The Hightower Report

THE LUXURY OF CHINESE LABOR

Officials in China have had some trouble making translations from Chinese to English. For example, a sign to alert visitors about a wet floor in a mall came out this way: "The slippery are very crafty."

You might want to keep that thought in mind if you're buying certain luxury goods. For example, high-dollar leather handbags and shoes, silk ties and scarves, designer suits and such are being marketed as the exquisite products of traditional artisans employed by small European firms. They carry the prestigious names of Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci – and they carry matching prices.

But European reporter Dana Thomas reveals the crafty can, indeed, be very slippery. Many of these brand names are no longer proud family enterprises but rather conglomerate-owned multinational outfits, producing their goods not by expert artisans but on assembly lines staffed by low-wage workers in places like China.

So, where's that requisite "Made in China" label? Some slippery conglomerates hide it in an inside pocket of the produce. Some of the crafty ones have 90% of the product made in China, then add a few baubles or buttons in Italy and label the whole thing "Made in Italy." Others simply rip out the product's China label and add a European one.

Slipperiest of all, though, are some who are making leather goods in the historic craftsman town of Prato, Italy. Italian artisans are not doing the crafting here – instead, in this center of Gucci and Prada, illegal Chinese laborers have been brought in to do the work. In fact, Prato now has the second-highest Chinese population in Europe, and many of the fashion factories producing luxury items for brand-name conglomerates pay these workers as little as $3 an hour.

These conglomerates are proving that "globalization" is just another word used to cover up exploitation, dishonesty, and greed.

TAKING CARE OF THE SMITHSONIAN

Our national attic is caving in. "America's attic" is the unofficial name of the venerable Smithsonian Institution. This is the 150-year-old complex of museums on the National Mall that houses an amazing array of artifacts and other irreplaceable treasures that mark significant developments in our country's rich history. It's a priceless cultural jewel that is a favorite draw for families visiting our capital city – 24 million people trekked through its public exhibits this year.

You might assume a place that's so important to our national identity and so popular with the people would be well taken care of. You'd be wrong. The president and the Congress, Democrats as well as Republicans, have failed us as caretakers. They have squandered hundreds of billions of our tax dollars on wars, weaponry, corporate subsidies, and boondoggles while turning a blind eye to the rising need for basic maintenance on America's attic.

As any homeowner knows, the failure to spend on repairs inevitably results in things like collapsing roofs, endangered collections, and closed buildings. The Smithsonian is now $2½ billion behind on necessary upkeep.

Yet, our so-called leaders are still turning their backs on this remarkable institution. Democrat Dianne Feinstein told Smithsonian officials at a recent Senate hearing that they're on their own: "I see no way that that two-and-a-half-billion-dollar shortfall is ever going to be picked up by the public sector," she said.

Excuse me? The Smithsonian is the public sector, it belongs to the people, and it's a public responsibility. Instead of forcing it to charge entrance fees, hustle corporate sponsorships, or hold bake sales – cut a few corporate subsidies, senator; then do your duty to care for America's attic.