In the Irony Dept.

Frustrated in my attempts to start the lawn mower (broken priming bulb methinks...) I decided to wander about the yard and pick up the assorted rubbish that had blown in from my neighbours garbage over the winter. I'm getting a good arm load and just thinking I need a bag when I chance upon a seredipitous bag beside a rose bush. It's a nice bag too, in pretty good shape. Not even sure it had even been used before since the folds were so neat.

So I unfold it and stuff in my wrappers, Timmies cup, foil and soiled pie plate when I notice the bag is sporting the recycling symbol and the slogan:
Be the Difference. Support a Green Ontario.

Rather like the bumper sticker I saw a while back:
Support Ontario Farmers. Buy Local.
on the back of a VW Jetta! Unlike Toyota or Honda, VW doesn't have any plants in North America.

But then how many CAW workers sporting the
Out of Job Yet? Keep Buying Foreign!
bumper sticker shop at Wal-Mart where 97% of the crap they will buy is made in China?

These are all good thoughts and intentions, but the road to hell and all that. The Devil is in the details and the problems come in the application of these lofty sentiments.

Of course the Detroit Three are gleefully sending production to the Developing World (like my nice job went to Korea), so what does buying foreign or buying domestic really mean anymore? CAW workers (well those who still have jobs) making their $20-30 or more an hour can actually afford to spend a bit more and take politics into consideration. They can actually afford to Buy Canadian rather than buying the cheap stuff at Sprawl-mart, but (judging from the support for a local Wal-Mart that was voiced on the shopfloor when I worked in an autoplant) they don't for the most part. But when someone on Social Assistance or Minimum wage comes into the Buy Food to purchase their meager groceries, they have to go with what's cheap (which usually means China or South America), so I can't really fault them.

And a Jetta isn't a cheap car to buy or maintain, so what kind of message is that farmer sending?