Buy American... this was in my in-box this morning.

[nanabugg]

Can't vouch for accuracy here but it's worth a read.

Subject: MADE IN USA (not a joke) please read

We need to promote 'buying in USA'!!

I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA! That is also why I don't
buy cards at Hallmark anymore, They are made in China and are more
expensive! I buy them at Dollar Tree - 50 cents each and made in USA.

I have been looking at the blenders available on the Internet. Kitchen Aid
is MADE IN the US . Top of my list already ...

Yesterday I was in Wal Mart looking for a wastebasket. � I found some made
in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if
they had any others. She took me to another department and they had some at
$ 2.50 made in USA. They are just as good. Same as a kitchen rug I needed. I
had to look, but I found some made in the USA - what a concept! - and they
were $3.00 cheaper .

We are being brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from China
and Mexico is cheaper . Not so .

I was in Lowe's the other day and just out of curiosity, I looked at the
hose attachments . They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace
Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there.
They were made in USA.

Start looking, people . . ...In our current economic situation, every little
thing we buy or do affects someone else - most often, their job.

My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is now marked
"made in Mexico. " I don't buy it anymore .

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico ... now I have switched to
Crest .
You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger . . . I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce
dryer sheets.
I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally
buy -- was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value ." I picked up both types
of bulbs and compared them: they were the same except for the price . . .
the GE bulbs cost more than the Everyday Value brand, but the thing that
surprised me the most was that that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday
Value brand was made in - you guessed it - the USA at a company in
Cleveland, Ohio.

It's Way past time to start finding and buying products you use every day
that are made right here.

So, on to the next aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets... yep, you guessed it, Bounce
cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand cost less,
and was MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets
performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years, at almost
half the price .

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for
everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job
you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so
we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! �

[louis-t]

1. Still have to be careful. Some say "distributed by".

Doesn't mean they were made there, but good work and I agree.

[Zalatix]

7. Gotta also do research on all things "Made in the USA"

It's no longer safe to believe they're all honest about that, either.

[Ron Obvious]

9. True...

I just made the same point in #7 below, that "Made in USA" may refer to the Marianna Islands where minimum wage and worker safety laws don't apply.

I first read about it in Al Franken's book.

[Sherman A1]

2. Hallmark

Don't know about the other items listed, but some Hallmark is made in China.

[handmade34]

3. buy local if possible

http://www.madeinamericastore.com/

[brush]

4. Love this post

Nanabugg, you are right on the money. I love your post and your encouragement to just look a little harder for things made right here in the US. And you're right about us all thinking that things made in China are cheaper. I'll be scrutinizing labels a lot closer from now on for US made products.

[Skittles]

5. I have been reading the labels for years

I buy American whenever I can

[Prophet 451]

6. I'd buy British...

...if we still made anything here.

[Ron Obvious]

8. Without addressing the specifics...

Without addressing the specifics of the items you mentioned, I have also noticed that made-in America items needn't t necessarily be more expensive than imported equivalents.

Of course, it never was about saving the consumer money, was it? It was about creaming off a higher profit percentage for the parasitical ownership class, rather than "wasting" it on labour.

I may have bought the same kitchen rugs mentioned in the letter. It did say, "Made in USA", but of course, there's no guarantee it wasn't made somewhere like the Mariana Islands