The electronics of today are more sophisticated but less durable. A 1400 dollar color laser printer lasted me not quite two years under light usage. The multiple inks required to refill an inkjet printer is the ultimate manufacturer & designers revenge on consumers. At first it was two cartridges and now they have some that have five separate color cartridges including "light" and "dark" cyan.

Lead paints on Chinese products? Including toys? You betcha. Chemical toxins in rubber released by heat in Chinese made warm bottles? Naturally. Yes, many of my favorite brands have jumped on the Chinese slave labor bandwagon and the result is less quality control, less safety for the consumer and less durability. I'm noticing a lot of nasty smells coming from opening new packages made in China. A new CISCO Systems router made in China reeked of burnt plastic just opening the box and bag it was shipped in. A week later it's stink finally dissipated.

It takes a lot of time to hunt down the few quality (Made in USA, Made in Japan, Made in Canada) manufacturers of goods these days, but that is what I try to do more and more often.

Caveat emptor.

For furniture, I have found that manufacturers that produce furniture for hotels make some of the best quality pieces today. They still build quality in them, because they are meant to see serious usage and the buyers will not patronize a manufacturer churning out stuff that looks pretty but wears out in 1 year. When one visits someplace like the Ritz-Carlton or a Hilton Hotel - turn over your chair and look at the tag. The manufacturer's label is almost always still attached. That's the company you want to deal with when furnishing your home. Not someone who sells overpriced, poorly made furniture to the public.

I have little doubt that my 1965 Pontiac will be seen on the roads long after the last 2008 model hits the recycler. Like the late eighties models, very few will restore the plastic contraptions with overly complicated electronics manufactured today. We're seeing about a maximum 15 year effective usage rate for most vehicles manufactured since 1980. Then they are hitting the crusher.

Yes, electronics are just part of this slide. US quality of lifes suffers when things are not made in the USA - or at least by a nation that holds the same values as the USA.