Congress united on the issue

I, too, am appalled at the fact that our U.S. Olympic team will be wearing uniforms made in China, [“Uproar over U.S. team’s uniforms made in China,” news, July 13].

I’m glad to see that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress are attempting to get the Olympic committee to find uniforms made in the U.S. — it’s nice to see Congress united on an issue (for a change).

I do wonder, however, why it is so hard for the committee to find made in the USA uniforms (at a reasonable price) for the athletes. No, I don’t wonder! I know! It’s because big business has outsourced most of our clothes manufacturing. I also think that I know who has a lot invested in these companies — many of the very members of Congress who are now acting so righteous.

If Congress really wants to do something about this issue, they should start offering benefits to those companies that do not outsource and start exacting penalties to those that do outsource. Then, it would become possible for a future Olympic committee to find uniforms at a reasonable price for our teams. It would also become possible for U.S. citizens to once again buy clothes that say made in the USA on them.

This could even lead to our being able to buy American flags that are made in the USA!

— Ted Coskey, Seattle

Thanks to the trade laws

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says, “The Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves,” for dressing the U.S. team in Chinese-made clothing. Well, Reid and most other members of Congress should be ashamed of themselves for passing trade laws which have encouraged this sort of behavior from U.S. clothing manufacturers. While campaigning for president, Barack Obama promised to rewrite the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades (GATT). I guess what he meant by that was to expand on these two laws, since he has while in office pushed through two more trade packages, with South Korea and Central America, assuring that more U.S. jobs leave the country.

— Christopher Anderson, Seattle