Editorial: Sending jobs overseas makes little sense for feds

By: Staff report | Opelika Auburn News
Published: March 26, 2009

The government has a plan to aid unemployment. The government has a plan to stimulate the economy. The government has a plan …

Then why in the world would our very own federal government take what could be 300 jobs away from American workers and give them to workers in China? Last we checked, Americans pay taxes to the federal government, while the Chinese do not supplement our national bank account, well, other than the fact that over the past few years we have been operating our government on money borrowed from the Chinese and most of the zeroes in our ever-increasing national debt is owed to them.

It has been reported that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will take production of condoms from a Eufaula plant, Alatech Healthcare, and send this work overseas, including possibly China. Why? Money. A story in the Kansas City Star reported that USAID will have an opportunity to get the condoms for 2 cents per unit rather than the current price of 5 cents per unit.

Yes, the federal government is taking measures to pinch pennies. But how is putting people out of work and giving more jobs to people overseas helping the American economy? It isn’t. The government will still have to fork over unemployment wages to the lost workers and pay the overseas company for the condoms.

But we don’t believe selling out a loyal, productive, high-quality American plant that employs high-quality American people to an overseas company sends the right message from our federal government.

According to its Web site, Alatech produces one billion condoms each year and is the “exclusive American supplier to USAID.” The company also claims that it produces the “highest-quality condom product in the world,” to meet USAID specifications.

The condoms are then distributed again outside the United States as part of an AIDS prevention program in poor countries. Granted, preventing a killer disease is a worthy cause. But instead of spending those dollars at home, the feds choose to help foreign economies, then help prevent AIDS outside of our borders.

If our own government supports programs such as these, then it certainly has lost its focus on helping its very own people. Just who is the federal government serving here? Not the American worker it’s designed to protect.