Buy American!?!

For years now, we have been hearing about how we – as Americans – should be buying products made in America.

Way back when, the United States was involved in a war on two fronts – one in Europe, the other in Asia.  The European front was fought against Germany and Italy, while the Asian war was directed toward Japan.  I feel this need be said because kids do not learn about such things in school.  Apparently there is no time between the sex education and anti-bullying classes.  But, I digress.

Without getting into a history lesson on World War II, the Germans, Italians, and Japanese eventually surrendered.

It wasn’t long, though, before the factories destroyed by Allied bombing were rebuilt with efficient, modern technology.  These factories began producing such things as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen vehicles which were summarily exported to America for consumption by the Americans who just finished fighting a bloody war there.

And, Americans did buy these cars by the boat-load.  VW Beetles were scarfed-up because they were reliable and inexpensive.  More than 21,000,000 were manufactured during their production run from 1938 until 2003.  Mercedes-Benz sales were targeted toward the well-heeled crowd of the world.

Toyota, Honda, and Datsun are just three of the Japanese auto manufacturers that wanted U.S. suckers to buy products from a country that arbitrarily bombed a Navy base for no apparent reason other than starting a conflict.

Japanese cars, trucks, and motorcycles are commonplace on American roads for the same reason German cars are here: people don’t care that by buying these products they are subsidizing societies that killed thousands of people.

America proudly stood behind anti-apartheid measures in South Africa, in the 1980’s.  We boycotted South African goods – including gold – instituted trade embargoes, and suspended many diplomatic privileges with that nation, although we didn’t ‘have a dog in that fight.’  Being urged not to support such a nation that exerts distasteful legislation upon its citizens is supposed to groom our sensibilities.

But, here we are pushing Americans to buy costly union-made goods merely because they are domestically produced.  We are treated like pariahs because we tend to buy less expensive foreign-made goods such as tools, clothing, and electronics.  Why?

So we purchase Chevrolet vehicles to join that “Buy American” campaign.  Unfortunately, many of GM’s cars and SUVs are made in Canada and Mexico.  When did those countries become part of the United States?  And, how does that help Americans?

General Electric’s light bulb manufacturing operations have been transferred to China.  I suppose that is another way to aid the domestic American worker.

Besides, American-affiliated unions that have infiltrated U.S. labor forces, have caused the costs – and subsequently the prices – to dramatically increase, thereby creating an economic conundrum about which product best suits the needs and wants of the consumer.  Reasons as this one are why moving jobs and operations overseas make sense.

It is sad to report that in 2012, $3,300,000 worth of American flags were imported from China.