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Letter to the editor

It's a grand old flag - but only if it's made in U.S., some states say

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 4, 2007

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. - What's red, white and blue - and made in China?

On this Independence Day, a move is on in state legislatures to ensure that the flags folks fly and buy were made on this fruited plain.

Minnesota has passed the strongest measure, a new law that goes into effect at year's end requiring that every Old Glory sold in state stores be domestically produced. Violations will be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1, 000 fine and 90 days in jail.

In Arizona, schools and public colleges were required, starting July 1, to outfit every classroom from junior high on up with a made-in-the-USA flag. Tennessee requires that all U.S. flags bought via state contract be made here, and similar bills are moving forward in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Fourth of July is considered peak season for flag sales, with millions of them lining parade routes and flying above backyard barbecues.

Most of the major domestic flagmakers are privately held companies that don't release their sales figures, so it's difficult to gauge the inroads being made by foreign manufacturers.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that $5.3-million worth of U.S. flags were imported from other countries in 2006, mostly from China. That figure has been steady over the past few years. The big exception was in 2001, when $51.7-million worth of U.S. flags were brought into the country, most on the heels of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

To help consumers identify the origin of their flags, the Flag Manufacturers Association of America created a certification program two years ago that bestows a seal-of-approval logo to flags made with domestic fibers and labor.

When Minnesota's bill was debated this spring, some legislators argued that it sent the wrong message to close the state's borders to foreign-produced flags.

"That flag should be made throughout the world because it is our message to the world that there is hope for freedom and justice, " Republican Rep. Dan Severson said at the time.

The law's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Tom Rukavina, said the flag deserves extra protection. To celebrate his legislative victory, he plans to hand out 1, 000 miniature flags at Fourth of July parades in his district.

"The biggest honor that you can give the flag is that it be made by American workers in the United States of America, " he said.

[Last modified July 4, 2007, 01:14:44]