Why buy “Made in the U.S.A.?” Iniquitous competition from international trade, manufacturing, and suppliers threaten the U.S. manufacturing base and workforce by stealing technology and threatening national security, counterfeiting products, polluting our environment, cutting corners on product safety, and exposing our bodies and pets to more toxic chemicals and drug residue due to substandard foreign regulatory practices.
“America**** first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world.” – POTUS, White House Trade Policy Agenda, Feb. 2018
**Era of American Complacency on Trade Is Over **– White House, Jun. 2018
_ **Made in the USA Guidelines **– Federal Trade Commission_
I have always done my best to purchase products made in the U.S.A. because I know it will help keep and create jobs in the country. It only takes a few extra minutes of your precious time to read a label or ask where a specific product originated. Whether it is a vegetable at your local grocery chain, before you order seafood for your plate at a favorite restaurant, or a tool from the hardware store, take a moment to look or ask. We may blame our government for lack of jobs, but truth be told, the citizenry exaggerated the decline in stateside manufacturing and product innovation by not demanding a domestic growth agenda, allowing the political and corporate classes to pursue trade policies that did not prioritize our manufacturing base.
Made in America – ABC Mini-Documentary
China made a mistake retaliating to Trump tariffs: Peter Navarro, Jun. 2018
Made in the U.S.A. might cost a little more depending on the product and your location, but our country has safety and quality standards that make our products to be in high demand around the world**. **The U.S.A. is not perfect, as we have our own shortcomings when it comes to a defective or dangerous product, but we do make the effort to remediate such issues immediately when discovered and incorporate systems of checks and balances to assure product standards are adhered to. An example is the Underwriters Laboratories electrical standards that help prevent electrical fires. If a product does fail, it fails safely due to fire safety standards. Standards require materials that do not support combustion. There are also health standards that prevent toxic chemicals like lead paint in toys and pesticides in food. The list is extensive.
All of the standards have been developed over decades, and yes, they do add an additional cost, but do you want cheap or safe? The saying that you get what you pay for definitely rings true. Even China purchases American-made products because the Chinese know that their own products are not as safe or manufactured to the same high-quality standards.
No matter how small or large your purchase may be, when combined with purchases by other people, it will strengthen our economy, create jobs, and support responsible environmental practices.
Poison Toys from the Middle Kingdom_… “A growing number of toys, foodstuffs and other goods imported by the United States and Europe from China are turning out to be
contaminated with heavy metals and carcinogens.” – Spiegel, Aug. 2007_
China**** Has a History of Selling Dangerous Products to U.S. Consumers… “Lumber Liquidators is just the latest in a string of companies to take heat over the safety of their China-imported products.” – TheStreet, Mar. 2015
Poisoning threat from imported food on the rise_… “
Americans increasingly eat imported foods, meaning those items now account for a growing proportion of food borne disease outbreaks, concludes a federal study. The imported goods most likely to make people sick are fish and produce. Latin America combined with the Caribbean was the most common region whose exports cause illness here. Mexico was at the top of that list.” – NJ.com, Feb. 2017_
Imported Seafood Safety – FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Efforts to Prevent Unsafe Drug Residues_… “
Ninety percent of the seafood eaten in the United States is imported, and about half of that is raised on fish farms. Farmers may treat fish with antibiotics and other drugs because these fish can be susceptible to infections. Misuse of drugs can leave residues in seafood that cause health problems for consumers.” – GAO, Sep. 2017_
Toxic chemicals found in Canadian baby products_… “including baby bibs, mats and blankets, contain chemicals with known links to cancer and hormone-related illnesses, according to a study by the NAFTA.
Two-thirds of 137 items tested, Canadian-made and imported items, contained perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).” – The Star, May 2018_
Green Momma Guide: Chemicals to Avoid… “in the nursery, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and outdoors.” – Women’s Voices
Brazilian chicken a serious health risk… “was shown to have bacterial counts so high that it was not fit for human consumption.” – Global Meat News, Jan. 2018
US**** farmers call for food origin label shake-up_… “The US National Farmers Union (NFU) wrote to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in support of a petition by the Organization for Competitive Markets and American Grassfed Association,
asking it to change current regulations and require that beef be of domestic origin in order to be eligible for the ‘Product of the USA’ label. Any product that is simply processed in the US can be labeled ‘Product of USA. This standard allows beef that is born, raised and slaughtered in another country to be labeled ‘Product of the USA’ provided it passes through a USDA-inspected plant. This permits product labeling that misleads consumers.” – Global Meat News, Aug. 2018_
- _10 popular products you didn’t know were made in Mexico _– CNBC, Jan. 2017
- Made in the USA: 1 Awesome Thing Built in Each State_ –** Popular Mechanics**, Jun. 2017_
- 100 Amazing Products That Are Made in America_ – Best Products, Sep. 2017_
- _15 American-Made Clothing Brands – Wear With Pride _– The Good Trade
- 76 Brands That Are Still Made in America_ – Cheapism, Jun. 2018_
- 50 Best American-Made Products You Can Buy_ – Cheapism, Jun. 2018_
- Here are 100+ brands that are 100% made in the USA_ – Clark, Jul. 2018_
- Connecting American Consumers to American-made Products_ – I Buy American Store_
- _American Made Products Listed by State _– Americans Working
- _Knowing Which Products are Truly Made in America _– Consumer Reports
- Stuff We Love Made In The USA_ – USA Love List_
- A Directory of American Made Products_ – Still Made In The USA_
Metallica – Enter Sandman (Live, Moscow ’91)