Byron Dorgan: “I mentioned earlier--and I think it fits exactly with the debate--the export of jobs and import of cheap labor. I…”

“I mentioned earlier--and I think it fits exactly with the debate--the export of jobs and import of cheap labor. I mentioned about the dancing grapes. All of us have seen when Fruit of the Loom advertises their underwear, they do it with people called dancing grapes. Somebody is dressed in red grapes and somebody else is dressed in green grapes. We have all seen them. What kind of adult would wear a grape suit and sing? Nonetheless, we are all entertained by dancing grapes. The dancing grapes represent Fruit of the Loom underwear, T-shirts, shorts, so on. They were made in this country, just as Levis and other products were made in this country. The dancing grapes danced right out of our country. All those jobs to make those underwear, gone. This country doesn't make one pair of Levis anymore. Not one pair of Levis is made in the United States. Anyway, the dancing grapes leave our country, and those jobs are elsewhere. Why are they gone from this country? Because they went in search of cheap labor. So to the extent that companies can move these jobs out of this country to find cheap labor, they will. They still want to sell back into this country. They still need the American consumer, the American consumer who has just lost his or her job. One question is, then, where is the income going to come from? In any event, even as they move these jobs out of this country, there are some that will remain in this country.…”