First off, I'm not sure if there are any Japanese American chip collectors in the , but if there are - I don't think they'd appreciate you using the term "Jap"; it has racist overtones. I can understand people still feeling angry about Pearl Harbor, and not wanting to buy from that country because of it, but turning it into a racial thing is really more from a 1950's mentality. I urge you to rethink using terms like that, they are hurtful to many...

I partly agree with Bob, the US economy is changing, and it can't be protected from the world economy; the world is getting smaller every day, and if we are paying more benefits than a competing country's workers - they will have a huge competitive advantage. Job flight won't stop, until there is salary parity around the world - something we may not see in our lifetimes... Rather than get bitter about something none of us peons can do a damn thing about, I suggest (like Bob did), that you use your initiative to look at other industries where your skills will still be rewarded. I'm a perfect example - my liberal arts degree from a prestigious university is essentially worthless in the job market. After losing my benefits, being turned into an independent contractor (at 30% less salary), I was pretty upset with Johnson & Johnson! Sitting there looking at my slot machine collection, I tried to imagine what would make me happy; BINGO, the lightbulb went on and I decided to find a slot position in the gaming industry. Good pay, great benefits, and an interesting field for anybody that also finds collecting casino items and chips addictive! As for me, I also considered the future of the industry - and it dawned on me that gambling will probably only go away when greed does...

I suggest you look at working in manufacturing at IGT, Bally, Aristocrat, etc. BTW, slots are now really just networked computers, so getting computer certifications would be a good idea. Or, perhaps you could go into graphic arts and design the graphics/sounds on new games? Marketing, sales, there are many opportunities in gaming. Maybe Vegas is in your future? Good luck, every misfortune is actually an opportunity if you choose to view it that way.