades, China has become a crucial global supplier. According to the United Nations, China accounts for nearly 20 percent of global trade in manufacturing intermediate products, up from 4 percent in 2002.

It is interesting that former Vice President Joe Biden has also pledged to “bring back critical supply chains” when the policies of the Obama administration sent manufacturing and product sourcing to China. I don’t know if that pledge represents an understanding of the mistakes made during the Obama administration or is simply a politically expedient platitude.