Thanks for clearing up the corporate view and how things work over there with Apple manufacturing but let's get back to big picture.

Any country in Asia, the middle east or Africa that doesn't meet or exceed America's labor laws shouldn't qualify for importing product into America. I get that's why it's so cheap and I get that my stupid blog isn't changing that and I'm not a master economist and don't know some of the finer points of taxes, import / export and gross national product (other fancy economist words) but what I do know is that a majority of the good we used are made by people who suffer and that's not good enough for me.

If we are going to import goods, isn't it in the best interest of the world to require that the people that make everything we own be treated just a little bit better.

To say Apple and blogs aren't to blame may be true if you're looking at t his from a closed mind point of view. Apple and many of the blogs that fuel these rumors are based in countries that import products manufactured in China and other countries that mistreat and underpay their employees. That's the issue here but I think it's going to take a few more deaths in these factories to convince us that the price we pay for cheap goods doesn't make up for the shitty lives people are living in to give us these goods.

I'm not proposing a solution, just that the system is broken and needs to be fixed.

It's very hard to buy all American goods though until gas prices force us to buy local.

How do you think you'd fare if you DID have to go without those three items for a day? It's not like you'd die or anything, but it would certainly take a toll I would think.

I'm reading a book. (http://www.amazon.com/20-Per-Gallon-Inevitable-...) It's opened my eyes and at $14 a gallon gas (which is coming in the next decade), the overseas production and our consumption of it will end or get so expensive that we can't afford it.

This economy and growth / reliance on other countries with looser labor laws will end soon. It will be hard but it will also be good.

If you have an iPhone or Kindle, the book is $9.99 and it's an awesome read! I'd recommend it to anyone.

One thing I thought of when I read that you “consciously can’t enjoy [your] computer, iPhone or Taiwanese made bicycle” is the thought of giving them up? I mean, what would your world look like if these three major factors in your work and personal life were shelved for a day or more? You couldn't resort to any other computer, because most if not all are made oversees, or by a suffering worker. You can't resort to another phone, since the case is still the same. And for bikes, there's Amrican brands, but they'l be much, much more expensive.

So perhaps it's not that you can't “consciously enjoy” these items. It's more that you're always going to know that, unfortunately, people did have to work in disparaging conditions so that you and I can enjoy our life over here in a country and society where we truly take things for granted. Sadly, people often tune-out the nagging little voice that tells them their belongings are manufactured in such a way. All you really can do for now is remember this sad fact, and try to invest in companies that promote fair labor laws and who like to honor their employees, not belittle them.