lately, i've been thinking more and more about "Made in the U.S.A."
i recently watched a video on youtube about things being made in china vs. being made in the U.S.A. and what happens when companies choose to move their manufacturing to china (or another foreign country). it basically dealt with the people that lost their jobs here in AMERICA to those in china. granted, the workers in china didn't steal the jobs. it is the company(s) that is (are) to blame for moving their manufacturing to a foreign country and taking that job away from an AMERICAN. so i hold no ill will towards a chinese worker, they're just trying to make money like we are.
but then i got to thinking.....how much of what we use is still made her in the U.S.A.?
you might be surprised at the number of products that are still manufactured here.
personally, i'm a tool guy. i like tools and i like using them to make things. after i watched that video i decided to go out to my shop and see just how many of my tools were not made in AMERICA. it was quite a bit. i have a few that are made here; like my Craftsman screwdrivers, wrenches and sockets; but i was surprised at how many were not. that's when i decided to do something about it.
but i'd like to go back just a bit to that aforementioned video. there was a statistic in it that said that if we, as AMERICANS, were to spend just an extra $3.33 per YEAR, not a day a week or even a month, but a year, on AMERICAN made products that it can produce 10,000 more jobs for AMERICANS here in the UNITED STATES. leaving out the fact that some of those workers might be illegal immigrants (because i'm not so naive to think that there aren't) and just going on the part about those jobs being here in the UNITED STATES, that's still a pretty good number.
i know several people who don't like the prices that are charged for an AMERICAN-made product. i look at is paying for that quality and because that AMERICAN worker gets paid a lot more than a chinese worker; which is another thing they talked about in that video. a worker in an AMERICAN factory might make $10-20/hour, where a chinese factory worker might make that in a day. but like i said, it's the companies that are doing it because they are looking out for their bottom line. and the cost of paying that chinese worker such a low wage and then paying to have those items shipped here is still cheaper than paying an AMERICAN worker to make those same items here.
but i really took that statistic to heart and decided that i would try very hard to buy AMERICAN when i could. and since i like my tools i decided to do a search to see what tool companies still make their products here in AMERICA. i was pleasantly surprised at how many tool companies still manufacture their products here in the STATES. and.....i was also surprised at how many other products were on that list that weren't even tools. things like:
boots/shoes
clothing
flashlights
gloves
vehicle-related products
plus there are web sites dedicated to listing anything and everything that is made right here in the U.S.A.
and going back to the prices of things that are made here vs. made in another country..... i don't mind at all paying more for something if i know it will help an AMERICAN keep their job and help them feed their family and help them pay their bills and keep their home.
one example would be Klein Tools. they have a 6-piece screwdriver set (that you can buy at home depot) for a little over $47.00. i can go to harbor freight and buy a 6-piece screwdriver set and a number of other things for that much. would i have more tools for the same amount of money? yes. would they be of the same quality? hell no! i'll take those Klein tools any day of the week. i recently bought a Klein Tools ratcheting multi-bit screwdriver. i paid over $20 for just that one item, but it was made in AMERICA and by a company that is respected by many professionals across this country.
another example is Occidental Leather. they make tool belts. each one is hand-crafted in Sonoma County, California. one of their best-selling belts costs over $200.00. not-coincidentally it's the tool belt that i want. they actually have several that cost close to $300.00. but by reading online and watching on youtube what professional tradesmen have to say about these tool belts i will have one, one day.
now i'm not here to tell you that you should buy AMERICAN-made products only and that if you don't then you're not a true AMERICAN. in reality, it's pretty difficult to buy only AMERICAN-made. there is another video on youtube where a family does that. they get rid of everything in their house that isn't AMERICAN-made and replace it. they were left with pretty much nothing when they took out all the items that weren't manufactured here. but they were able to replace just about every piece with something that was. but like i said, i'm not here to tell you to do anything that drastic or even to just buy only AMERICAN-made products. but i will ask you to think about it. and the next time you're in a store shopping (not for groceries) to just take a look at where that item was made.
remember, they said that all it took was just an extra $3.33/year to be spent by every AMERICAN to produce an extra 10,000 jobs for AMERICANS.
seems like small price to pay.....
i recently watched a video on youtube about things being made in china vs. being made in the U.S.A. and what happens when companies choose to move their manufacturing to china (or another foreign country). it basically dealt with the people that lost their jobs here in AMERICA to those in china. granted, the workers in china didn't steal the jobs. it is the company(s) that is (are) to blame for moving their manufacturing to a foreign country and taking that job away from an AMERICAN. so i hold no ill will towards a chinese worker, they're just trying to make money like we are.
but then i got to thinking.....how much of what we use is still made her in the U.S.A.?
you might be surprised at the number of products that are still manufactured here.
personally, i'm a tool guy. i like tools and i like using them to make things. after i watched that video i decided to go out to my shop and see just how many of my tools were not made in AMERICA. it was quite a bit. i have a few that are made here; like my Craftsman screwdrivers, wrenches and sockets; but i was surprised at how many were not. that's when i decided to do something about it.
but i'd like to go back just a bit to that aforementioned video. there was a statistic in it that said that if we, as AMERICANS, were to spend just an extra $3.33 per YEAR, not a day a week or even a month, but a year, on AMERICAN made products that it can produce 10,000 more jobs for AMERICANS here in the UNITED STATES. leaving out the fact that some of those workers might be illegal immigrants (because i'm not so naive to think that there aren't) and just going on the part about those jobs being here in the UNITED STATES, that's still a pretty good number.
i know several people who don't like the prices that are charged for an AMERICAN-made product. i look at is paying for that quality and because that AMERICAN worker gets paid a lot more than a chinese worker; which is another thing they talked about in that video. a worker in an AMERICAN factory might make $10-20/hour, where a chinese factory worker might make that in a day. but like i said, it's the companies that are doing it because they are looking out for their bottom line. and the cost of paying that chinese worker such a low wage and then paying to have those items shipped here is still cheaper than paying an AMERICAN worker to make those same items here.
but i really took that statistic to heart and decided that i would try very hard to buy AMERICAN when i could. and since i like my tools i decided to do a search to see what tool companies still make their products here in AMERICA. i was pleasantly surprised at how many tool companies still manufacture their products here in the STATES. and.....i was also surprised at how many other products were on that list that weren't even tools. things like:
boots/shoes
clothing
flashlights
gloves
vehicle-related products
plus there are web sites dedicated to listing anything and everything that is made right here in the U.S.A.
and going back to the prices of things that are made here vs. made in another country..... i don't mind at all paying more for something if i know it will help an AMERICAN keep their job and help them feed their family and help them pay their bills and keep their home.
one example would be Klein Tools. they have a 6-piece screwdriver set (that you can buy at home depot) for a little over $47.00. i can go to harbor freight and buy a 6-piece screwdriver set and a number of other things for that much. would i have more tools for the same amount of money? yes. would they be of the same quality? hell no! i'll take those Klein tools any day of the week. i recently bought a Klein Tools ratcheting multi-bit screwdriver. i paid over $20 for just that one item, but it was made in AMERICA and by a company that is respected by many professionals across this country.
another example is Occidental Leather. they make tool belts. each one is hand-crafted in Sonoma County, California. one of their best-selling belts costs over $200.00. not-coincidentally it's the tool belt that i want. they actually have several that cost close to $300.00. but by reading online and watching on youtube what professional tradesmen have to say about these tool belts i will have one, one day.
now i'm not here to tell you that you should buy AMERICAN-made products only and that if you don't then you're not a true AMERICAN. in reality, it's pretty difficult to buy only AMERICAN-made. there is another video on youtube where a family does that. they get rid of everything in their house that isn't AMERICAN-made and replace it. they were left with pretty much nothing when they took out all the items that weren't manufactured here. but they were able to replace just about every piece with something that was. but like i said, i'm not here to tell you to do anything that drastic or even to just buy only AMERICAN-made products. but i will ask you to think about it. and the next time you're in a store shopping (not for groceries) to just take a look at where that item was made.
remember, they said that all it took was just an extra $3.33/year to be spent by every AMERICAN to produce an extra 10,000 jobs for AMERICANS.
seems like small price to pay.....
