To what percentage do you buy "American"

[bryant69]

Or how much of your spending do you specifically try to keep to products produced in the USA?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[NightWatcher]

1. you can still find stuff made in the usa?

and the Marianne Islands (sp) dont count

[thoughtanarchist]

4. All clothing I buy is Union made in the US

and for everything else I try as much as possible to find locally made / grown / brewed goods.

[ovidsen]

16. This is non-negotiable for me

Unless a foreign made product is clearly better and less expensive than it's American version, it's the import for me.

And I speak as a 24 year member of a 24 years of the AFL-CIO.

[baldguy]

2. Try and buy a camera or a computer.

[Teaser]

3. I buy the quality

I won't support an inferior American product. However, all other things being equal, I will try and buy American.

When it comes to cars, though, all things aren't equal.

[The Inquisitive]

26. same here

I feel that by purchasing the highest quality and most innovative goods I'm ultimately supporting the long term economic welfare of all humanity. Afterall, a dollar is only worth what you can buy with it. By supporting quality and innovation the value of my dollar increases.

[demosincebirth]

5. I have always bought american brand cars.

Bumper sticker on my Chevie truck says, "Be American. Buy American." I know its hard to find stuff that is made in the U.S., but when it comes to cars, its a no-brainer.

Try this for clothes:

http://www.allamericanclothing.com/denim.php

[provis99]

6. you mean the Chevie truck made in Mexico?

[demosincebirth]

11. No, I mean the chevie truck made in America

[LSK]

21. how do you know its made in America?

[RC]

23. Because Canada is America.

[demosincebirth]

25. Exactly

[DesertFlower]

7. i will not buy an american car.

everyone we've owned has had problems, including the corvette. we have owned 7 toyotas -- still have one with 100,000 miles on it.

as far as other things, clothes, etc. there hard to find.

[defendandprotect]

8. It's impossible now to avoid buying things made in China ---

As far as clothing, they'll reduce it until it's silly not to buy it --

I'm trying to replace some dishes I picked up at Crate & Barrel which I didn't realize were made in China --

And as others are pointing out, as far as electronics, who even knows where this stuff is made?

ALL too late now ---

Can we demand that our consumer goods be made in USA --???

[Ilsa]

9. I pick out something, like clothes, textiles, etc, and discover it is

made in India, China, or Mexico, usually. I ry to buy American goods, though.

[mondo joe]

10. All other things being equal, I'd choose American made. But my first

consideration is always quality of product.

[OhioChick]

12. As Much as Possible.....

However, as I said in another post.....Many products have an American flag on them deceiving the buyer of where the product was made. One can usually find in fine print on the bottom of such products: "Made in China."

[nonconformist]

13. Strong effort - all cars, and everything else I can manage

Which honestly doesn't seem like much these days. But I do try hard, and I always check.

[Sandaasu]

14. Woot! I'm the first "other"!

When it comes to making purchases, I look more to see if the place of manufacture is one with good labor practices. For me, something being made in, for some examples, Canada, Europe, or Japan, is just as good to me as if it were made in the US.

I guess my view is affected a lot by the fact that it's pretty certain that I won't be spending my whole life as a resident of the US.

Since cars are coming up here a lot, I also cannot recommend the purchase of a vehicle from America's big three. It sucks that it's this way, but their products are simply inferior compared to many other options out there.

[Vinca]

15. Most of the time if I see something I want to buy I look at the label

and if it's Chinese made I pass it up. Last Saturday I bypassed some flannel sheets. Today I bypassed a dutch oven. I hardly ever buy clothing anymore because it's outsourced, cheap crap and I refuse to support the loss of American jobs. The last clothing items I purchased were some bras from a well known manufacturer I've worn for years. One fell apart within a couple of weeks. I hadn't checked the label at the time of purchase. Now they're made in Costa Rica. It drives me nuts.

[CrispyQ]

17. Colbert interviewed this author:

A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
by Sara Bongiorni

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Without-Made-China-Adventure/dp/0470116137

snip...
Journalist Bongiorni, on a post-Christmas day mired deep in plastic toys and electronics equipment, makes up her mind to live for a year without buying any products made in China, a decision spurred less by notions of idealism or fair trade-though she does note troubling statistics on job loss and trade deficits-than simply "to see if it can be done." In this more personal vein, Bongiorni tells often funny, occasionally humiliating stories centering around her difficulty procuring sneakers, sunglasses, DVD players and toys for two young children and a skeptical husband.

...more at link

I vaguely remember the interview. I do remember she stated that after their year without China the family has gone back to purchasing some things from China, but they are much more aware now, read labels & try to source out USA products when they can.

[Toots]

18. I am a very strong believer in Local Business and totally support it, however

I will not tolerate being robbed. I will support American business and American products as long as I feel robbery is not involved. I understand the disadvantage Americans are under with their lack of government subsidies and higher payroll and health care costs, however I believe if you do not support local business you don't have local business.

[RB TexLa]

19. I buy the "Made By Humans" label

They don't have to be North American humans.

[tnlefty]

20. As much as I can. I am a member of Co-op America so I

receive publications filled with info. about how to buy American. I buy laundry detergent, etc., from gaiamliving.org. with special attention to the Seventh Generation products. I also buy from agreatergift.org as they have products that are made by impoverished people in other countries who are striving for fair trade or union wages/conditions in their countries.

I refuse to buy from multi-national corps. and I make a real effort to avoid 'made in China'.

Hope that helps.

[Mike03]

22. Other, Fill In Below

1. I don't know where my purchases come from, even if they appear to be canned or packaged in the United States, because often times they are packaged here, but come from elsewhere.

2. I have nothing against products produced in other nations, so long as they are safe and are not produced under abusive circumstances.

3. I buy a ton of fresh produce, much of which comes from South America.

4. There are some items I subconsciously avoid because of the fear they are either unhealthy or produced by slave labor, and these are mostly clothing items. I rarely buy clothes anymore, for reasons too bizarre to explain, unless they are certified organic and produced by someone I know relatively well.

[fujiyama]

24. I never particularly liked buying stuff made in China

Now I check out the labels on clothes at least.

But it's not very easy to find stuff not made in China, and it seems like a futile and pointless effort for many items. In certain industries, many of the components are manufactured worldwide. Buy an "American car" and different parts will be sourced all over the place. All consumer electronics are the same way.

For clothes, it would be great if there was a way guaranteeing it's not made by kids (like the GAP). For food, medication, and things applied to the skin (like soap, lotion, and toothpaste), at this point I'll avoid buying anything Chinese made. After all, who knows what's in it?