Competitive products restore jobs
For years, we have been discussing at length the importance of reviving manufacturing in America. Many products continue to bear the names of American corporations, but we need to restore no less than 50% of everything now sold in America with an American-made label once again.
It is clear that a growing number of Americans are shopping with the intent of looking at labels and asking for American-made products. After considerable research, we find that for the price we are paying now for items with foreign-made labels, we could be purchasing a competitive American-made product for the same cost. This would allow us to get more Americans employed again. Our research also indicates that one of the major difficulties in restoring America’s industries is that business owners and investors have focused on huge profits derived from foreign labor on products that are able to be sold in America for larger profits.
What is very interesting is that foreign producers are seeing for themselves that America’s importers are making a lot more money than the businesses and people being employed in foreign countries. As a result foreign producers continue to raise the cost of their products to America’s importers, which raises the cost to America’s consumers.
Inflation and the rising prices for foreign products has increased the willingness of America’s businesses to bring back production of their products to the United States, which would expand the American-made label and employ people in the country where we live.
Kindly continue to spread the word about the Buy American Made Campaign and don’t hesitate to send me your comments and suggestions to Michael@AmericanWorkersRadio.com.
Michael Blichasz
Fond memories of the Italian Market
What fun it was to read last week’s front-page report by Mark Zimmaro on the exciting events happening in the Italian Market (“Shining a spotlight on 9th Street Italian Market,” Aug. 19)!
As Zimmaro points out, the title “Italian Market” originates from the fact that this busy commercial area was founded by the large population of Italian immigrants who arrived here at the turn of the 20th century. As an aging child and grandchild of such immigrants, I can testify to those events from memory.
I can still remember riding with my twin brother Danny in a large wooden wagon pulled by our Grandpop Giuseppe DeSanctis, an immigrant from the Abruzzo region of Italy. He met his Italian immigrant wife Virginia in South Philly, married her at Saint Rita’s Church, and settled down on the 1600 block of Passyunk Ave.
Their daughter, Mary DeSanctis Cipollini, gave birth to my twin brother Daniel and me in 1940. We grew up with our maternal grandparents on Passyunk Avenue. So we were still kids when the thriving 9th Street Market was primarily Italian.
Our grandmom Virginia was the family cook. She made everything from scratch, including all pasta dishes. Our grandfather helped with the grocery shopping at the Italian Market. And my brother and I enjoyed the ride back and forth with all kinds of fresh food items like tomatoes, potatoes and the occasional live chicken.
Of course there have been many changes. Immigrants from places like Mexico have added variety to the menu of ingredients available at the Italian Market.
I just enjoyed the nostalgic memories reading this report brought back. I am glad to hear that the old neighborhood and its varied new stores are still thriving and doing business. Thanks to Mark Zimmaro and the South Philly Review for shining a light on this historic neighborhood.
Gloria C. Endres
