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This time I'll just post the story instead of speculating on the size of the Chinese condoms.

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Call it a condom conundrum.

At a time when the federal government is spending billions of stimulus dollars to stem the tide of U.S. layoffs, should that same government put even more Americans out of work by buying cheaper foreign products?

In this case, Chinese condoms.

That's the dilemma for the folks at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has distributed an estimated 10 billion U.S.-made AIDS-preventing condoms in poor countries around the world.

But not anymore.

In a move expected to cost 300 American jobs, the government is switching to cheaper off-shore condoms, including some made in China.

The switch comes despite implied assurances over the years that the agency would continue to buy American whenever possible.

"Of course, we considered how many U.S. jobs would be affected by this move,” said a USAID official who spoke on the condition that he would not be named. But he said the reasons for the change included lower prices (2 cents versus more than 5 cents for U.S.-made condoms) and the fact that Congress dropped “buy American language” in a recent appropriations bill.

Besides, he said, the sole U.S. supplier — an Alabama company called Alatech — had previous delivery problems under the program.

It's clear that Alatech's problems over the years, which apparently have been resolved, may have driven U.S. officials to seek much less expensive foreign-made condoms in the first place.

But that's cold comfort to Fannie Thomas, who has been making AIDS-preventing condoms in southeastern Alabama for nearly 40 years in the small town of Eufaula.

(more)
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quote:
Originally posted by blackacre:
Is today just "tempt blackacre day"???

Are you folks just TRYING to get me banned???

My "filter" used to work but lately I am having a hard time stopping it before it hits they keyboard. I take one afternoon off and it all gets out of hand.

Oh, the places we could go with this one...


I know the temptation is hard for you to resist... Big Grin
quote:
Originally posted by Sassy Kims:
quote:
That's the dilemma for the folks at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has distributed an estimated 10 billion U.S.-made AIDS-preventing condoms in poor countries around the world.



In light of this topic, perhaps they should be distributing them in Washington, D.C., as well as overseas...

D.C. HIV/AIDS Rate Surpasses Parts of Africa


;o) something tells me you would have to give away $20 bills with these condoms to get the folks in DC to even consider using them....

Kirk
I have tried not to comment on this topic, because it could become quite difficult to keep this PG. However, I can no longer be silent. Can you imagine what kind of damage could be done to both man and woman using China-manufactured goods on their "junk"??? Did anyone see the email that was circulating last summer regarding the horrible, blistering rash that people were experiencing on their feet, allegedly caused by some cheap imported flip flops? Oh, the mental images....
quote:
Originally posted by unclegus:
quote:
Originally posted by raising 2 girls:
The image of the resume for all these people just popped into my head. What would you put under the previous employment's job description and duties?? CONDOM MAKER. Guess that would definitely be an attention getter! LOL


I worked in testing and durability.



Big Grin
Does anyone else find it ironic that the country with the highest population rate in the world is trying to make condoms for the rest of the world? Let's hope the products for the foreigners work better than the ones used domestically.
BTW, weren't most of the Lifestyles brand condoms made in Dothan AL a few years ago? Are they not still made there?
Senator Sessions wrote USAID (The United States Agency for International Development) a letter last year saying it should purchase condoms from foreign producers only after it had bought all the condoms American companies could make, noting it was “extremely important to jobs in my state.”

*******************************

So buy them out and get them from somewhere else. I would think that Sen Sessions would want USAID to continue getting them from this state.
quote:
Originally posted by Sassy Kims:
quote:
That's the dilemma for the folks at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has distributed an estimated 10 billion U.S.-made AIDS-preventing condoms in poor countries around the world.



In light of this topic, perhaps they should be distributing them in Washington, D.C., as well as overseas...

D.C. HIV/AIDS Rate Surpasses Parts of Africa


My first thought about passing them out in D.C. was that's a great idea.

Maybe we could keep some of those politicians from reproducing.
quote:
Originally posted by unclegus:
quote:
Originally posted by raising 2 girls:
The image of the resume for all these people just popped into my head. What would you put under the previous employment's job description and duties?? CONDOM MAKER. Guess that would definitely be an attention getter! LOL


I worked in testing and durability.
ROFLMAO!

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