Guest Column

Made in America? It's not very likely

By RONALD A. RAE
Published November 15, 2007

Shoes made in America? Nearly all the labels read "Made in China," in particular, tennis shoes. You might find a brand, such as New Balance, that is made in America, but you have to look hard.

Denim jeans made in America? Expect to read the words "Made in Mexico" for nearly every brand. I recently found a pair, which I did not purchase, that advised me they were made in "Mexico of USA." What does that mean? Have illegal immigrants already laid claim to our country's name?

Other clothing made in America? There are a wide variety of clothes imported from foreign nations, but I found none from our very own. Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Honduras and Pakistan are all primary sources of products contributing to America's unemployment rate.

Foods grown in America? Grocery stores are now required to advise us of the country of origin.

Canadian-grown produce is easier to accept than those imported from countries outside our hemisphere, but I refuse to buy navel oranges from South Africa. I support the idea of "going green," but products coming from such a distance, which are surely picked green, shortchange my expectation of getting the fullest amount of vitamin C.

Automobiles made in America? You can easily make a long list of manufacturers that fit under this category since the 1970s. We appreciate the quality of workmanship, but our Big Three automakers have become smaller in stature.

Oil drilled under American soil? Perhaps a small percentage, but most of our amber tanks of petrol begin as liquid gold in foreign countries, even as our aging refineries work to their limited capacities. Our economic well-being is at the mercy of a group of countries that could bring us to ruin. Our presence in Iraq proves how willing our leaders are to go to war to protect American energy interests.

Jobs for American workers? As a simple example, computer programers recently out of college would earn about $50,000 per year, but other countries give our corporations a big financial bonanza by exporting these jobs for salaries in the $10,000 range. American workers are not the only one losing out on wages (and benefits); our local, state and federal governments are losing tax revenue to outsourced jobs.

A $201-billion trade deficit with China alone is surely an alarming concern for the American economy, but without our charitable contributions to developing countries there would be a worldwide recession. American workers are taking the economic brunt of making corporate executives financially richer with every shipment of products and services arriving from distant pockets of the world.

Exports from America? Developing nations are churning up our coal, hardwood lumber, soybeans and cotton, just to name a few. Large construction equipment also is an important export to other countries as they ascend to their modernization in the industrial age. With coal, we are exporting our own contribution to global warming.

The good news? In the past three decades, 250-million Chinese residents' lives have been taken out of poverty.

No one can deny this is a tremendous boon to humanitarianism, even though the political powers in that country are still guilty of crimes against freedom, and still enforce quotas that limit families to one child, with many parents foregoing giving birth to girls. That's one equation with an alarming negative sum in human life.

Jobs in America? From 2001 to 2006, 1.8-million jobs have been lost to workers in China. On a pie chart, the total number of jobs lost shows an even larger piece of the American dream given to international interests. In the next few years, analysts predict another 3.3-million jobs will be lost. In August, Wall Street acknowledged the total job loss of 4,000 workers instead of the expected gain of 115,000.

Regardless of the causes, be it the slowdown of construction jobs or foreclosure of homes due to questionable banking operations, or continued loss of American jobs to foreign countries, investors reacted with a downturn of the Dow Jones.

Loyalty to America? All I have to mention is that dirty word Mattel. It was a treasonous act to every worker in America when Mattel fell to its proverbial knees with an apology to China for the lethal toys manufactured in that country. Symbolically, I can imagine the executives at Mattel have a morning chant of "I pledge allegiance to the Workers of the Peoples Republic of China." Profits take precedence over the safety and well-being of American children. Shame on Corporate America!

For the average American, perhaps one of the best investments these days goes beyond traditional thought. Go through the closets for items soon to be collector's treasures and save those products with labels that say "Made In America."

Don't worry about the condition because most antiques show some wear. In mint condition, they become priceless.

Save those old toys that have been set aside for a yard sale. Hand them down to younger children and breathe a sigh of relief that you have taken the only step to ensure the safety of American children.

You can never assume that anyone other than you and your extended family will keep your kids out of harm's way.

Made in America? Not likely.

Ronald A. Rae lives in Spring Hill. Guest columnists write their own views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.

[Last modified November 14, 2007, 20:32:44]