Suppose we had a "I'm buying American- I'm helping to create more jobs" campaign?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

We know that there is deficit in jobs.

We need to make and produce items. For so long we have relied on the East. Already people have begun to buy again judging by new data but...

WE ALSO NEED TO EXPORT American goods aswell as buy them!


What we need is a STRONG PATRIOTIC CAMPAIGN. "I'm buying American - supporting American jobs."

We need strong VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS in SCHOOLS! Training = jobs!

Labor Unions should become strong and support jobs!


We need to hype this as much as we can. We can have big billboards, shopping totes, websites etc saying I'm buying American for jobs!


PS. Incase you are thinking bad thoughts - yes, immigrants can join in too :) we need workers. We need ALL workers.


The more people support our workers, the better.


Creation of wealth to distribute to the poor = a healthy society.

[Oregone]

1. Suppose we had tariffs to make American products more competitive against slave-labor products

Hm...imagine the politicians charged with the responsibility, over the consumers

[olegramps]

25. The Republicans have convinced the workers that tariffs are bad:

This is along with unions are your enemy and we will take good care of you before they out-sourced their jobs, cut their pensions and canceled their heath insurance in order to reward the top management with multi-million dollar bonuses for job well done.

[Cha]

2. Sounds good! That's what the

internet is for:patriot::patriot:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Yes

We need a new wave on jobs on the internet (preferably a tsunami!)

[Cant trust em]

4. Here's a subquestion...How much more are you willing to pay for an American made product?

20%? 50%? Double?

Recently someone told me that I should buy American Apparel products because they're made in the USA. Their clothes are ridiculously expensive and far beyond what you could get at Target or wherever. I look at labels and buy American whenever I can, but I do have my price point that just makes it too expensive and I'm going to look for cheaper (imported) alternatives.

[msongs]

5. they aim at the trendy young adult bulemic looking crowd, might not be the best example.

we were gonna buy some shirts wholesale and they tack on a premium for the image anyway. felt like their sales job was a hustle.

Msongs

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. The campaign will have a promotion

American companies will do a preliminary pilot study to provide inexpensive goods for American people to buy over several months. Stimulating the economy. Blast the cheap foreign goods off the market! It can be done but it needs arranging. Small start up companies can surprise big ones especially if they are part of the "I'm buying American Campaign" they can intice buyers.

The whole system needs revamping. Stores who do employ American workers need to be rewarded by the governemnt and have a "GOLD STAR" award or an "American Flag" award. Companies who do not support Americna workers will be looked down upon.

[Dappleganger]

8. It's not cheap chinese junk.

It may mean that I have to buy less but at least it's money that is staying in the US.

[brentspeak]

17. Apple makes all its products using Chinese near-slave labor

But seen any inexpensive Apple products lately?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. Apple is no OK

[Cant trust em]

28. Technology is going to be tough

Are there American made computers?

[Dappleganger]

29. No.

Maybe assembled if you special order something, but pretty much every single component now down to the screws and cables are made in China.

[treestar]

20. This is the key question

And the public as a whole would have to go along with it, too.

[whathehell]

30. Cheap products go with cheap wages...

If people were PAID enough they'd be able to spend a little more.

When a large portion of Americans were unionized...When we actually had unionized manufacturing, "buying American" was no problem.

Foreign goods were the expensive ones..because we had tariffs.

[Dappleganger]

7. I am doing that on Amazon.

Looking specifically for vendors who use Amazon.com to sell their products. For Mother's Day dh let me pick out a few new art pieces for our flowerbeds and I was very pleased w/what could be found.

When we shop on ebay we do the same. We also have been buying more from people selling locally (handmade rain barrels, etc.).

On Facebook a friend of mine likes to share the names of American companies who are a pleasure to do business with, too. We may begin to do the same.

[Dappleganger]

9. Here's a good American-made company

http://www.modernartisans.com/default.aspx

NOT CHEAP, but very well made artistic gifts. They shipped very quickly, wrapped each piece up in paper or bubble wrap then packed well in a box. The items are all hand-crafted in the US (check each item before you buy, but the ones I looked at were all made by US crafters/artists). Their shipping is slightly high but that's because Amazon's prime shipping has me spoiled.

When it's time to add more pieces I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. I think that if the American people pushed we could see a revival

[Warren Stupidity]

10. There is not much american shit to buy.

Manufacturing jobs are not coming back, at least not until our wages descend to asian levels, and even then their labor supply dwarfs ours. It is too late for all that.

"VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS in SCHOOLS!" - uh, in which vocations exactly?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. 'doubting Thomas'

without trying to bring our jobs back from the brink we will remain in the 'Doldrums.'

[Warren Stupidity]

23. Your theory is impaired.

Again: theoretically the jobs, meaning specifically in this case relatively low skill assembly line manufacturing jobs, will come back if and when we reach wage parity with the asian labor market. We actually do not need those jobs. Unless there is a political miracle and 'wage parity' means asia rises to western european and north american wage standards, achieving wage parity with asia is a nightmare.

[frazzled]

15. Try this

http://www.americansworking.com/

I used to use buyblue.org, but alas, it is no longer up. I can't vouch for this website, but it sure lists a lot of products "made in the USA"

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. That is terrific, thanks!

[Warren Stupidity]

22. OK - for example, computers.

"Computer Equipment Made in the USA

Diversified Technology, Inc. is an embedded computer company whose strength lies in
the design, development, and manufacture of single board computers and system
platforms. In addition, DTI is a recognized leader in the custom development of
advanced computer boards and systems for unique applications. Diversified's single
board and system products are pointed toward mission critical applications such as
telecommunications, factory automation, networking, ruggedized military, medical, and
control operations. The only ACTA provider to design and manufacturer in the US."

That's it. So if you want to buy a computer "made in the usa" your one choice is to purchase a single board computer designed for embedded devices and applications.

Even then, these devices are not actually 'made in the usa' as this is not a chip fab facility, it is a board design shop that takes manufactured components, almost all of which are manufactured in asia, and assembles them along with some value add IP, into the stuff they sell.

Noticeably missing from the list: an automobile, any major household appliances, televisions...

I rest my case.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. OK so nobody wants to bring jobs back?

[jeanpalmer]

31. We want to bring back jobs

but it's the corporations and politicians who don't want to. How do we know this? Because they've not taken steps that are plainly available to do so. They let private jobs go out the back door, while they spend ridiculous amounts of public money using debt to "create jobs." What a bankrupt and idiotic approach.

If the government runs or supports a "buy American" program, I'm sure such an effort would be found to be in violation of trade agreements. And corporate America supporting a "buy America" campaign? LOL. It's just the oposite of what they want to happen. Other insitutions like educational and labor insitutions have been coopted or intimidated by the free trade movement and ideology. So there's no one to lead such a campaign. The people themselves will buy what's cheapest. Of course, in the process they're destroying themselves from within.

[marybourg]

13. I've been looking for American-made synthetic fiber bed pillows for 3 years.

(allergic to feathers). Finally found some at Penneys's that claim that the cover is made in China, but they were "filled in the U.S." That's the best I could do after 3 years searching on the internet & in stores. So yeah, I'll buy american made where possible and feasible value-wise, but largely it's just not possible. And largely it's the fault of all of us. We shopped for price and price alone. The only way the price could be kept down was to utilize undeveloped world labor. We have seen the enemy and he is very definitely us.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. One is to pressurize manufacturers to include American pillow covers not Chinese

I have nothing against Chinese people, I think that they are wonderful but I think our companies can do better to produce an America pillow cover!

Maybe Congress should approve special labelling "All made in America - creating American jobs?"

[frazzled]

19. Here are some made in US cotton, wool, and even a fiberfill pillows

http://www.usab2c.com/category/usab2c_Pillows

[marybourg]

21. Yes. I had seen them, but they're not ordinary pillows; cotton is

not a very comfortable pillow filling; it rapidly turns into a brick. And the prices! $55 each! And they never say that they're washable. But thanks for trying! :hi:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

24. Buying American is a sucker move

Why should an American worker buy products they don't want or pay prices they don't want to pay because it might indirectly benefit an American worker?

American workers buying imported goods directly benefits American workers.

It would be far more efficient to buy what you want and give a quarter directly to some American worker.

"Buy American" means, by definition, do something you would not otherwise do. Do something that is narrowly against your interests in hope of aiding some macro-goal. (If it was in your direct interest to buy an American product you would buy it without knowing it was American.)

The whole thing smells of standard American corporatist brain-washing...

Convince the little people that supporting American corporations is somehow good for them.

Trickle down.

Invocation of patriotism where it shouldn't apply.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

26. don't agree

it is certainly not American corporist brain washing. US companies should hire American workers and not outsource. As a country we aren't producing enough and selling.