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U.S. leaders of industry along with our political establishment have undermined American security by outsourcing the production of critical resources to an auth

by jtdev 7y ago

U.S. leaders of industry along with our political establishment have undermined American security by outsourcing the production of critical resources to an authoritarian, communist nation (China). It’s high time we wake up and hold these people accountable.

makomk 7y ago
This. Something ridiculous like 95% of surgical masks and 75% of N95 masks are normally imported from China, because theirs were slightly cheaper. Almost all of them have been diverted to domestic use. Now the US, with almost no manufacturing capabilities, has doctors and nurses who are forced to use dubious improvised masks whilst China increases its international influence by selling a small fraction of its output at inflated prices to desperate countries in Europe. I've seen a load of dumb takes on social media blaming this on a lack of "leadership and competent diplomacy", but having a leader who grasps the diplomatic advantage of doing this is no good if your country can't make the damn masks in the first place.
- wbl 7y ago
  3M is in Minnesota. There was no effort to make more masks in the months we had. This is entirely a failure of government at all levels.
  - makomk 7y ago
    3M and the various US surgical mask manufacturers have been ramping up production since, if I remember rightly, January, but that's not enough to cope with even the normal demand for them let alone the extra supplies needed due to the coronavirus.
    - wbl 7y ago
      With the Feds helping and mandating setup of new lines and paying for them so much more could have happened.
    - jtdev 7y ago
      There’s zero evidence that I can find showing that a single N95 mask is actually currently manufactured in the U.S. Quote from a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal article related to the mask manufacturing ramp up at 3M for COVID19: “‘We're seeing increased demand for our respiratory protection products, and we're ramping up our production worldwide, in China, around the world to meet that demand.’ (Mike Roman, 3M CEO)” [0] Nothing about that statement gives me any confidence that a single 3M N95 mask is produced in the U.S. In fact, it sounds downright evasive to me. [0] https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-china-business-was-sluggish-coronavirus-could.html https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-c...
  - jtdev 7y ago
    Does 3M actually manufacture masks in Minnesota, or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter? Or do they simply buy masks from a white-labeler overseas?
    - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
      From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M -: 3M's general offices, corporate research laboratories, and some division laboratories in the US are in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the United States, 3M operates 80 manufacturing facilities in 29 states, and 125 manufacturing and converting facilities in 37 countries outside the US (in 2017).[66] I don’t believe 3M would buy white-label products, they employ several hundred research scientists and have invented countless original products / innovations.
      - jtdev 7y ago
        Quote from a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal article related to the mask manufacturing ramp up at 3M for COVID19: “‘We're seeing increased demand for our respiratory protection products, and we're ramping up our production worldwide, in China, around the world to meet that demand.’ (Mike Roman, 3M CEO)” [0] Nothing about that statement gives me any confidence that a single 3M N95 mask is produced in the U.S. In fact, it sounds downright evasive to me. [0] https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-china-business-was-sluggish-coronavirus-could.html https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-c...
        TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
        Yes, sorry, my previous respond didn’t answer your question. I agree, you’d think if they were producing masks in the US they would make that clear.
- fspeech 7y ago
  China has ramped up production by 12 fold in February alone. Even exporting a small portion of it would exceed their normal export volume.
nikofeyn 7y ago
maybe it's time for you to realize that an authoritarian capitalist state is no better.

by jtdev 7y ago

makomk 7y ago

This. Something ridiculous like 95% of surgical masks and 75% of N95 masks are normally imported from China, because theirs were slightly cheaper. Almost all of them have been diverted to domestic use. Now the US, with almost no manufacturing capabilities, has doctors and nurses who are forced to use dubious improvised masks whilst China increases its international influence by selling a small fraction of its output at inflated prices to desperate countries in Europe. I've seen a load of dumb takes on social media blaming this on a lack of "leadership and competent diplomacy", but having a leader who grasps the diplomatic advantage of doing this is no good if your country can't make the damn masks in the first place.

wbl 7y ago
3M is in Minnesota. There was no effort to make more masks in the months we had. This is entirely a failure of government at all levels.
- makomk 7y ago
  3M and the various US surgical mask manufacturers have been ramping up production since, if I remember rightly, January, but that's not enough to cope with even the normal demand for them let alone the extra supplies needed due to the coronavirus.
  - wbl 7y ago
    With the Feds helping and mandating setup of new lines and paying for them so much more could have happened.
  - jtdev 7y ago
    There’s zero evidence that I can find showing that a single N95 mask is actually currently manufactured in the U.S. Quote from a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal article related to the mask manufacturing ramp up at 3M for COVID19: “‘We're seeing increased demand for our respiratory protection products, and we're ramping up our production worldwide, in China, around the world to meet that demand.’ (Mike Roman, 3M CEO)” [0] Nothing about that statement gives me any confidence that a single 3M N95 mask is produced in the U.S. In fact, it sounds downright evasive to me. [0] https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-china-business-was-sluggish-coronavirus-could.html https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-c...
- jtdev 7y ago
  Does 3M actually manufacture masks in Minnesota, or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter? Or do they simply buy masks from a white-labeler overseas?
  - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
    From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M -: 3M's general offices, corporate research laboratories, and some division laboratories in the US are in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the United States, 3M operates 80 manufacturing facilities in 29 states, and 125 manufacturing and converting facilities in 37 countries outside the US (in 2017).[66] I don’t believe 3M would buy white-label products, they employ several hundred research scientists and have invented countless original products / innovations.
    - jtdev 7y ago
      Quote from a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal article related to the mask manufacturing ramp up at 3M for COVID19: “‘We're seeing increased demand for our respiratory protection products, and we're ramping up our production worldwide, in China, around the world to meet that demand.’ (Mike Roman, 3M CEO)” [0] Nothing about that statement gives me any confidence that a single 3M N95 mask is produced in the U.S. In fact, it sounds downright evasive to me. [0] https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-china-business-was-sluggish-coronavirus-could.html https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/01/29/3ms-c...
      - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
        Yes, sorry, my previous respond didn’t answer your question. I agree, you’d think if they were producing masks in the US they would make that clear.
fspeech 7y ago
China has ramped up production by 12 fold in February alone. Even exporting a small portion of it would exceed their normal export volume.

nikofeyn 7y ago

maybe it's time for you to realize that an authoritarian capitalist state is no better.