Made in the USA - really

Funny thing is you hear about Wal-Mart selling China made products. They do, BUT most of their items are made right here in the USA.

They even offer UNION made products. Most of that boxed shelving and funiture is UNION made here in the USA. Not to mention the health/beauty, grills/out door, camping, auto motive and much more.

Then you figure in the food products Most all of them are made here in the USA.

We have picked up at a Wal Mart Center Point and delivered to May Department Stores.

Most of our Sears Craftsman tools come from China. One of the places we visited was a Matco/Craftsman hand tool plant.

Heck, you can't get a Mexican or SSI recipiant to work for less then 15 a hour in my area. I know I emply both. Around here they will not work for less then 15 a hour or 10 bucks a hour if they can work drunk. I even have to furnish housing.

Many folks seem to over look that there is a major shortage in workers. That is a fact.

That under 5% UNEMPLOYMENT number incrludes me. I am self employed. I am added to that number as are all self employed folks and 1099 contractores.

When that number is figured it puts unemployment down around 2.7%. These are not folks that can not find a job. These are folks that will not work or will not go get a job. That simple. I have yet to find a local paper anywere that didn't have help wanted adds.

My sister in law has one child that is 17. She ownes not only 1 but 3 homes. ALL RENTED OUT. She stays in a trailer that the county pays for. She is a single mother that can not find a job. She has been to more schooling then I and I have a MBA from UNLV. All hers is on the ststes dime.

She dosn't pay power bills or water bills. as she lies about her kids age. She runs around and screws in every parked car she can fine. Her own daughter is TRYING to get knocked up. HER OWN WORDS. I paid her taxes last year for her homes. I DIDN'T KNOW THIS. I have also since filed for a investigation on her net worth and state welfair claims.

I have gotten this woman JOBS. Once we found she could not pass a drug test as she smokes alot of pot. I GOT her jobs that didn't require drug testing at 12.75 a hour. SHE NEVER SHOWED UP. She called this week needing pot money. I gae her 50 bucks. Deal was she would go get a job that day. She said no problem. I said a simple job. Fast food. I even gave her the places to go. I gave her a refrance. The pizza delivery job wanted to many hours from her, White Castle at 11 bucks a hour didn't pay what she was worth and God Fathers Pizza didn't pay for health insurance.

THIS WOMAN DOSN'T WANT TO WORK. Yet, I can not find a illigal mexican for 15 a hour to bust his but.

I am hiring. If you are in my area. I am Hiring.

Its an American mentality to get as much for as little as possible......I am not willing to spend anymore than I have to for any item, no mater where it is made. It is a world economy, we scratch their backs, they scrach ours......I seen a thread on here not too long ago about scrap prices and how good they are right now. That is because China is buying everything up and turning it into exportable goods. Selling it right back to us.......Enjoy the low prices while you can.....as more and more goods are made and sold they will get used to a higher standared of living and wages will rise over there to pay for that standared of living......the costs will be passed on to us and we will be spending as much for the same item as we would if it where made here.......look at all the cars that used to be made there and imported here, now it is cheaper for them to make them here.

Sorry if I didn't explain it in so many words.

I would pay up to 2x for quality goods.

I will be looking into whether or not LL Bean jeans and work boots are made here or not. Those are the items I buy most from them. The backpack was from my wife's childhood.

mark

The warranty game is the new game in town, look at Kia and Hyundai. I'm still not buying either one as it's not just the warranty. Over the years i have bought many Snap-On tools, especially wrenches and sockets. Sure other companys offer the same warranty but their tools are not the same quality in my eyes or value system. I don't just want a warranty that the manufacturer is betting I won't use, I want a product that most likely won't need the use of the warranty. A product that when I use it reminds me that I might have paid more but it was worth it.

Anyone remember Curtis-Mathis TVs?

__________________
"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

Willing to pay 25% to 50% more for made in USA.

Patty

__________________
My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

We pay many times 2x more for made in the usa.
We look for quality, will it last, will it break in a year, do we really need it?

When I am buying I really examine the article to see not only where it is made but how it's made. Even without the warranties, if the item costs 2x more than others but is made to last 4x longer then I , the enviroment and my community wins. We buy all big items used like our truck & car but keep the same criteria as new - origin, quality, (in the case of car, best mpg), estimated life of service. I would like to believe that every dollar I'm spending on US made goods is telling someone that where a good is made and how it is made matters. We have decided not to clutter our llives with junk just to have something. But then again we have almost completely abandoned the consumer society mentality - have redefined for us what the word "need" really means.

Back to the topic at hand tho', when you buy something, anything, I believe we should be asking ourselves what are the hidden costs? What are the real costs of buying cheap, poorly made goods? What are the costs of buying cheap imported foods. Once those costs become part of your decision process you might begin to realize that buying cheap puts you or your neighbor out of work, puts burdens on communities, pollutes the enviroment, etc. Then the supposedly higher price item could become quite reasonable - if it is well made, made by a co. that treats workers fairly, doesn't pollute. I think Co.s should be good citizens too and we should reward those good Co citizens with our support. Same thing with farmers/food.

In the end I may be naive but I work from the idea of "being the change I want to see".

__________________
Goat milk soap & Wool products
www.littlemeadowsfarm.net
http://littlemeadowsfarms.blogspot.com/

While I like to buy American. There is one key point. Even if we buy it and can afford it. Will the rest of the world buy it? Will they be able to afford it?

American made Products, The price , Would depend? On Transport cost, Or locally Produced, I prefer Amreican made And the cost , Is secondary. The cost might be Only 10-20% higher, But with the economy. More folks Don't care where its from Only price!! For Example I buy my Citrus juice ,From the local Canner, Via the H E B store. The motto Of Texas Citrus Exchange is Red White And Blue. Texas grown and produced. The cost is Really 15-30 cents lower than the Imported Juices.. Plus most of the Produce here is U S grown. I mean here in the Rio Grande Valley... I think thats What Bill was driving At!!

I will pay what the item is worth. Something that has a longer useful life I will pay for.

I walk into a shoe store and DW Pelenaka flips out to find out what I'll pay for a pair of RedWings. But, I know I am buying years of service compared to months of service for other shoes. I apply the same rule to everything I own.

I seldom find asian made items worth the cost of the gas to go pick them out. The exception is high end Japanese electronics and tools, that are still made in Japan.

__________________
http://woodsrunnerstrail.blogspot.com/

Most of my Major puchases are Tools and they are american made I do pay 25% or more for American made . About the only imported food I buy is bananas other wise its florida or texas citrace and local veggies.
Finding the union label is a little hard but I'll pay a fair percentage to keep the money in the states

Ok...the reason why China is at the top and we aren't is because of their determination to make their country a player on the national scene after being ignore for so long! In this aspect, they work as a unit...not divided by unions trying to get more money in their pockets...not by lobbyists selling them out...they work as a unit. America doesn't do this.

I would like someone to start a thread of American made products so everyone knows what is available out there. I am about to buy a computer that is made right here in Michigan by Michigan workers.

__________________
http://www.Facebook.com/Descendantso...canBlackSlaves

You might be very careful about admitting this in an open forum. Have you not been reading about how homeland security is tightening the reigns on folks like you who hire illegal entrants? Be very careful, daytrader.

Peace and smiles,
doohap

__________________
"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about." -- Psalm 3:6, KJV

Freedom Advocates: Recognize Unalienable Rights

I hope you are kidding right? Do you have any idea how many illegal's work in government jobs? I do not think you do.

The bill that they are trying to pass now to MAKE employers act on no match letters. Come on. It is a joke.

90% of the fake ssi numbers will match. The only reason they will not is 1) you are dead (takes the IRS to get up to about 3 years to get this.

2) the number is fake.

MOST will use a real number of a tax payer like you and me. THERE is not a match problem. The IRS doesn't care. As long as taxes are coming in. They are cool. You are cool as well when you get your ssi assortment. If it shows you paid in to much will you call the IRS? How you ever?

Heck my sister in law can not go to work. I OFFERED HER A JOB. I can not get Mexicans to work for 15 a hour. Why would I care if some Mexican used and paid in on my ssi number?

I hear folks getting mad all the time about Mexicans taking their jobs. I always asked them. Show me these Mexicans. NO ONE has done it yet.

They can show me Mexicans, but not folks that took their job. Hell I can not get simple white folks with no teeth in their head to work for me for less then 15 a hour. Heck I can not find any. I can not find any Mexicans available either. Heck I think every day about trying to get some Mexicans across the boarder.

See it is easy to complain about things, but can you hire folks to work for you full time tomorrow? In some places yes, in MANY not a chance.

The Golden Corral had to wait 2 extra weeks to open. They hired in at 15 a hour. TO WORK A BUFFETT line. They could not get the folks.

In the local Casino that is in a very well fair state city East St Louis Illinois. The casino had to bring in folks at 9 bucks a hour with housing. Fro mm ALL OVER THE WORLD. Washington Park Illinois had to bring in strippers from the old Russia ON COLLAGE deals to get the girls to work.

In Ofallon Illinois we have sitting a empty Subway shop. No workers available. They are offering a 500 dollar week bonus. The dang sub sub cannot open as they cannot get anyone to work there. THERE ARE NO WORKERS AVAILABLE. My no good white trash sister-in-law WILL not find a job. Not cannot, will not.

Folks on this site have been to my places. This is easy work......is it not?

Heck got rid of the sheep. No shop work and only work when I say. Still get paid for a week? NO ONE AVAILABLE.

I can and will hire anyone that wants to come to work. No lic, bad back ground. I do not care. I need the labor pool. I CAN NOT GET THEM. I do not know anyone that can.

Farmers in California and Nevada have field sitting going to waste. I am in Fresno RIGHT NOW. Sitting in the days in Hotel. MY DOOR has been knocked on 3 times asking me if I want to work for 300 bucks tomarrow. Grapes are rotting on the vines.

These same farmers told us next year they are moving their farms to Mexico.

They have been in the media about it. Its cheaper for them to let US land sit and rent Mexican land. Use labor down south and Transport it to us.

Folks we gave these jobs away.

I thought about starting such a thread. Part of the problem is that many products that are ultimately assembled in the US have one or more components that are manufactured offshore; and apparently the Country of Origin labeling laws either aren't enforced strictly or have loopholes that don't require companies to indicate that. It's very difficult with some products (like computers) that have thousands of individual components to verify where each component was manufactured Let's say the motherboard of a computer has 1000 components (transistors, diodes, whatever they have...). The unit itself is manufactured/assembled in Michigan, therefor the motherboard is made in the USA, but were all of the 1000 individual electronic components?

I haven't found a reliable way to verify this, and until I do I'm concerned that a thread listing these products might be misleading. Maybe someone else knows of a way to verify this. I'm also concerned that a list of 100% Made in the USA products might be a pretty short one...

Please do so...if there are only 20 I want to buy from that 20! I'd like to know what to buy and where it comes from. If any of you live near a textile mill or anything such as that...please post it so we can be consumers of our own products. I think a lot of foreign buying might be due to the fact that there are so many small businesses here that we just don't know about.

__________________
http://www.Facebook.com/Descendantso...canBlackSlaves

That sums up my entire concern with the "buy American" crowd.....Being the eternal conspiracy theorist the I am I just picture some factory in Asia and the employee doing QC checks on components has three boxes. Box one is "exceeds quality standards"- destined for domestic Asian markets. Box two is "meets minimal quality standards"- destined for export to the U.S. Box three is "does not meet standard"- destined for the trash or recycling. The U.S. Auto industry is a perfect example. I am completely turned off on the big three....I am going back to an import....

I don't think adding a set percentage to the cost of goods
for the privilege to "buy American" makes much sense.
I'm wondering why you asked the question this way?

It's a sticky subject. Of course I would rather support my own community first. But my community has to reward my loyalty with
fair prices, quality products, good service, and honesty.
On too many occasions, they didn't do that. Instead, they took advantage of the "buy American" sentiment.

Take the old "big 3" auto makers, for instance. They were completely unresponsive to car buyers! They were deceitful about where parts were being made. They offered Low quality , High Prices, Poor safety, Lousy gas mileage! Service was a joke and the choices were limited.
Instead of responding to their markets, they ran to the congress for help to oppose their customers demands! They were so big they created a big 3 monopolistic monster.


I've learned that to say "buy American" is too simplistic.
It has to be "buy small, buy local." I will pay premiums for that! AND I save on the gas to get it home! Unfortunately, in most goods, it's simply not available.

Oddly, the internet is making it easier to find what is right there in my own backyard...the young kid who designs a great car has a chance to compete before "they" snuff out his or her voice in the marketplace... so maybe there is hope.

__________________
Hut on the Hill Farm
http://www.hutonthehill.org

Correct me if I'm wrong, daytrader, but are you saying here that identity theft is O.K. with you?

If that is right, then I'm afraid I've got VERY different opinions than you.

Peace and smiles,
doohap

__________________
"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about." -- Psalm 3:6, KJV

Freedom Advocates: Recognize Unalienable Rights