Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Taking on the Smithsonian for selling Chinese-made statuettes -- of our Founding Fathers

The Teamsters' good friend Bernie Sanders wants to know why the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is selling statuettes of our Founding Fathers that were made in China.

(TeamsterNation notes that the protectionist Founding Fathers are probably rolling over in their graves right now.)

Vermont's independent senator was shopping at the museum when he noticed the origin of some of the statuettes, according to the Washington Post. So Sanders wrote a letter to the museum's director, saying,
It appears that a museum owned by the people of the United States, celebrating the history of the United States, cannot find companies in this country employing American workers that are able to manufacture statues of our founding fathers, or our current president. That is pretty pathetic! I was not aware that the collapse of our manufacturing base had gone that far.
The museum store's policy of selling goods made overseas is now under review, reports the Post.

If only Sen. Sanders could get American workers (instead of Chinese workers) to build the Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall.