Buying American -- Does It Matter?
This blog post argues yes -- that it's not just a slogan your grandfather throws around. To help create demand-lead growth (as opposed to supply-side, trickle-down, voodoo economics), you can take small steps to buy local, buy union, & buy American. And your efforts will add up!
Wear Jeans? Why "Made in America" Matters to You
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“Buy American.” “Made in America.” In today’s interconnected world, those ideas might seem more like leftovers from the Cold War – not important maxims for America’s future. After all, young Americans are drinking Colombian coffee in the morning, skyping with friends in the UK at lunch, buying a made-in-China iPhone in the afternoon, and drinking Italian wine in the evening. The idea of “Buying American,” or economic patriotism, might seem quaint, if not outright ridiculous.
Fact is, making things in America isn’t an obsolete idea. It’s how we built this country into the largest economy the world has ever seen. And it’s imperative for America’s future.
In 2011, the US had a trade deficit of nearly $560 billion, fully $295 billion of which was a deficit in goods trade with China. These deficits are not just about dollars; they represent our ability as a nation to make the things we consume and the products and technology we need to defend ourselves. The iPhone may represent itself as proudly “designed in the USA,” but for how long? Eventually, the designers and engineers want to be close to the production lines—it’s simply more efficient. And if none of those production lines are in the US, the good design and engineering jobs soon won’t be either. And for those of us concerned about job creation, giving up on manufacturing is simply silly—there’s not a one-to-one relationship between designers and those who physically make the product anyway.
When we rely on other countries to make the products we want—from food to clothing to computers, our own capabilities and technical, innovative, and productive capacity decline. The US did not become the wealthiest country in the world by accident. It happened because of deliberate policy choices, hard work, and ambition. We can ensure there are good jobs, with decent pay and benefits, for Americans of all levels of education and ability, but we need that hard work and ambition—the right policy choices—and to avoid accepting that the current state of affairs is the best we can do.
More at link: http://www.wearvenley.com/blogs/youthmonuments/6772026-wear-jeans-why-made-in-america-matters-to-you
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