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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PP that is not a great analogy. A slave gets nothing but gried from slavery. The Chinese that you're talking about want to feed their families. But, I agree, better working conditions are a must.[/quote]

I don't think posters are really aware of the current working conditions in Chinese manufacturing. They are not without fault, but they are not slavery.  A lot has changed in recent years because the economy is improving and as a result, factories pay better and treat their workers better than they used to.

Here is an article from 2006 which explains what has happened in recent years and is even more true today than four years ago:  
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_13/b3977049.htm

Here is a more recent article about demand for labor in China.  It talks about signing bonuses for factory workers:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/business/global/27yuan.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1267279899-BX+KaWAzVmdp/DFKk1s+nA

This article describes how in some cases the cost of production/shipping from China is closing in on the costs of U.S. production:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Companies-brace-for-end-of-apf-2437567795.html?x=0

Chinese workers demanding higher pay are starting to strike, showing that labor has the leverage to negotiate now
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/business/global/23strike.html

It's not all wonderful there, there are some negative things. But wages have been growing between 10 and 20% per year since at least 2002, the time period I am familiar with.  And yes, wages are lower than the are here, but you can't get hung up on the absolute dollars.  China's currency does not float against the dollar.  You have to look at what it costs to rent an apartment, buy clothes and electronics, etc.

Things are not what they once were.  Global demand for Chinese products is not enslaving workers.  It is making them more prosperous.[/quote]

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