So why are there still shortages? The problem begins with outsourcing most products and big trade deficits. Here are other fascinating shortage facts:

• In 1990 the United States produced 37 percent of all computer chips in the world
• Today the United States produces only 12 percent of all computer chips in the world
• Currently 60 percent of all apple juice in this country now comes from China
• Even salmon caught in the United States is shipped to China for processing and then shipped back to the United States for consumption
• Big corporations are making more profit by outsourcing to China
• The share of each dollar spent on food that winds up in the hands of farmers has fallen from fifty-three cents in 1946 to 14 cents today
• There is a big shortage of shipping containers because we buy far more from China than they buy from us
•  Since 1980 America has lost 50 percent of its cattle farms, 80 percent of its dairies, and 90 percent of its hog farms

Homeschoolers: Draw/color an illustration and write about your favorite toy. Have you ever seen an empty shelve in a store? What was missing? Theme: products. Analogy: Read the story called Velveteen Rabbit. Describe Velvee’s adventure.