Look For American, Buy American

By James Stone.

A physics teacher in high school once told their students, that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following:

I was in Lowes the other day and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments when I noticed they were all made in China. The next day I went to my local Ace Hardware, and just for the heck of it again I checked the hose attachments and noticed they were made in USA but were twice as expensive.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – from their job, to their ability to feed their family and put a roof over their head. Take for instance my grandson who loves Hershey's candy. When I decided to be a little more aware of the products I was buying I noticed the package was marked "Made in Mexico ". I decided with all the economic woes, and seeing my fellow Americans laid off throughout my community, I would make the conscience decision to stop buying Hershey’s because it went against the values and principles I have been raised with.

My favorite toothpaste, Colgate, is also made in Mexico. Now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything. This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value". I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats. They were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in Mexico, and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA by a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here. So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets. Yep, you guessed it! Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value Brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA. The Job you save may be your own or your neighbors! If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies! (We should have awakened a decade ago!)

Let's get with the program. Help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA. And watch food labels also. BUY AMERICAN!! Put Americans to work!!!