Congressional 'Leaders' Up In Arms About US Olympic Uniforms

[Kathianne]

Granted, it would be good if they were made in USA, but how dare politicians be so bombastic!

http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-want-made-china-u-olympic-uniforms-burned-174456466--abc-news-politics.html


Lawmakers Want 'Made in China' U.S. Olympic Uniforms Burnedhttp://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/tfXuOGOB82RMR5spD1eOQw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9Zml0O2g9MjM-/http://l.yimg.com/os/590/2011/10/20/RR-logo_003910.png (http://abcnews.go.com/)<cite id="yui_3_5_1_22_1342129799632_404" class="byline vcard">By Sunlen Miller | ABC News

</cite> Lawmakers were outraged Thursday after an ABC World News report revealed (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/team-usa-to-be-decked-out-in-uniforms-made-in-china/)that the U.S. Olympic team's opening ceremony outfits are made in China. Some suggested making a bonfire with the outfits, which include berets and blazers.
"I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said when asked by ABC News today, "If they have to wear nothing but a symbol that says USA on it, painted by hand, that is what they should wear."
Team USA will be marching into the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony wearing Ralph Lauren blazers and berets, (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/for-usa-olympians-its-berets-and-blazers-again/) much as they did four years ago when Lauren dressed them. ABC's Sharyn Alfonsi reported Wednesday evening (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/team-usa-to-be-decked-out-in-uniforms-made-in-china/) that every clothing item that the U.S. athletes will be wearing at the opening ceremony in London will carry an overseas label.


Reid said today that the U.S. Olympic committee should be "ashamed of themselves," and "embarrassed," that the items were made in China, especially with people in the textile industry in America who are looking for jobs.


The Congressional reaction on Capitol Hill today extended to both houses and both parties.


"You'd think they know better," Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-OH., said in response to a question from ABC News today.


House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that since the Olympic athletes represent the very best in America they should be wearing uniforms made in America.


"They work so hard. They represent the very best, and they're so excellent. It's all so beautiful. And they should be wearing uniforms that are made in America."


Already there is a movement on Capitol Hill to make changes so this does not happen again at future Olympic Games. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., wrote a letter Thursday morning to the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Lawrence Probst, calling this revelation "shocking and deeply disappointing" and asking all U.S. team's uniforms be made in America in the future.


"We are asking that the Committee and its Board of Directors take immediate steps to guarantee that this embarrassment does not happen again by voting that any future contracts for Olympic uniforms are made in America," Gillibrand and Israel write in their letter, "This would ensure that U.S. Olympians are supporting American jobs. As American fans cheer for our Olympians, we should also be cheering for the American manufacturers and laborers reflected in the red, white and blue on their uniforms."


Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH., who has legislation pending in Congress to strengthen "Buy America" provisions for federal tax dollars also sent a letter to U.S. Olympic Committee today calling for the group to scrap this year's uniforms and find a domestic manufacturer to remake them.


"The USOC holds its athletes to a high moral and ethical standard, and has a no tolerance policy for cheating or violating rules," Sen. Brown writes in his letter to Chairman Probst, "But China continues to cheat when it comes to international trade. As we work to achieve a level playing field for American manufacturers and workers, the USOC should act immediately to find a domestic manufacturer for this year's uniforms."


Brown calls for the USOC to enact policies to ensure that America's athletes wear only clothing that is Made-in-America in the next 2014 games.


ABC News reached out to Ralph Lauren and the U.S. Olympic Committee Wednesday and asked why American-made clothing had not been selected for the athletes. The committee responded with a statement: "The U.S. Olympic team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors. We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company."





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Olympic_Committee



<caption class="" style="">United States Olympic Committee</caption> <tbody>
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/USOlympicLogo.png/125px-USOlympicLogo.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USOlympicLogo.png)
United States Olympic Committee logo


National Olympic Committee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Olympic_Committee)


Country
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States)


Code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IOC_country_codes)
USA


Recognized
1894


Continental
Association
PASO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_Sports_Organisation)


Headquarters
Colorado Springs, Colorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado)


Website
www.teamusa.org (http://www.teamusa.org/)




v (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_National_Olympic_Committee)
t (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_National_Olympic_Committee)
e (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_National_Olympic_ Committee&action=edit)




</tbody>

<caption class="" style="">U.S. Paralympics
a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee</caption> <tbody>
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/06/USParalympicLogo.png/125px-USParalympicLogo.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USParalympicLogo.png)
U.S. Paralympics
a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee logo


National Paralympic Committee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Paralympic_Committee)


Country
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States)


Code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IOC_country_codes)
USA


Recognized
2001


Continental
Association
APC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas_Paralympic_Committee)


Headquarters
Colorado Springs, Colorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado)


Website
http://usparalympics.org/




v (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_National_Paralympic_Committee)
t (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_National_Paralympic_Committe e)
e (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_National_Paralymp ic_Committee&action=edit)




</tbody>
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/US_Olympic_Committee_Headquarters_by_David_Shankbo ne.jpg/250px-US_Olympic_Committee_Headquarters_by_David_Shankbo ne.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Olympic_Committee_Headquarters_by_David_Sh ankbone.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.20wmf6/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Olympic_Committee_Headquarters_by_David_Sh ankbone.jpg)
U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado).


The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is a non-profit organization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_organization) that serves as the National Olympic Committee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Olympic_Committee) (NOC) and National Paralympic Committee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Paralympic_Committee) (NPC)[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Olympic_Committee#cite_note-0) for the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Anti-Doping_Agency) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Anti-Doping_Agency) and various international sports federations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_sport_federations). Under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Stevens_Olympic_and_Amateur_Sports_Act), the Committee is chartered (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_charter) under Title 36 of the United States Code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_36_of_the_United_States_Code). Despite this federal mandate it receives no continuous financial assistance from the U.S. government. As a non-profit organization it competes with other charities for private contributions.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Olympic_Committee#cite_note-1)

[aboutime]

Hypocrisy in Politics?

Imagine that. Harry Reid and the Democrats have been raising the taxes on small, and large businesses, corporations, and Americans. And now. They are claiming the Chinese should not be making Uniforms for the Olympics?

If the price to manufacture those uniforms wasn't so HIGH here at home. They would have been made in the USA.
So now. Harry Reid, and the other Hypocrites in Congress are complaining about something they CAUSED?

Harry Reid is a SCUM BAG, and Ineligible to be a Dog Catcher. But rather, fully qualified to be a POOPER SCOOPER to clean up after all of the CRAP Obama and Pelosi have left laying on the floor.

[Roo]

Harry Reid is my Ex's Cousin, his own family calls him "pinky" because he such an idiot.

His mom and dad were working class good people.

[aboutime]

Harry Reid is my Ex's Cousin, his own family calls him "pinky" because he such an idiot.

His mom and dad were working class good people.

I wouldn't tell too many people about that if I were you.

Nobody knew what Hitler's parents were like, and they were probably working class, good people too!

Not that Harry Reid is, by any means. As smart as Hitler. That would be a major insult to the Fuerer.

[Roo]

I wouldn't tell too many people about that if I were you.

Nobody knew what Hitler's parents were like, and they were probably working class, good people too!

Not that Harry Reid is, by any means. As smart as Hitler. That would be a major insult to the Fuerer.

I spent a fair amount of time with them , Harry senior was retired by the timeI met him, his mother Treva was a nurse...and my Father in Laws Sister...Harry whom I have never met makes me ill.

[aboutime]

I spent a fair amount of time with them , Harry senior was retired by the timeI met him, his mother Treva was a nurse...and my Father in Laws Sister...Harry whom I have never met makes me ill.

You know him and it makes you ill. Just imagine how ill he makes most of us out here. Wishing he would just fall into a hole. But then Nancy Pelosi DOES close her mouth...occasionally.

[Dilloduck]

Our congressmen obviously need to learn to use a needle and thread. Are they aware that products don't magically appear in America if an American isn't paid to make them ?
They may as well live on Mars.

[mundame]

This is just crazy.

Everyone else in America uses Chinese-made products CONSTANTLY. Half the stuff in our houses is made in China.

And it's the best quality of all the imports.

So why shouldn't the American uniforms for the Olympics be made in China? Everything else is.

This is exactly HOW they own so much of our treasury bonds: we owe them for goods bought on credit. Or at least, we buy the goods, they buy the bonds so we can afford it all.

We don't make anything anymore, it's called globalization, we have to get used to it.

[fj1200]

We don't make anything anymore, it's called globalization, we have to get used to it.

Yes we do. We just don't make cheap crap by labor at a buck-50 an hour.

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?&id=INDPRO&scale=Left&range=Max&cosd=1919-01-01&coed=2012-05-01&line_color=%230000ff&link_values=false&line_style=Solid&mark_type=NONE&mw=4&lw=1&ost=-99999&oet=99999&mma=0&fml=a&fq=Monthly&fam=avg&fgst=lin&transformation=lin&vintage_date=2012-07-13&revision_date=2012-07-13