Not That I Want to Say That American Workmanship Has Gone to Hell in a Handbasket ...

... but I really am faced with unavoidable evidence of that very thing. Within the last year our 1-1/2 year old Kenmore dishwasher stopped having a real dryer cycle ... rather than pay for the repairs we have simply decided to live with it. Not that big of a deal although very annoying in an almost new appliance.

Now, within the last week:

• Our 10-year-old washer's bearings have burned out and would take $1,600 to fix (yes, you read that right ... Maytag, hang your head in shame!)
• Our Maytag dryer now won't turn off so that we have to set a timer to go stop the clothes from being frizzled
• Yesterday, our 2-year-old Kenmore refrigerator's compressor suddenly gave out ... and Sears (Sears!) can't get a repairman available until Wednesday! Not that I mind camping and cooking out of a cooler but I like to plan it so that I don't have things like lettuce and shrimp to deal with ... and not in my own kitchen, thanks.

This all just goes to support the GE repairman who came about a month ago to repair our 1982 oven. He looked at it and shook his head and said, "They don't make them like this any more. This is good solid workmanship."

From 1982? That is not what I'd look at as a time representing the bastion of good, solid American workmanship ... but we now have the evidence to prove it scattered all over our house.

Remember the 1970s when you figured you'd take your American car back to the shop several times after you bought it so they could get it to run right? Obviously, the appliance makers are in that same trough of lackluster workmanship. I really don't want to have to have two of everything so that when one is broken you can fall back on the second. It's one thing if I had a Jaguar ... but sheez.

C'mon America, where's your pride?