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It started with the tainted pet food.
Then came the mass recalls of well-known toys: Thomas the Tank Engine, Barbie, Dora the Explorer. Next it was suspected issues with medicine and even candy.
For many Americans, a rash of health scares involving imported goods served as a wake-up call that a surprising number of the products filling our closets, toy chests, medicine cabinets and even pantries are now being made in China, India, Bangladesh, Mexico and other far-off places.
For extreme consumers like Barbara Toncheff, the news was an affirmation of her difficult and often frustrating quest to fill her house with items made in the United States. “I was raised to support your country,” Toncheff said recently. “July Fourth should truly mean independence. We shouldn’t become dependent on the rest of the world.”
While events like last year’s import scares and the 9/11 terrorist attacks may occasionally prompt Americans to look more closely at labels, Toncheff is part of a small group of Americans who have made it their mission to buy American-made products whenever possible.
Seeking out products on Web sites such as “How Americans Can Buy American” and “Still Made in USA,” plus auction forums such as eBay, these dedicated shoppers also trade tips on how to find American-made pants and bags, and they lament the loss of American factories that once churned out their favorite pots, glassware and other household staples.
American-made items, they believe, are more likely to be safer and higher in quality. They say buying American is better for the country because it keeps jobs and money within our borders. And, they say, buying American is easier and more cost-effective than you might think, if you know where to look.
“People can complain, well, 97 percent of the clothes we buy in the United States are imported. Well, I know where to find the 3 percent,” said Roger Simmermaker, who runs the “How Americans Can Buy American” Web site and has a how-to book by the same name. “Awareness is the key.”
Simmermaker began his quest to find American-made products in the early 1990s, when he was struck during a trip to a Florida mall by how difficult it was to find an American-made shirt. His site mixes commentary (topics include “America’s fastest-dying industries” and “How to stop China from stealing our jobs”) with straightforward lists of products and their countries of origin.
Still, even Simmermaker concedes that you can’t buy everything from American companies, especially if you enjoy watching movies on a DVD player, using a clock radio or talking on the telephone.
That’s not surprising. The United States has been operating at a trade deficit since the 1970s, importing more goods and services into our country than we export elsewhere. The trade deficit has widened significantly in the past decade, ballooning from about $108 billion in 1997 to $708 billion in 2007, as more and more companies turn to cheaper overseas labor to produce stuffed animals, jeans, blood thinners and even organic produce.
Henry Paciullo isn’t the type of guy who tends to shop much, so he didn’t even really notice the trend toward imported goods until about four years ago. That’s when it hit him that whenever he went to a typical chain store, it seemed nearly impossible to find American-made clothes for himself or toys for family members. The 40-year-old Long Island native turned to the Web in search of American products, and soon he’d discovered American-made shoes, bags and other items.
“Once you start looking and you have a little patience, you can find what you want,” he said.
Still, he concedes that it’s easier to make the commitment to buy American because he doesn’t have kids. This past Christmas, Paciullo bought domestically made wooden toys for his nephews, but they were a tough sell in an age when kids want electronic gadgets that are made overseas.
“If I did have kids, I would try to educate them,” he said.
Raised in a family of war veterans and union workers, Toncheff, who is 50, can’t remember a time when her family didn’t just try to support American businesses but, preferably, those near her home in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.
When she shops for food, Toncheff favors the grocery store that uses unionized workers. Perusing the shelves, she seeks out brands she thinks are most likely to be domestically produced. Her produce comes from the farmer’s market and her bread is from a local baker. She prefers California wine over imports.
Even her dogs, cat and horse eat American-made pet food from the local feed store. Her furniture, knickknacks and other decorative items are from the local Amish community, various American antique dealers and people selling on eBay. Often, Toncheff buys used items because the new versions are imported.
For a recent kitchen remodel, she relied on stones from the local Amish community and pressed aluminum from an Ohio company.
To her, being patriotic with your dollars is similar to being patriotic in a time of war.
“If you can stick up for your country and risk your life, why the heck can’t you stick up for your country when you go to the store?” she asked.
There’s no doubt Toncheff’s commitment is impressive, but some question whether it makes economic sense. Brian Bethune, U.S. economist with Global Insight, thinks some people pay too much attention to the issue of Chinese imports, when the effect of those goods pales in comparison to the major contributor to America’s trade deficit: those billions of dollars in petroleum imports that are imported to satisfy our thirst for oil.
“That’s the main problem on the trade deficit,” Bethune said. “These other issues are really very small in order of magnitude.”
Americans could make a major impact on the trade imbalance by relying more on alternative forms of energy such as solar or geothermal, or by reducing consumption, Bethune said. But in the meantime, if Americans really want to commit to buying American, perhaps they should start by getting a bike – or a bus pass.
“Every time you turn on your car you’re creating a problem with the trade deficit,” Bethune said.
For people like Toncheff and Paciullo, there is some good news. If you exclude oil imports, Bethune notes that the trade deficit actually appears to be improving. That’s partly because the slumping economy is crimping U.S. consumption of imported items, while the weak dollar is boosting the attractiveness of American-made products.
Nevertheless, there are still many items that are almost impossible to find domestically, and sometimes even someone as committed as Toncheff has to give in. Recently, she fell in love with a set of dishes that she suspects are made overseas, to replace the mishmash of everyday plates and bowls she’d been using. And when her old RCA television gave out, she knew there was little hope of finding an American-made replacement.
“Sometimes I feel like my back is against the wall and I’ve gotta have something, and I think, ‘This really stinks,’” Toncheff said.
If she absolutely can’t find an American-made version of an item, Toncheff will at least try to support a U.S. company that is manufacturing its products overseas. But overall, by limiting herself to American-made products she also just buys less.
“I’m not a big shopper like I used to be because I was turned off,” she said. “I hang onto stuff until it goes kaput.”
As it turns out, making the commitment to buying American is for many people also an austerity plan.
When River Skybetter can’t find an American-made version of an item of clothing she wants, the first thing she does is stop and think, ‘Do I really need this?’
“Usually, the answer is no,” she said, and that’s often the end of that.
“If I can’t find it made here, I’m probably not going to buy it,” she said. “I’m pretty sick of the way consumerism has just taken over our country.”
Skybetter, who is in her 40s, began a more serious commitment to buying domestic products a couple years ago after she started to see the effects outsourcing seemed to be having on America’s middle class.
“I decided, I can’t change the world, but I can, at least with my money, decide where I want my dollars to go, and I don’t want my dollars to go for slave labor. I don’t want my dollars to contribute to global warming,” she said.
Turning to the Internet, she found American-made products on forums devoted to such seemingly far-flung causes as veganism, anti-sweat shop work and union advocacy. Skybetter, who lives in Los Angeles, said she was surprised at how much was out there, once she knew where to look.
Sometimes, she said she does make compromises, such as buying clothes that may not be the exact fabric or shade she wants because they are made domestically. But she thinks the items last longer and are of higher quality. She said she often finds bargains, especially if she scouts out sales, and thinks that for the most part she’s not spending more money than she would otherwise.
“It’s just a very different way of thinking,” she said. “You may not be able to find everything you want, or exactly what you want, but I feel better about what (I’m buying).”
Skybetter also makes sure her fruits and vegetables are grown domestically, if not locally, and she plans to buy an American car in a few years to replace her Toyota (she’s hoping Chevrolet’s electric Volt will be available). She was thrilled recently to discover a company that assembles computers domestically.
Still, her television is growing old as well, and Skybetter knows she’ll likely have to buy a replacement that is made overseas.
“This is the kind of thing where you pick your battles,” she said.
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{"commentId":1822434,"authorDomain":"hoover1"}
I went to my local supermarket, Publix, in Decatur Ga the other day & had order 1 lb of shrimp- then I noticed country of origin- Thailand. I told the person I did not want the shrimp- and he said, "Ma'm you won't find American shrimp anywhere."
What has happend to our lives that we can not get American products in America?
{"commentId":1822434,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"hoover1"}
- 2 votes
#1 - Tue May 20, 2008 2:20 PM EDT{"commentId":1823094,"authorDomain":"lhhebert"}
You can still find American shrimp. You just have to look harder. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium [montereybayaquarium_seanotes@mbayaq.org]. They always have intresting info on all types of seafood and their origian.
{"commentId":1823094,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"lhhebert"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1823494,"authorDomain":"tjhbob"}
Isn't "origian" spelled origin?
{"commentId":1823494,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"tjhbob"}
{"commentId":1823933,"authorDomain":"altom"}
Believe it or not I found American Farm Raised Shrimp in WalMart, of all places.
{"commentId":1823933,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"altom"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1827754,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
You can't find American made shrimp because it's inferior in quality and more expensive.
{"commentId":1827754,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1834742,"authorDomain":"kyekcidm"}
Gail in Decatur:
I found wonderful Georgia shrimp at Whole Foods Buckhead for $9.99 a pound this week. A little pricey but they have just come into season. Really delicious and I'm certain Whole Foods on Ponce de Leon must have them.
{"commentId":1834742,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"kyekcidm"}
{"commentId":1822462,"authorDomain":"mmfallon"}
I try to buy American products whenever I can, but it is getting harder and harder as American companies find it difficult to compete in the global market. I wonder how many more industries and jobs we are willing to lose before we start thinking differently. One American product that everyone can still buy is an American-made car. Our family has always bought GM products. While I know that there have been problems in the past with American cars, that has changed. For the last 2 years GM cars have won the Car of the Year awards and one of the trucks has also won the year. More and more of the models have been recognized as top cars and the quality of American cars has been getting better and better each year either equaling those of the foreign cars or surpassing them. Another important point to consider is that the Japanese car companies have been aided by their government because the government covers the medical and pension costs of their employees and retirees and paid for the research and development of the technology of the Prius. The Japanese government has also made it very difficult for the American cars companies to import their cars into Japan. How are American car companies supposed to compete with such unfair advantages? Can this country really afford to lose any more industries that provide good jobs for Americans?
{"commentId":1822462,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"mmfallon"}
#2 - Tue May 20, 2008 2:27 PM EDT{"commentId":1824727,"authorDomain":"Earnan"}
Your "American" car was likely assembled in Mexico using Chinese parts.
GM and Ford are circling the drain because of nitwit "patriotic" buyers who kept buying their crappy designs year after year.
But keep drinking the UAW koolaid.
I'll take a Toyota any day. Built in America by Americans, and sold to Americans who aren't stupid enough to fall for wrapped-in-the-flag ads.
{"commentId":1824727,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"Earnan"}
{"commentId":1827907,"authorDomain":"anthopos"}
For that matter, you can buy Mercedes, Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais and soon Kias made in the good old USA.
{"commentId":1827907,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"anthopos"}
{"commentId":4156102,"authorDomain":"je-di76"}
If you want to know why our stores are flooded with non-American products and foods, research the World Trade Organization and the World Bank. A good place to start is, [www.globalissues.org] For those who are trying to buy American, good for you, keep up the effort. Write your state representatives in your area about the issue.
{"commentId":4156102,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"je-di76"}
{"commentId":1822545,"authorDomain":"chrisne9"}
This MSN quiz is either misleading and/or wrong. The question about what baby food is made in the USA should include Gerber. They were recently purchased by Nestle (a Swiss company) but they started in Fremont, Michigan and still make their baby food there and in their Arkansas plant. My husband is a purchaser for Gerber and I can tell you that a majority of the fruits and vegatables are even from right in our area (Western, Central and Northern Michigan). My husband knows the farmers, and can tell you what fields the apples, pears, blueberries and peas are coming from. I think this quiz is very misleading by excluding Gerber in its attempt to recognize American made products when Gerber utilizes the local community for its workers and components in making their product.
{"commentId":1822545,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"chrisne9"}
- 3 votes
#3 - Tue May 20, 2008 2:45 PM EDT{"commentId":1822732,"authorDomain":"alolson"}
Thanks for the feeback. The quiz asks which companies are U.S. based and which are based overseas. As for the products themselves, the companies are not always required to publicly disclose a product's country of origin. That is part of the problem: The regulations are not much help to the consumer
{"commentId":1822732,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"alolson"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":1823034,"authorDomain":"chrisne9"}
The title question of the quiz is "Which popular brands are made in the US?" and at the top of the quiz it says "Made in America or not" not who owns them!
VERY MISLEADING!
{"commentId":1823034,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"chrisne9"}
{"commentId":1823301,"authorDomain":"alolson"}
Thanks. You're right. I think the wording of the quiz was not as clear as it should be. I have updated the headline.
{"commentId":1823301,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"alolson"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":1824207,"authorDomain":"yomamaruth"}
I agree with the person who commented about Gerber's Baby Foods still being made here, though now owned by a Switzerland based international conglomerate. A company like Nestle has divisions, so there is Nestle,USA with multiple factories and distributorships that provide jobs for Americans while buying ingredients and equipment here as well. I also looked up Frenchs mustard-it is still being made in the USA (in Springfield, Mo) though now owned by a huge global company that is based in the UK. We have been doing the same thing for years ourselves-having plants in other countries and employing their citizens to manufacture a product like Coca Cola. Can't get much more Amnerican than Coke-yet if its made in Japan and distributed there- then it will be marked Made in Japan!!!
{"commentId":1824207,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"yomamaruth"}
{"commentId":1826345,"authorDomain":"szrvnl2"}
I was going to respond to the Gerber question, too. I've been to their facility in Fremont.
Also, anything marked "Made in USA" has to be made (all or virtually all) in the U.S. Other things (but not food) has to be marked with its country of origin. Of course, it could be produced in the U.S. using imported parts or materials.
{"commentId":1826345,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"szrvnl2"}
{"commentId":1822596,"authorDomain":"kenette1"}
wow........
It's the vicious circle!!
Can you tell me if it is true that some of the made in USA
things are actually made out of the country in a sovereign state?
Thanks
{"commentId":1822596,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"kenette1"}
#4 - Tue May 20, 2008 2:58 PM EDT{"commentId":1822668,"authorDomain":"tang"}
{"commentId":1822705,"authorDomain":"alolson"}
{"commentId":1822784,"authorDomain":"jerzymakowski"}
What happened to Sam Walton dream of Wall Mart selling all American products? I think it is us who wants more goods but we do not want to pay the price of them to be made in the USA. We want more for less and that is the sad side of the whole story. We lost the ability to manufacture and we no longer have army of skilled technicians and people with vocational skills available around us. It is easier to find a surgeon or a lawyer than a plumber or electrician not to mention a good car mechanic. Where are the vocational and technical schools for our kids to be trained in fields related to every day service and production? The problem is not where we make the goods sold here but who is making every day living making it for us. Where are the days when a factory worker was proud to be a skilled technician? Proud to be an American! How about: proudly made in America for the American people! And if our neighbors want to buy it? Why not, and sell it for a profit. Why don't we get out of our debt and stop making everybody else rich and start thinking about our future. Before we take care of other people and other countries problems lets use our teachers to teach our kids how to make goods here. For our people in our country!
{"commentId":1822784,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"jerzymakowski"}
- 1 vote
#7 - Tue May 20, 2008 3:44 PM EDT{"commentId":1823248,"authorDomain":"goswald50"}
I agree, 100%. Since when does the "father of our country" feed and cloth and house others before his own??? I would like a list of products, all kinds, that are made in the U.S.A. and OWNED by U.S. companies!!
{"commentId":1823248,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"goswald50"}
{"commentId":1823273,"authorDomain":"meme251"}
You are so correct about Sam Walton - even had the American Flag draped on front of his buildings. That is the slogan and the reason why people made him and his family multi millionaires. Have to search hard and fast to find something made in the good old USA. No more made in China or any other country for me. It is over, finish - adios and goodbye.
I am real proud of myself, however, in packing to move I found only two items made in China. Those two items were gifts, so, am keeping them. As far as food goes , I check packaging now. My two grandchildren are aware of the child labor used to produce toys, etc that they purchase in Dollar Store, to name one. They have decided to check it out and do without if it is not made in the USA. I am very proud of them.
I will pay more for a USA product which means that I am supporting the American worker. We all need to be cognizant of our Country and its people.
{"commentId":1823273,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"meme251"}
{"commentId":1822825,"authorDomain":"merlie"}
I wish there was a list I could go to of products, etc. that are made in America. It would really help.
{"commentId":1822825,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"merlie"}
#8 - Tue May 20, 2008 3:51 PM EDT{"commentId":1822894,"authorDomain":"mdeeter"}
I support buying American; however, one thing I will not buy that is American-made is a car. For me, there is a clear difference between American v. foreign. I also don't support labeling others "unpatriotic" for buying something made in China, mind you their money is helping fund our "war."
{"commentId":1822894,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"mdeeter"}
#9 - Tue May 20, 2008 4:08 PM EDT{"commentId":1827762,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
Wait, what? Since when are we at war with China?
{"commentId":1827762,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1827911,"authorDomain":"anthopos"}
As I pointed out above, you can get cars from Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai that are American made. And soon Kia will be building cars in the U.S.
{"commentId":1827911,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"anthopos"}
{"commentId":1828600,"authorDomain":"jnaogrady"}
wow you just dont get it. where do you think the money your spending goes? sure an 16th might hit our economy. the rest goes to japan or Korea. im sure that very few americans realize we would be speaking Japanese if not for our industrial might in world war 2. ps the planes that attacked pearl harbor were built by Mitsubishi
{"commentId":1828600,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"jnaogrady"}
{"commentId":1829379,"authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
And the Nazis were fueled by Coke. Your point?
{"commentId":1829379,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"Henryvii"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1829985,"authorDomain":"anthopos"}
And Mercedes supplied a lot of vehicles to the Nazis. What does that have to do with today? Sure a lot of the money goes to another country, but the wages paid to the American workers goes into our economy. The taxes paid by the manufacturing plants goes to our government. The utilities bills paid go into our economy. And a lot of parts used in making those autos are made here in the U.S.A. by American workers.
{"commentId":1829985,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"anthopos"}
{"commentId":1822943,"authorDomain":"quality-lumber"}
Quote Talk about needing the proverbial "brick" HELLO! Why has it taken the downslide of the USA to make people understand that if you want to live HERE you need to support HERE. The same with the GREEN movement. If you want to live HERE, protect it!! Too many people living in the United States now without the vested interest in protecting the USA. If you want to live here, no matter WHO you are, you live as an American. A true Red, While and Blue American. Salute the Flag, honor the Pledge of Allegiance, speak the language!
I work hard every day to support my two children. Two children born into a loving home, with two parents, of age to care for children. My work load doubled when their father passed away, but I work everyday and do not feel "entitled" to a government handout. For the last 5 years I have made a huge effort to buy "American made". It's not easy, so many companies have gone overseas for production. I believe in the USA and if it means I have eaten my last Hershey bar, because production is leaving the USA, it's their loss, not mine.
Hear me loud and clear when I tell you I will NOT be voting for a president with Muslim ties, who refuses to Salute the Flag or honor the Pledge of Alliegiance. Nor will I vote for a president that has listened to his Pastor stir up Racial accusations for years, then suddently denounce him to further his career. Stop looking for a presidential candidate to turn this country around and look hard enough to make sure you aren't handing control over to someone who is ABSOLUTELY going to lead it down the path of no return.
It is OUR job, each and everyone of us, to turn this country around. Just make sure we have a leader that allows us that freedom.
If you don't agree with me, congratulations! You are exercising one of your many freedoms that you are about to lose if you don't vote, and vote properly.
{"commentId":1822943,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"quality-lumber"}
#10 - Tue May 20, 2008 4:21 PM EDT{"commentId":1823337,"authorDomain":"etripke"}
I can agree with some of this, but not all. First of all what exactly IS made in America now days? It seems like not much, especially with the auto industry that on average only produces roughly 20% or less of the actual vehicle. It is laughable to watch fools buy inferior "American" made cars which lack decent quality and are over priced just for the sake of buying "American".
Corporate America has taken over this country. It is all about their profits, and those of their shareholders and nothing about the American worker or our society.
As far as your comments about who you will or will not vote for...your choice, but be careful what you wish for. The Republicans offer nothing for this country, unless your interested in more war, and more protection of the upper class/corporate America. We need someone with vision and the intestinal fortitude to interrupt the status quot and bring this country back to some sanity while making for a strong military which is not over stressed, and bring focus on the war where it SHOULD be. Diplomacy has to be a central focus now the the current administration has destroyed the trust and sympathy that the rest of the world offered us after 9/11.
{"commentId":1823337,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"etripke"}
{"commentId":1823947,"authorDomain":"pygrlg"}
This is for Lynn-sorry but your statements about Barack Obama need fact-checking-please read the following article from Fact Check.org. I have gotten these same statements from bogus emails-hope this helps.
That Chain E-mail Your Friend Sent to You Is (Likely) Bogus. Seriously.
March 18, 2008
by Lori Robertson
I've noticed that chain e-mails, particularly those about politics, have a lot of things in common: urgent and frightening messages; spelling errors; a tendency to blame mainstream media for not telling the real story; and false, misleading, utterly bogus, and completely off-base claims.
If there was ever a case where readers should apply a guilty-until-proven-innocent standard, this is it. We at FactCheck.org ask the public to be skeptical about politicians' claims. With these e-mails, outright cynicism is justified. Assume all such messages are wrong, and you'll be right most of the time.
Yes, there are a few chain e-mails floating around the Web that are actually true – but not many. And when it comes to messages about the top presidential contenders, truth in e-mail is an elusive quality. In our Ask FactCheck feature, launched late last year, we've looked into several e-mails our readers have sent to us. We're just getting started, but overwhelmingly they have turned out to be false. Snopes.com has been investigating e-mail and other urban legends since 1995, and the site's founders, Barbara and David Mikkelson, have written articles about 31 e-mails about Barack Obama and Hillary (and Bill) Clinton. Only two e-mails were completely accurate. While a handful had elements of truth in them or couldn't be verified, the vast majority were flat-out false.
Another writer who debunks rumor and lore is David Emery, author of About.com's Urban Legends page. He lists seven e-mails about Hillary Clinton and five about Barack Obama. His verdict: 12 false and misleading, 0 true.
We have yet to see e-mails about John McCain, and Emery notes a decidedly anti-Democrat tilt to the bulk of the e-mail chatter. But there's still plenty of time before the election. In 2004, a left-leaning e-mail claimed the Bush administration was quietly pushing legislation to reinstate the military draft. The claim was bogus, but the e-mail prompted such paranoia that a GOP-controlled House overwhelmingly voted down a bill to reinstate the draft just to show that it rejected the measure. Snopes has chronicled two claims about McCain – both were true, and one was a positive story.
In an e-mail to FactCheck.org, Emery says in 10 years of this line of work, he has looked into a thousand or so e-mails. Pressed to give a ballpark figure for how many are true, he responds: "I'd venture to say that less than a tenth of what's circulating out there at any given time turns out to be 100% true. A substantially larger portion – maybe around half of all the emails or a little more – contain a mixture of facts and falsehoods." Then, there's a little thing called "spin." "You can take a string of incontrovertible facts and present them in such a way that they point to a false conclusion."
As for e-mails with political themes, Emery, who has been at this longer than we have, says the phenomenon has increased greatly in recent years, with a marked surge in 2004 with attacks on John Kerry. "I'm tempted to say that Internet rumor-mongering has become, for lack of a better word, 'integral' to the political process over the past few election cycles." Internet-fueled innuendo has prompted stronger and quicker responses from the candidates, says Emery, who adds that it's unclear whether or not any of these e-mails were written by political staffers themselves. "It's possible, and I think even likely, that at least a few of these rumors were started by political operatives, but I'm not aware of any hard evidence of that."
More Popular = More Likely to Be Bogus
We've noticed that the more times something is forwarded, the more likely it is to be false. We suggested this perverse theory when we threw cold water on the claim that the United Kingdom, or the University of Kentucky, had stopped teaching about the Holocaust. E-mails about Obama, for instance, have been particularly popular – they now rank as No. 3 on Snopes.com's list of the 25 Hottest Urban Legends and one rumor holds the No. 1 spot in Emery's top 25. But only one of the e-mails these sites have examined is true – and actually only a certain version of it passes the truth test.
This is the one claiming that Obama didn't put his hand over his heart while the Star Spangled Banner played. That specific allegation is correct, as documented in a photo of presidential candidates at an Iowa steak fry. But it's false, as some versions of the e-mail said, that he "will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag." We debunked this and other legends about Obama early this year after receiving a rush of questions about them. Again, for the record, he is not a Muslim, his middle name is not Mohammed, and he placed his hand on a Bible when he was sworn into the Senate. And he puts his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge of Allegiance. We even have pictures to prove it.
Still, two months after we wrote that story, we continue to get messages from readers asking about his patriotism, his religion, his church and whether he'll take the presidential oath with the Quran.
Often, the message itself includes major red flags that should alert readers that the author is not to be trusted. Here are just a few of what we'll call Key Characteristics of Bogusness:
The author is anonymous. Practically all e-mails we see fall into this category, and anytime an author is unnamed, the public should be skeptical. If the story were true, why would the author not put his or her name on it?
The author is supposedly a famous person. Of course, e-mails that are attributed to legitimate people turn out to be false as well. Those popular messages about a Jay Leno essay and Andy Rooney's political views are both baloney. And we found that some oft-quoted words attributed to Abraham Lincoln were not his words at all.
There's a reference to a legitimate source that completely contradicts the information in the e-mail. Some e-mails will implore readers to check out the claims, even providing a link to a respected source. We're not sure why some people don't click on the link, but we implore you to do so. Go ahead, take the challenge. See if the information you find actually backs up the e-mail. We've examined three such e-mails in which the back-up material clearly debunks the e-mail itself. One message provided a link to the Tax Foundation, but anyone who followed it would have found an article saying the e-mail's figures were all wrong. Another boasted that Snopes.com had verified the e-mail, but Snopes actually said it was false.
The message is riddled with spelling errors. Ask yourself, why should you trust an author who is not only anonymous but partially illiterate?
The author just loves using exclamation points. If the author had a truthful point to make, he or she wouldn't need to put two, three, even five exclamation points after every other sentence. In fact, we're developing another theory here: The more exclamation points used in an e-mail, the less true it actually is. (Ditto for excessive use of capital letters.)
The message argues that it is NOT false. This tip comes from Emery, who advises skepticism for any message that says, "This is NOT a hoax!"
There's math involved. Check it. One message that falsely claimed more soldiers died during Bill Clinton's term than during George W. Bush's urged, "You do the Math!" We did. It's wrong.
We hope that by writing about some of these messages we can enlighten a few readers and arm some of them with ammunition against their e-mail-forwarding friends. But clearly our battle against the viral e-mail monster has just begun. Months after debunking a popular piece of rubbish about Nancy Pelosi's plan to tax your retirement savings and give the revenue to illegal immigrants, we're still getting questions about whether it could possibly be true. Let me repeat: It's not.
In another item on a common falsehood (but not yet, as far as we know, an e-mail legend), we suggested that a reader try ridiculing his friends to dispel their apocryphal beliefs. And we were serious. If the cold hard truth – or even an ounce of common sense – isn't an effective weapon in combating a bogus notion, what is?
It seems that no matter the facts, the desire to believe some of this stuff is just too strong. Emery, too, has come to believe that there's not enough proof in the world to stop certain political propaganda. "I have come to the conclusion that especially where political rumors are concerned, most people are so locked into a particular world view that they tend to reject any information, no matter how well supported, that contradicts their cherished assumptions," he says. "It's scary, actually how polarized we have become."
In a 2004 report on this topic, our director, Brooks Jackson, called for an end to the e-mail madness, saying, "This cyber-sickness should stop. All it takes is a little bit of common sense and skepticism, some curiosity and a few keystrokes. Nailing these lies can even be fun."
Apparently, lots of Americans didn't heed the call. If you don't find checking out these e-mails to be fun, or just don't have time, I suggest an easier alternative: a healthy use of the delete key.
Copyright © 2003 - 2008, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
FactCheck.org's staff, not the Annenberg Center, is responsible for this material.
{"commentId":1823947,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"pygrlg"}
{"commentId":1823111,"authorDomain":"sn4265"}
Seems to me the best way to improve our options for buying American, is the FairTax. Passage of the FairTax Act would bring jobs and factories back to our own shores. American industry would have a huge incentive to bring manufacturing jobs back to what would become the most tax friendly place in the world for business. The resulting surge in manufacturing would reverse our growing trade deficit further protecting our economy.
Make you vote this fall count. Demand of your Senators and Representatives the passage of the biggest economic stimulus in history. Halt the disturbing trend of off-shoring American jobs. Passing the FairTax Act will accomplish these items and more. Don't take my word for it, learn more for yourself. Visit www.fairtax.org for more information about the most important piece of legislation before Congress.
{"commentId":1823111,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"sn4265"}
- 1 vote
#11 - Tue May 20, 2008 4:56 PM EDT{"commentId":1828783,"authorDomain":"erin-miller11"}
I wrote a congressman that is running for election this nov. about the fair tax- and his response was that it left the door open to many tax increase hikes with the items that would be taxed. How do you respond to that? It seems like a legitimate argument- I am just learning about the Fair Tax- but it really looks like something to advocate for. I am stumped however as to how to respond to the argument that it would leave the door open to tax hikes.
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{"commentId":1830465,"authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
I am just learning about the Fair Tax
The most important thing to learn about it is that the name is a marketing gimmick, not a policy. Ask any two people and you will get three different definitions of the word "fair" when applied to taxation.
The typical American wants everything now, but doesn't want to pay for it, ever. No "Fair Tax" is going to fix that problem: we first need a commitment to only enact laws and programs that we are willing to pay for in the here and now. Some form of balanced budget amendment (allowing for deficit spending only during times of declared war) would be a better start than this "Fair Tax."
Note my exception: Bush would not be able to fund his Iraq adventure via deficit spending under it: there is no legal declaration of war between Iraq and the US. Police actions or "authorizations for the use of force" would explicitly not count. Only war, which is an existential threat by definition.
Many state governments are saddled with constitutional requirements to balance their budgets, by the way. If Maryland can manage, the Federal Government can as well.
{"commentId":1830465,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1832131,"authorDomain":"sn4265"}
Let me attempt to respond to both of these comments. First of all, let me explain that I too am learning about the FairTax, but the more I learn the more I want to learn about it.
In response to E in Id, I am a bit stumped by this response also. I'm stumped only in that I'm not sure I understand the point. My response however would be that if the FairTax is passed as written in HR 25, the tax would be a single rate applied to all retail purchases evenly. The plan includes a "supermajority" (I believe this means a 2/3rds majority) requirement to apply any exclusions to the tax as this breaks the very premises upon which the system is founded. Increasing the overall tax rate means that you would be increasing taxes for everyone across the board. No one group is targeted or excluded, so it is in everyone's interest to discourage increases by Congress. The final thought on this is, the current tax code is more than 60,000 pages and has been modified more than 16,000 times since 1986. I personally would like to take my chances with the new system rather than continue with the current system that is proven to be broken.
Now, on to AdipicAcid... The authors of the FairTax plan, and myself, agree with you that spending absolutely needs to be reigned in. However, they are focused on the collection side as it is just as broken and more detrimental to the US economy. The compliance costs, embedded taxes, and numerous other points in the FairTax books demonstrate that the FairTax should be an enormous boon to the US economy sparking tremendous growth. Another benefit of implementing this kind of collection system is that everyone will know immediately when Congress has upped the tax rate to pay for a new spending program. This will hopefully lead to our elected officials thinking twice before passing new spending bills.
I hope this helps.
Scott
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- 1 vote
{"commentId":1833125,"authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
However, they are focused on the collection side
Which is akin to the proverbial drunk looking for his keys under the streetlight because "it's brighter over here." It doesn't address the problem.
{"commentId":1833125,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1833168,"authorDomain":"sn4265"}
Not at all... This is more akin to a tornado just ravaged your neighborhood. Your house is a wreck, but still livable and your car is pretty much broke. Which one do you get fixed first? The car, so you can continue going to work and the store and dropping your kids off at school in the morning, or the house? I would say that you fix the car. Fixing the car allows you to keep going to work to make money such that the lights stay on and you get to keep feeding yourself and your family. This is not to say that the house can be ignored, or put off.
I completely agree that government spending is out of control. This needs to be fixed just as badly as the completely broken income tax system. One fault I find in your reasoning here is you are making this argument as if Congress only has the ability to deal with a single issue at a time. Granted, I'll agree that with their track record, I would rather have them focused on one thing at a time and then maybe they won't screw that up so bad, but come on... There is no reason that Congress can't pass the FairTax and be working in parallel on spending control.
The real point here, is that an enormous amount of the American public actually LIKE the ridiculous level of government. They like the thought that our government is out there to punish the evil rich and rich corporations. They like getting all of the government handouts and programs. Spending in my opinion definitely needs to be fixed, but that is truly more of a conservative issue. The FairTax is really much more of a fix that benefits everyone. The elimination of having to file income taxes and track everything that goes along with it, and the enormous economic benefits are of tremendous value to us all.
Yes. Fix spending. Yes. Reduce the amount of bureaucracy. These are things that are absolute necessities in my mind. However, don't simply shutdown what would be the greatest economic boost to our economy since the end of the Great Depression simply because it doesn't address government largesse.
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{"commentId":1833240,"authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
Considering the Congress' willingness to borrow when money is not available, cutting off revenue will do nothing more than screw our grandchildren even further.
The "Fair" Tax is a gimmick. A slick con job to take focus off of the real problem.
And I must address this:
The elimination of having to file income taxes and track everything that goes along with it, and the enormous economic benefits are of tremendous value to us all.
A National Sales Tax (which is a much, much more accurate term for your suggestion) would not reduce the tax collection bureaucracy: it would simply shift it around. Every person who had a garage sale, used E-bay, or in any way sold goods or services would need to report such sales to the Federal Government in addition to the reporting that already must be done under state laws. If you decide to exempt them, then you can hardly call the tax "Fair" because once you grant one exemption, expect every special interest group in the world to call for tweaking for their pet projects as well and we end up right back where we started.
In fact, it is quite likely that the simplest way to collect such a tax would be to require quarterly filings by the individual tax payer on what they spent and remitting the required tax to the IRS. Such a policy could be easily audited by tracking bank records, but it sure as hell doesn't sound like "getting the government off of my back."
{"commentId":1833240,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"acidreflux"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":6075870,"authorDomain":"notavalid"}
Every person who had a garage sale, used E-bay, or in any way sold goods or services would need to report such sales to the Federal Government in addition to the reporting that already must be done under state laws.
I am not a lawyer, but if I remember correctly all of those already have to be reported as income.
{"commentId":6075870,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"notavalid"}
{"commentId":1823121,"authorDomain":"bsmukler"}
I think it's a good quiz. It brings out the fact that American companies and American products are not always the same thing (ditto for "foreign" companies and goods). It is truly a global economy, and most large companies source products and labor in many locations. One American sports clothing company, consistently ranked as one of the top corporations to work for, sources products in about sixty countries.
Still, there certainly are plenty of choices for buying American, if you are willing to look. For example, I wear work boots, and Red Wing and Danner (as well as Chippewa) still make many of their boots here.
As for the comment regarding vehicles, I have purchased approximately thirty new vehicles and have noticed a dramatic increase in quality (design, components, and assembly) in American cars and trucks since the late 90's. I am on my 4th Jeep right now, and it is superbly designed and built.
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- 1 vote
#12 - Tue May 20, 2008 4:59 PM EDT{"commentId":1823157,"authorDomain":"alolson59"}
I agree with Merle. Is there a list out there somewhere? Does anybody have a link to a website?
{"commentId":1823157,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"alolson59"}
#13 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:06 PM EDT{"commentId":1823192,"authorDomain":"jackson-kittilea"}
I would love to support America...and I do, when I can...unfortunatly, many of our favorite and most needed products are made in far and away places...I say, we continue to do what we can, when we can, so that America may become the superpower it once was...
{"commentId":1823192,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"jackson-kittilea"}
#14 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:12 PM EDT{"commentId":1823247,"authorDomain":"giovannashouse"}
I want to address the article about people growing their own food. I am 51 years old and I have not been able to work since may of 2005 due to a brain injury I received in an attack at my place of work in 2004. I tried desperately to go back to work but the doctors took me back off. My husband was in an accident in which his tire blew and he rolled his SUV 6 times and was hit by a semi, a month after I was injured and is almost totally deaf and has a lot of health issues.The doctors have been urging him to get disability but he refuses, he is still hoping he will get better. Anyway we have managed to beg and borrow until I finally had to go and get food stamps. Wanting to be a conscientious food stamp and do everything properly I went to the UDSA food stamp site to ask questions. I clicked on the button that says"What can I buy with Food Stamps" and lo an behold it says you can buy food, and seeds and plants to grow food and that the states cannot alter this. What a great idea. I thought it was a great idea to save the taxpayers money, get better food, and get more food for your stamps. The information I got from my food stamp office never mentioned this so I called them. They had never heard this and no you cannot. After calling the state office and talking to two supervisors the answer they came back with was, "yes you can buy seeds and plants to grow food with food stamps." It really made me mad that they did not know this at my local office and argued with me about it even after I gave them their own website and the federal one which both stated it clearly in plain English. I even emailed the supervisor at this office and she has not answered my email. People should be aware of this. Anyway, I tried it and yes it works at Wal-Mart anyway. They told me it should work anywhere that takes food stamps. So if you happen to know anyone who is unfortunate enough to have to use food stamps please pass this along. And don't be surprised if your local office says no. Check our the national site and inform them. Here is the link to the USDA Food Stamp site. #10
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- 4 votes
#15 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:26 PM EDT{"commentId":1823258,"authorDomain":"d-kulka"}
I am thinking Syntax Olevia LCD/Hdtv areaa merican made here in Tempe Arizona.... I know they are struggling cause americans are buying anything Asian but...
{"commentId":1823258,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"d-kulka"}
#16 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:29 PM EDT{"commentId":1823260,"authorDomain":"dbrack"}
Regarding the comment about 'Made in America' above...i can not post links on this comment forum, but one of the things Tom Delay got in trouble for was promoting sweatshops in the American controlled Mariana Islands that produce items sold in America with the 'Made in America' label, but were made by immigrants from China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and they were exempt from protection by U.S. labor and minimum wage laws.
I see a lot of similar sentiments typical of 'what happened to proud to be an American worker'. PROFIT. That is what happened. The number one priority of corporations is to.....make money for it's share holders. That is their bottom line (if they are public, share-based, which most are). The result is that they (American Corporations) take their products to China or any other country and have that country (and it's workers) make the toy and then bring it back here for a horrendous profit. We don't by Chinese toys in Walmart..We buy toys made for American Corporations (disney, matel, etc.) in sweatshops in China. My grandfather still complains about his RedWing boots being made in China - and i frequently tell him that RedWings is an American company and he should call them up and tell to bring the product back here to be made.
The same goes for the shrimp we buy at Albertsons or wherever. As a result of NAFTA or any other such globalization law, it is much more profitable to buy shrimp from fishermen in Latin America or Thailand (name the country) and ship it here and sell it, than it is to pay a fisherman in Lousiana. PROFIT. But consumers are as much to blame as the companies. The companies don't print money, we give it to them..., which is to say we reward them in the form of record profits for not giving a damn about making a product in America. If we collectively stopped buying Barbies tomorrow I would bet lots of money that Matel (I think they make Barbie) would open up shop right here in America as soon as possible (and there are enough Barbies on craigslist or ebay or in thrift stores that we could survive a few months without buying a new one..gasp).
Want to bring skilled craftsmen back to America, products that skilled craftsmen make?....then the laws need to be changed. We have free trade agreements with all sorts of countries for a reason..they make the products and our corporations sell them here without worrying about import tariffs. If we get out of those agreements tomorrow, it might not be any more profitable for Matel to have Barbie made in China than it would be in Detroit (or whatever city). Bush essentially walked away from the non-proliferation treaty (nuclear), he could do the same with our free-trade agreements abroad tomorrow, too...but he won't. Neither will McCain or Hillary or Barak, thanks mostly to the power that such interests have in lobbying. But if enough of us contact our elected officials, such that our influence begins to counter that of the lobbyists (lobbyists don't get them elected, we do), then a change toward 'made in America' may begin.
Good luck to us all,
Dave
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- 1 vote
#17 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:30 PM EDT{"commentId":1823263,"authorDomain":"get2me4abc"}
Fine. But remember the age-old truism: "If goods don't cross borders, troops will!"
Get over it. Buy the best products in the price-range you feel comfortable with no matter where they are made. Get competitive and productive in whatever field you are employed so other folks will buy from your industry. If your industry dies, don't let it take you with it. Find another that can be competitive in a world-wide market (even if it means getting up off your duff and learning new skills).
All those lead to being able to live long and prosperous lives.
{"commentId":1823263,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"get2me4abc"}
#18 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:31 PM EDT{"commentId":1823284,"authorDomain":"abbanana2"}
As a kid in Taiwan it was one of my happy moments when my family received packages sent from my parents' friends here in America. Now I've been living in the States for over twenty years and proud of being one of my fellow citizens. I think that it is our companies steal our jobs by moving manufatories overseas. Why? Profits. Even a lot of local companies are hiring illegal immigrants to reduce costs. What is the definition of " Made in USA". How about companies owned by non-Americans but making goods for Americans here in the States?
{"commentId":1823284,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"abbanana2"}
#19 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:36 PM EDT{"commentId":1823286,"authorDomain":"goswald50"}
We need to start requiring equal trade from other countries. Don't Finland and Russia do that??? If I sell you 10,000 lbs. of peaches, then and ONLY then will I buy 10,000 lbs. of what we need from you or we will do without!!
{"commentId":1823286,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"goswald50"}
#20 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:37 PM EDT{"commentId":1823313,"authorDomain":"johndinunno333"}
This whole discussion is stupid...with a capital S...Why, you may ask? We all...well most of us shop at all the popular chain stores...c'mon...admit it. Well at least these other countries are proud enough to label the products they make and weigh them down with some Lead...I wonder what the big hooey is all about...I wonder...Why Now!!!??? How much of and for how long has their substandard manufacturing been poisoning us?
{"commentId":1823313,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"johndinunno333"}
#21 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:44 PM EDT{"commentId":1823360,"authorDomain":"denalirocks"}
The whole issue of buying American cars is truly confounding. On the one hand, I'd like to support American autoworkers, but many American cars aren't even made in the US. They might be assembled here, but even then, I think many are made in Mexico or Canada or mostly of foreign made parts. Also, there is a clear quality difference. I don't understand why a Japanese car company, using American workers can produce such high quality and efficiency that the American owned companies can't. Maybe I'm rationalizing wanting a better car, but I feel like I support American autoworkers when I buy a car they assembled, even if the profits go back to Japan. Heck, they designed and built a better car, they should get paid for that. Maybe someone here knows more and can enlighten me as to why I should buy a car sold by an American car company as opposed to a car built in the US by a foreign company.
{"commentId":1823360,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"denalirocks"}
- 1 vote
#22 - Tue May 20, 2008 5:57 PM EDT{"commentId":1823376,"authorDomain":"etripke"}
We are well beyond that fix. Half the produce sold here is from a different country anyway. We have little or no control over how they grow it, what chemicals are sprayed on them etc.
{"commentId":1823376,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"etripke"}
#23 - Tue May 20, 2008 6:01 PM EDT{"commentId":1823395,"authorDomain":"dcpolitico"}
I represent people who import merchandise and have an intimate knowledge of where and how things are made. Of course everyone is entitled to buy what they want, but they are deluding themselves if they truly believe that what they are buying that is marked "made in the US" is always 100% made here.
Chances are the California carrots they buy at the supermarket were actually grown in California, but were washed, sorted, and packed in Mexico and then re-imported to the US.
The only television assembly factory left in the country assembles the most sophisticated plasma televisions here, but they are made mostly from Japanese parts. In fact, the countries from which most TVs come are Mexico, Malaysia, China, Korea and the like, with hardly any made in Japan. Go to your local Best Buy or Circuit City and look. Bet you won't find one that says made in Japan. In fact, while plasma televisions are marketed under more than 30 to 50 brand names, last time I looked there were only four companies in the entire world that actually make the front panel assembly (Fujitsu, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung).
The acrylic fiber used in virtually all clothing comes from outside the US, since we no longer make it here. So, even though the end product, such as a sweater, indicates it was made in the US, the components from which it was made may not. Want a pair of shoes - not everyone can afford Cole/Hahn, which is about the only fine footwear still made here. And so forth.
Nor is this exclusively a US "problem." Some companies, for example, Waterford, want you to believe their products are made overseas in a particular country, such as Ireland. But will they advise you that some of their best selling stemware, such as the famous Lismore pattern is mostly made in the Czech Republic and only finished in Ireland. No, they won't, even though the Czechs have a humongous glass industry making everything from the most basic to the most high-end fabulous goods, such as Moser, which few, if any people know about.
The fact of the matter is that we live in an INTERDEPENDENT world, and what most people don't know is that while we import many or most consumer goods, we export a lot of stuff, mostly agricultural and industrial products, which most people don't see on their shelves. We also export an incredible amount of services and intellectual property, such as entertainment.
Nor were all-American products made in the good old days of the 50s through 70s necessarily safer than today's imports. My dad owned a toy store and I can guarantee that a very high percentage of toys made during that time in the good old US of A were coated with lead paint, unlike today's toys. The fact of the matter is that only a small percentage of the imported toys subject to recent media attention contained lead paint, and an even smaller percentage were of a type that would actually be ingested by infants or small children. As we have gotten more savvy concerning what is safe, we have also gotten pickier about publicity, especially when a story is picked up by the press or politicians and used for their own purposes.
Finally, we hear a lot about other countries counterfeiting US products which are trademarked, copyrighted or patented. Of course, this is illegal and can even be dangerous when the counterfeit is unsafe. However, consumers should also be cognizant that the US was one of the very first countries in the world which stole ideas from abroad. The time we in the US first started developing our industries in the 18th century was the height of the industrial revolution. The very first large industry in this country was the New England textiles and apparel industry, and we stole mercilessly virtually all the British inventions which allowed successful spinning of yarn and weaving and knitting it into cloth. This is something we have chosen to forget.
So, while I certainly have no objection to people buying what they want, don't tell me it was all 100% made here because I know better. The labels on most goods contain "legal" and not "factual" descriptions of where things were made. If we wanted labels to tell us everything, they would be too big to put on the products and their production would raise the prices beyone what most people could afford to pay.
{"commentId":1823395,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"dcpolitico"}
#24 - Tue May 20, 2008 6:06 PM EDT{"commentId":1823403,"authorDomain":"alb57"}
I made the commitment to buy only American made products whenever possible about a year ago. I do buy a lot of my clothes online, but I do manage to find some in the stores. I found some American made nightgowns at Macy's a couple weeks ago. Buy Munro American shoes almost exclusively, and found some New Balance shoes made in the US online. I was shocked to find out how much is not made here. I couldn't even find rubber gloves made in the US. Very discouraging. I go out of my way to buy everything I can US made and US headquartered. Fortunately, I have always bought American cars, and I know they are as good as any Honda or Toyota or anything else. I have been an advocate for buying American, and I have gotten people at work to re-think what they buy. I am on a mission to save our jobs and our country.
{"commentId":1823403,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"alb57"}
- 1 vote
#25 - Tue May 20, 2008 6:08 PM EDT{"commentId":4658199,"authorDomain":"xb12lightning"}
Thank God for you and for people like you. You will save this
country from all this outsourcing madness. Buy American the job you save
could be your own.
{"commentId":4658199,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"xb12lightning"}
{"commentId":1823483,"authorDomain":"tjhbob"}
Let's put the United back in The united States of America
{"commentId":1823483,"threadId":"267215","contentId":"1500998","authorDomain":"tjhbob"}
- 1 vote
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