If we buy American-made, we can bring jobs back to America
A recent letter about buying American was a little off. Budweiser will still be made in America so it should still be purchased. However, the letter wriiter should apply his reasoning to other areas of his life. For instance, he should check the tags on his clothes, his children’s toys, his car, his furniture, etc to see if they are made in America. If the American people would have done this in all areas of their lives, manufacturing jobs would not have left this country.
One of the main reasonings behind buying Americcan made products is jobs, the very thing that the letter brushes off as a necessary loss to make a point. I contend that he can make his point by buying locally made products including clothes, toys, cars, and beer, making his point that manufacturers move their plants back to the United States. Once again these companies can provide well -paid jobs to Americans.
My family has always bought American where available and done without if possible when it wasn’t available. This can’t be said for most of the population. There is an old saying about “not saying anything when “they” came for the gypsies, disabled, and now are coming for me and there is no one to complain.” Well they have been coming for “us” for a long time and its unfortunate that until they came for our beer, a lot of us didn’t notice. Maybe this will wake a few people up.
However, our reaction should not be to cause the loss of more American jobs. Instead we need to show them that Americans do it better. Keep making Budweiser the finest product in the United States and lets make it that way in the world. Keep the jobs and headquarters in St. Louis. Then start targeting the companies who make nothing in the United States. Let’s have rallies against places like Walmart who do not stock American made products but support and encourage factories in other countries. Let’s say no to all the unhealthy products made in China and refuse to endanger our children’s health by purchasing toys made without guidelines and rules.
In other words greed and the stock market temporarily rule the world, lets at least keep the jobs in America and refuse to buy anything that isn’t made in America regardless of the owners of the companies. If we truly accept the concept of “buying American MADE products”, we can bring good jobs back to this country.
Penelope Brennell
St. Louis
Penelope
I agree with buying American made products, when you can find them. Tv’s, vcr’s, dvd players, radios, steroes and just about anything electronic, they do not make in this country anymore. Also, most shoes and clothes are made across the big pond. I own 3 Fords and a Harley, and even parts of those are not 100% American made. We need to get back to manufacturing our own goods, sooner than later.
Like JD, I have, and have always.. driven American cars. It amazes me that people are just now thinking about “buying American.” Some of the same people who complain about Bush sending jobs overseas have driven Toyotas for thirty years.
The American consumer is to blame for many of the problems facing the country today. The same people who have spent every dime they have ever made and are in hock up to their necks, complain about our national deficit.
I wouldn’t mind so much if there just wasn’t so much hypocrisy!
Penelope
On my second reading of this letter, Penelope, only wants rallies at Wal-Mart. Why not Target and K-Mart? Wal-Mart is American owned, and Target is owned by the French, K-Mart, I don’t know who owns. To me this sounds like a Union rant against Wal-Mart, and only Wal-Mart.
How about rallies, at all the foreign car dealerships, in and around St. Louis? Why single out Wal-Mart, which is AMERICAN owned?
If this a typical Union rant against, only against Wal-Mart, why do a lot of union members cash their checks and shop there? Seems to me, rallies should be held at non-American owned companies.
JD,
I think she is saying you can rally at all these other stores. Walmart is the 900 lb gorilla in the room. When people give an example they usually use the 900 lb gorilla as the example. Note the use of the phrasing “places like” these include the stores you mention.
Of course if you want a whole litany of places and have the space there are many places you can mention. Local car foreign car companies could be picketed but then many of their cars are made in the US. I am not sure Penelope is saying picket foreign companies she is saying picket foreign companies that sell us goods made outside of the US.
Walmart is one of those that is best know for selling foreign made goods. So I doubt that this is Union issue, I think you are reading more into it than she meant.
I make an american made product. I deliver pizza. EVERYTHING that goes into our product is grown here in the states, from the flour crust to the tomatos in the sauce to the meat and cheese on top.
I dont buy american manufactured goods for the simple reason that the people who make them expect to be paid for their product far more than they are willing to pay others in return.
We lost manufacturing jobs when the people who worked them believed they deserved big screen tvs, month long vacations, and full pay retirement packages, simply because they wanted them. Yet they were unwilling to insure others got the same deal. Workers judged their success by how much better off they were than the next guy.
The jobs went to people who were better off than the next guy if he only asked for electricity, one day off per week, and was allowed to keep working until he died of old age.
If you ask for a little less for yourself, we all get to keep a little more.
BTW, did y’all fail to recognize that the price of gas started going up just AFTER the time we raised the minimum wage? Somebody demanded they get more for the same work, We all pay more for the same quality product.
You want more money? Improve your product/service, change jobs, or take bigger risks. Dont whine about being out of work simply because you charge more than someone else. Demand less of life, and you will have all you desire.
John,
Interesting connection you made between gas and the minimum wage. Tell me what effect does our minimum wage have on the price of gas in Europe? Their price of gas was rising at the same time as ours? Of course the Arabs could have said that those Americans are getting more money at the bottom of the pay scale, so we better raise the price of oil by 50%. Remember minimum wage only meant more in your pocket book if you are not already making more than minimum wage.
Wal-Mart would be happy to have any rally. That would bring them more customers.
Johnh,
Actually South Park already addressed that issue. Everybody showed up to picket Wal Mart and turned into devoted shoppers as a result. They bought items that they had no use. It continued until they killed the Wal-mart store by destroying its heart, which was near the electronics department.
My son-in-law works for Wal-Mart, and they do sell what American made products they are able to get, which isn’t many, just like Target or any other store, even the mom and pop stores.
Owned in america meens more money for america. It will put more money into circulation. The US is going to lose so much money because of AB selling out to InBev. I was born an raised in STL and I’m never drinking AB again. I’m doing my part to help make inbev sell to someone else years down the line and maybe it will be american again. I’ll drink it then. Till then I’m drinking MicroBrews made and owned in america.
Visit http://www.drinkamerican.us