Why You Should Read The Label

It seems like everything is made in China....at least until you really pay attention to it. Yes, a lot of products are made in China, but do we really need most of those things? No. Especially at the expense it could cost. I'm not referring to monetary cost, but a higher cost. The cost of lives. Let me explain.
First of all, the Chinese government persecutes people for their faith (see ). Do you really want to support a government that does this? I don't. As a Christian, I need to support my suffering brothers and sisters in Christ...not their persecutors. If I won't give up some piddley little trinkets for the well-being of these people, would someone do it for me? (On the selfish note, it ends up being a money-saver. It's a win-win situation.)
The following was my main reason for trying to avoid buying things made in China until the above recently occured to me. The Chinese government (notice that I am referring to the government) is a major potential enemy to the U.S. I really do not want to support a possible enemy for my own short-lived, selfish gain. And China would be a powerful enemy.
Finally, I would like to point out some benefits of choosing to stop (or at least avoid) buying things made in China. 1) It can save you money. You don't end up buying nearly as many little "bargains"....you know those ones in the Target dollar section or somewhere in Wal-Mart that cost five cents or less to make and they're selling it to you for the great price of $1. 2) It makes decision-making easier. I have a hard time making decisions. This really helps me decide whether or not to purchase an item. If it's made in China, that encourages me not to buy it. If it's made elsewhere, then I'm much more likely to buy it. 3) Conscience. Do you want to be someone who helped the Chinese government persecute it's own citizens? Or defeat our country? (I really didn't want to type that. I hope it never happens, but if it did happen, would you want that on your shoulders?)
My point in this blog entry is to bring this to your attention. I encourage you to at least be attentive to where products are made and lessen the amount of things you purchase that are Chinese-made. I am not writing this as someone who is so self-disciplined that she never buys anything made in China, but as someone who tries not to and would like to spread these things to think about.
P.S. PRC stands for People's Republic of China and Macau is also part of China. Doesn't it seem a bit on the sneaky side that manufacturers would use PRC instead of China?