IS THERE ANYTHING MADE IN AMERICA????????????????????????????????

[frawin]

Myrna and I were in Tulsa today and we shopped at Academy Sports and Bass Pro. The only thing we bought at either place that was made in America was ammunition. Myrna bought some shirts on sale at both places, for Christmas presents. Not one single shirt was made in America, 4 were made in Pakistan, 1 China, I Honduras, 1 Bangladesh and 1 in Indonesia. While in several other stores I checked labels on many different items and I hardly ever saw a "Made in America" label.This is all because of Bill Clintons 2 Trade agreements that he made that included several countries. I have long contended that all of this trade with Foreign Countries is a big cause of our financial crisis today. Clinton was working on agreements to help his Arkansas friends the Waltons. Hilliary was on the board of Walmart for several years and the Waltons were big donors to the Clinton campaign. Because of all of our manufacturing that was transferred to China and other countries our trade imbalance got totally out of balance. In addition we made the Chinese the second largest consumer of Petroleum  based energy in the world, right behind China came  Japan, India and other countries using more and more oil.There is not enough supply of oil in the world to support the demand that it grew to in the past 5 years. This drove the price sky high and brought about the current crisis. In my early days at Phillips I was in the Tamnker Chartering group and China was not even listed as a country taking Oil cargoes today thay are the 2nd largerst consumer and will be the largest oil consumer in the future. The trade deficits that the USA is running causes the Dollar to be devalued and as Oil is traded based on the Dollar this causes us to have to pay more for Oil. We need to bring some of this manufacturing back home and employ our own workers and not the Chinese, Mexicans, Pakistanese, etc.

[pepelect]

We have prime cuts of debt, loans, and promises to pay later.

[Diane Amberg]

There are still some things made here. Fire engines, ambulances, bunker coats, fire boots, musical instruments, furniture, polymers, films, coatings, Gore Tex fabrics and coated wire, paint, wheels, surf boards, food and food additives, dry pastas, cereals, glues, waxes, polishes, soaps and soap powder, charcoal adhesive bandages, drugs, weed killers, insecticides, wine, alcohol, beer, computer chips and boards and lots more. The clothing industry has partially moved out, but not all. Part of our big DuPont nylon research labs went south to be nearer the mills that make their nylon fabrics. Some of my friends went to Front Royal VA. and Wilmington NC. Some cotton is grown here, shipped overseas to be woven, comes back here to be cut and assembled, some it's the other way around. The main thing America  produces is Americans.

[frawin]

Diane, several things you mentioned as being made here are in fact not made here, or at least not all made here. I know for instances that one of the big liquor store owners in this area told me recently that a big volume of his wines comes from South america. I haveto leave but will address that further later. Another support foe the fact that such a big percentage of thinfgs is this country are made elsewhere is the big trade deficit.

[Tobina+1]

I'm curious to hear your story on wines, Frank.  It has seemed to me that more and more "local" wines are being made and vinyard stores being opened.  I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy finding good local wines.  Local wine-making is becoming such a big hobby/business that I'm surprised that imported wines aren't taking a hit.  Same goes for micro-brew beers.  Although, I do see a few imported beers have become more popular over the last few years.

As for finding things made in America, it's sad.  You're probably more likely to find more things made LOCALLY in small stores, rather than trying to find USA-made items in larger, department-type stores, too. 

[Diane Amberg]

It didn't mean that ALL of something is necessarily made here. Off course many wines are made else where...as in Italy, France and all over the world. But very good wines are made in the US, including many small local vineyards in many states. Napa valley, upstate New York, right here.   We have the Micro Brewers here too, including Iron Hill Brewers right on Main St., and Dogfish Head Ales in Rehoboth Beach. Yes, you can get American made and Chinese made Band Aids but at least you can find American made ones. The "How It's Made" shows on TV show US made things don't they? All the ones I've watched have been. Its true though that we do export a lot of raw product and import a lot of finished product, which can cause an imbalance just by itself.

[frawin]

I'm curious to hear your story on wines, Frank.  It has seemed to me that more and more "local" wines are being made and vinyard stores being opened.  I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy finding good local wines.  Local wine-making is becoming such a big hobby/business that I'm surprised that imported wines aren't taking a hit.  Same goes for micro-brew beers.  Although, I do see a few imported beers have become more popular over the last few years.

As for finding things made in America, it's sad.  You're probably more likely to find more things made LOCALLY in small stores, rather than trying to find USA-made items in larger, department-type stores, too. 

Tobina, the store here that I was in is a pretty  big  store and some of there best selling wines are from Chili. I can't drink wine as I am a diabetic but Myrna likes a glass from time to time and I bought her 2 or 3 kinds of the Chilean wine and she said they were very good. At Christmas I got some of the Chilean wine for some guests and they all said they were going to buy some.

[greatguns]

There is some pretty good wine made right here in Kansas, and no not all of it is made in Elk county by forum members.

[frawin]

Diane, my concern is not with what is made in America, it is with what is not made in America, Go to Walmart and look at all of the Clothing, cooking appliances, Electronic, almost anything outside of the food/grocery section and it is made in foreign countries. We need to bring those jobs home and put our people to work. Americans can buy there clothes cheaper, but they will then have to pay more for Raw Materials and Petroleum Products.

[sixdogsmom]

A lot of our raw materials are sent off shore to big ships for processing then readmitted into the United States. This is a method to avoid the environmental laws here. Until we own up to our responsibility when we buy a product that is injurious to the environment when it is manufactured, this will probably continue. This process continues now in the microchip industry as it has for decades now. Plywood is a good example also. I don't know what the solution to this is, but shifting the responsibility to the offshore companies is not the answer IMHO.