Made in the USA

Just look at the news about our GDP here is a few lines from a BBC article:

US exports declined at a rate of 1.2% in the January to March quarter, while imports rose 2.3%, helping to drag output figures lower.

GDP - which measures the value of all goods and services produced in a country - is considered the best measure of the economic health of the US.

The article is discussing reasons why the US dollar is at the lowest point ever against the Euro.

So why buy American Made?

• The product you buy did not have to be imported
• American made products increase our GDP
• It supports a fellow Americans job.
• Quailty Products
• Keeps America strong rather then helping make other countries strong.
• American factories have to comply with rules that make it better for all of us working people. Many other countries are not familar with the terms “Labor Laws” “Safety” “Pollution” and many more we just take for granted!

There are many more!

Ok so now chocolate is no only makes you fat, but buying it support child labor in some cases. I could have done without knowing this Here is the article

I don’t think the US competes for business in the cocoa bean trade, I just stumbled across this news looking for trade news on the web. The relationship to this sites topic is how do you compete with countries that treat their children like this? These third world countries are so poor that they will pimp out their children for slave labor.

We should not do business with countries that allow this crap. Now I do now that the people do this stuff because there is nothing else to do for a living, not because they pass up good jobs for these. But if the world really wants to help, maybe were slave labor is involved the world should (and this hurts to say) regulate the price and make sure it trickles down. I know that sounds crazy and would probably not work, but problems like this are just sick. Children can’t be children because they world they live in is vile, corrupt, and ignorant. It is hard to believe we live in the same world.

What is the answer?

The article is posted here. Here is a quote from the article.”U.S. gross domestic product, the sum of all goods and services produced, grew at an annual rate of 1.3 percent from January through March after a 2.5 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported in Washington today.”

Although the article did not blame the US GDP as the reason, it does stand to reason that if we made more products here instead of importing them our GNP would be higher and the trade deficit lower right?

Look at this report, yes it is booring. It shows the wages paid for the same type of work done in 32 countries. This report was compiled by U.S. Department of Labor. It shows both ends of the spectrum of pay. Look at Norway compared to Mexico. Looks like the US is in the upper two thirds, not bad except we are expected to compete with those on the bottom. I don’t think this report looks at other cost of doing business either, which I’m sure would drive the US and modern countries way up

India launched it’s first commercial rocket yesterday. Not bad for a country that gained freedom what about 60 years ago or so. Just another reason for us to think hard about making America more competitive. India has a huge population of very hardworking and smart people. That’s a great thing, nothing wrong with that. They are launching an unmanned rocket to the moon soon I think. My point (and it is not anti-Indian) is that we do need to worry about exporting our tech jobs and education there. Why don’t we work on bringing the best and brightest here like we use to? Well for one, the best and brightest they have no longer have to go abroad to ply thier knowledge they can stay home and do it. Again nothing wrong with that at all. It just shows we need to put more importance on educating our children, protecting our technology (don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying they still our ideas, they are smart hard working people). So are we, and we need to keep our edge. No a rocket is not the same as men on the moon, or a space shuttle but it is a great start. We can’t keep them from competing with us, nor should we try. We should continue to set the bar (and we are) today its rockets, tomorrow its planes. I read the other day that China is going into the commercial jet biz soon.

What do the side view mirrors say “object appear closer then they are” well not in this case unless we ignore the view.

Read the article here, this probably is not what our US auto firms need right now. With the news Toyota is taking over the top stop from the US giant another player is about to enter our market.

Competition can be very good. I think our US auto makers need to fall out of love with SUV’s and trucks and get craking on some smaller cool sedans. What was Ford thinking when the axed the Taurus.

Today I added Charter Arms to the site. They proudly market the fact they are “Made in the USA”

It is harder then one would think to find products that proudly declare “made in the USA” I don’t know if it is on purpose because of the Global Market they wish to stay off the radar or is it just an oversight?

If you find a company you would like to get see added please let me know. I do have a couple more to add this week, just have to find the time.

My wife and I often are at odds over CEO pay, endorsment pay, and the like. We both are pro-business (very much so in fact). My wife works in big business moving lots and lots of money, some people in her industry make a lot of money. They work hard and they are good at what they do and most of us can’t understand what they do because they trained and worked at it for years. So when I tell my wife did you see the news what so and so made last year, that’s crazy. So of course my wife tells me “no one is ever over paid”. Of course in private business she is right, if they get someone dumb enough to give them that amount of money why should they not take it right. So my argument is yes, you are right, but they won’t get a dime from me. And they won’t get any of my money, because I refuse to spend money on some products.

So my point is trying to apply some balance to the trade imbalance we find ourselves in. Can we blame a CEO for making his products in China were they have people to work for next to nothing? Would you if you were in those shoes? I might if I felt I would go out of business if I did not. But the bottem line is the bottem line. If the CEO finds a market for certain goods he/she will make and bring those products to market. If enough of us don’t express an interest in products that are made in the USA, why would they risk a large investment to bring those products to market. It is their money they are risking, not ours. So lets create that market. Lets tell them that we would rather keep some jobs and our money home, it is our money until we spend it. Vote with your money.

I’m not anti Chinese or anything like that. I just think there is a bigger picture out there. Yes cheap Chinese goods allow us to own more, but I think that cheap purchase comes with some long term cost. We continue to loose our factories and infastructure to produce. We send out more money then we bring in (and lets face it we also borrow the money we send out). We owe are children more then a cheap DVD player. We should not put ourselves in a postition to need anyone but ourselves. We have already lost so much industry we can’t sped money at home on many things, for example computers, TV’s, most electronics. Those jobs are gone and it would take a huge need/reason to bring them home. Lets start the reason before we have the absolute need.

OK that is not my headline, but it did make me stop and read the whole story. And I thought it was a pretty fair look at free trade. It makes some good points about people being anti-business, about exploiting poor nations, and balance.

OK, the good thing here is that the American Company is building a new plant that will employ 700 folks.

Here is what the Indian firm said

“Our investment in Minnesota Steel is exciting as it gives us a cornerstone in the North American market,” said Shashi Ruia, chairman of Essar Global.

This Indian company already employs 3000 americans.

You can read the entire BBC article here