Made In The USA

[Woods Walker]

Watch this, learn it, live it!!!! Why cut our own throats?

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwi ... id/5590821

[Ohio farms]

It's not a complicated thing. The key is to simplify exactly who manufactures the american made stuff. Certainly if the price is comparable, there should be NO question which item to buy. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

[Woods Walker]

Yes, that's true, but I'd even take it a step further, and would be willing to pay a bit more for the American made material if it's of higher quality, which it most times is. In the report they talked about collated nail strips, of which the American made product cost slightly more, but also jammed the nail gun far less than the imported nails. As a contractor, that's important. Time IS money.

[Ohio farms]

Sure, I would consider using an american product if it was more expensive, but worth the increase in cost. My budget has limits, but if I could manage the increase in cost for value, I'd buy it.

[ranwin33]

If only it was that simple, but like most things today, it isn't. Most people don't want to spend a lot of time shopping around, they'll go to the big box store and get what they need. If the big box store doesn't stock the "American made" item, it's kind of hard to buy.

And what does the "American made" label really mean anymore. Like most labels, it too has been corrupted by big business and doesn't even mean the product was made in America - it just has to be made by an American owned company. And the follow-up question that didn't get asked is; how many jobs will be lost in the U.S. by buying the "American made" product. Companies producing foreign made products employ a great many people in this country - how many of those people will lose their jobs. As for "American Quality", don't get me started, it too has been corrupted by businesses expecting workers to do too much while they are worried about bottom lines and investor sentiment, and a workforce that doesn't understand quality and doesn't care.

Here's an example, this past summer I purchased a Mahindra tractor, now I could have gone with John Deere, but the John Deere tractor in the size I wanted is NOT made in America, yet in their advertising John Deere would have you believe you're buying an "American made" product because they are an American company, even though the tractor is built overseas. While the parts of the Mahindra tractor I purchased are made overseas, it is at least assembled in a plant down in Texas (and I won't comment on the poor quality of American work at that assembly plant that cost me a weeks labor with a blown hydraulic hose). So who am I helping keep a job by buying the product from a non-American company, the Mahindra worker down in Texas, or the foreign worker at the JD plant overseas.

My advice, find the best product at the best price, and buy it. Afterall, isn't that what all this free-market capitalism talk is all about.

[Sailfish]

. While the parts of the Mahindra tractor I purchased are made overseas, it is at least assembled in a plant down in Texas (and I won't comment on the poor quality of American work at that assembly plant that cost me a weeks labor with a blown hydraulic hose). .

I'd prefer it the other way around myself.
The jobs that would be created here (usa) by making all of the parts needed to build the tractor versus the few jobs from assembling it.........greatly different.

I think the "assembled in the USA" thing shouldn't be even classified as Made in the USA
IDEALLY the parts would be made HERE and assembled here.

[Deebz]

I think we need to place an import tax on items that are made out of the country... or increase it if there is one. If people are going to buy materials for the cheapest price, let's make the USA made products the cheapest, even if that means forcing people to pay more for products manufactured outside of the US...

[ranwin33]

The United States is a service based economy and has been for years - anyone who thinks creating manufacturing jobs is going to keep the country employed doesn't have much of a grasp on what makes this country run, or the manufacturing sector.

While outsourcing has created many job losses in the manufactuing sector, so has the implementation of advanced manufacturing techniques which have made the least skilled workers expendable. That is not going to change.

If you speak to people who are in running the manufacturing companies, you will find that they have a great need for skilled workers, and there are jobs going unfilled because they cannot find those skills in the current workforce. They will also tell you that the future of American manufacturing is in the manufacturing of the machines that other companies will be using to make products American's buy, it is not in the manufacturing of nails, faucets, paint and other retail items.

But hey, why not screw the American public a little more by taxing and inflating the cost of foreign goods so that big business in America can keep prices high and turn an even larger profit. I just do not get that mindset.

[Deebz]

I guess I don't understand the mindset of continuing to allow money to flow out of the United States when we are facing an economic situation to rival the Great Depression... To me, any money that stays in the US economy boosts the US economy, service or manufacturing based.

[ranwin33]

What makes you think something not labeled American made is money flowing out of the United States? Based upon labeling laws, a set of wrenches manufactured in America but using foreign metals cannot be labeled American Made.

And suppose your local retailer does not have the American Made product, are you going to then buy it on the internet (where the website and network resources may be outsourced overseas) and put your local guy out of business?

And lets not forget, that every import sold in this country helps to employ someone in a retail store, so if fewer people buy products because they are more expensive, and do not fool yoursel, that will happen; then we will be laying people off in the retail sector and as those people get layed off, even fewer products will be purchased from manufacturing so people making those products will now also be layed off. Kind of a vicious circle and might remind you of our current situation.

Business to Business is where buying American Made may actually have some appreciable impact - but that is not going to happen given many corporations are now multi-national conglomerates and their major concern is profit and shareholder equity.

As for consumers buying American Made, if it makes you feel good about yourself, more power to you, but do not fool yourself into thinking you are helping the U.S. economy, and do not fool yourself into believing your American Made product is entirely made of American parts and materials.