A decade of supporting American-made goods
Ten years ago in 2014, we began promoting November as American Made Month. During the last 10 years it has been another opportunity to encourage America’s consumers to look out for our fellow Americans and help the businesses that employ them to remain in business.
During American Made Month and throughout the upcoming holiday shopping season, we ask all supporters to focus on the Buy American Made Campaign and seek out and support American made as often as possible.
We all see that promoting American made will provide a better employment situation in the United States as a result of more American consumers supporting efforts like the Buy American Made Campaign. Together, we are promoting a positive campaign that has seen positive results for America’s businesses, American workers and America’s economy.
Help us promote the businesses making and selling products in the United States by forwarding our message and our internet address to everyone you know. For more information visit AmericanWorkersRadio.com, where there are several links promoting our efforts. Thanks for spreading the word.
I welcome your comments and suggestions. Email them to me at Michael@AmericanWorkersRadio.com.
Michael Blichasz
Cost, profit and quality in manufacturing
As a native-born American whose family immigrated here over a century ago to work in the Second Industrial Revolution, I fully get the point of the letter by Michael Blichasz (“50-50 balance will create jobs”). Of course it is always about the money.
As I recall, having grown up in a home with a family of factory workers, all my Italian-born grandparents were encouraged to emigrate to America to take jobs in factories, of which there were many in Philadelphia. My maternal grandparents were skilled shoemakers, for example. My paternal grandfather was hired by a railroad company to lay down tracks. Even my parents were allowed to leave high school before graduation to work in factories. Of course their wages were all very low, but so was the cost of living.
Gradually all that changed. More and more products were imported, and the American factories closed down. Today, for example, about 99% of all shoes sold in America are made elsewhere. Finding an American-made pair is almost impossible.
Of course it is all about profit. American workers gradually demanded higher wages as the cost of living rose. As Blichasz correctly pointed out, many businesses moved out of the country to avoid any higher costs including higher taxes.
Hearing talk of raising tariffs on foreign imports is concerning. It may be meant to slow down imports, but it will surely raise the costs for American consumers.
As Blichasz strongly suggested, we must find new ways to support American-made products. Of course, we must be willing to encourage a skilled workforce that expects better income and working conditions. That might raise some costs, but it would ensure a better quality of products.
The trick in all this is finding a balance between manufacturing costs and profit. Quality of products must always be a factor. A good pair of shoes made by skilled American workers should outlast any cheap imported product.
So kudos to Michael Blichasz for encouraging November as American Made Month and supporting local manufacturing. Let’s put American workers first.
Gloria C. Endres
