Response to Spam from Mary:
About this "Buy USA" thing, I do think it's good to see where things come from, and to support local manufacturers when you can. But it's better economics to "build American".
For example: 3M is worldwide now, and always moving different parts of its operations around. Some business functions, are replicated in the places they're located, whether Indonesia, Brazil, or the US. These are things like recruiting and hiring, employment practices, and community involvement. Other business functions remain centralized. Purchasing functions, for example. 3M will move manufacturing operations to China, not so much because of lower labor costs, but because of the availability of capital to build factories. They recruit top candidates from universities all over the world, including the US. One product built by 3M has been produced with the combined efforts of people throughout the company, around the globe. So is your scotch tape or post-it note "American"?
Buying food from good Minnesota corporate citizen General Mills, such as Cheerios, Green Giant vegetables, Totino's pizza, and many other brands is much the same story. The grain may be grown in North Dakota or Argentina, the vegetables in California or Mexico. Is General Mills "American"?
Is my US-built Toyota less or more "American" than a Chevrolet built in Mexico?
Minnesota's economic vitality comes from the fact that we've provided a good business environment for companies that do business around the world, and can bring wealth from other places here. Not so long ago Minnesota prospered because farmers brought their harvest to the Twin Cities to be milled, processed, packaged, and sold across the US and around the world. Now we offer good quality of life, strong education infrastructure of all kinds, whether global business leadership, policymaking, or job training.
The closer you are to your own community, for example buying vegetables at the farmers market rather than from Minnesota-based Cub foods or SuperTarget the more you create economic vitality in your own community, not because your money stays close to home, but because more of it goes to supporting the economic well-being of your neighbors who produced it, rather than the profits of corporate shareholders world-wide. But Target and General Mills create many more jobs than the farmers market.
Still, I shop at the Farmers Market when I can because the food is fresher, better-tasting, and usually cheaper, and because I like to see the person who grew it and exchange smiles. But this purposeful economic action is very different from going to Home Depot and buying US-made nails, while skipping over the local hardware store where they're more expensive and maybe made somewhere else.
I think one of the biggest cultural and class differentiators around the world now, no matter where you go, is whether a person has a sense that they can travel or not. It's not so important if you actually do travel to other places around the world, but whether you view the different parts of the globe as some place you could go, or have no interest in leaving your local familiar area. Of course, traveling and learning the inevitable lessons about yourself and your closely-held beliefs are far better for personal development than just thinking or reading about it. But either way, believing that China or Brazil or Malaysia might be places you'd one day visit, or where your kids might live and work, you'll feel much different about people earning a living in those places than if you view them as "those other places on TV where they don't speak English and have civil unrest."
On 3/19/2011 11:48 AM, Mary Boespflug wrote:
>
>
>
> YeaH, it takes more time to shop, looking at labels. I look for the list of ingredients on cans, and the place where the product was made. If it says USA, it goes in the cart. Look at food packages, too. It must be grown in the USA for me to purchase it. I want to do all I can to save as many jobs for Americans as I can. Think about it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > One Light Bulb at a Time
> >
> > A physics teacher in high school, once told the
> > 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, obviously written by a good American ..
> >
> > Good idea .. . . one light bulb at a time . . . .
> >
> > Check this out . I can verify this because I was in
> > Lowes
> > the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was
> > looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The
> > next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked
> > the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking ..
> >
> >
> > In our current economic situation, every little thing
> > we buy or do affects someone else - even their job . So, after
> > reading
> > this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get
> > behind
> > her!
> >
> > My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though,
> > that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.
> >
> > My favorite toothpaste Colgate is 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 60 W 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 in 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 U . S . A
> > ..
> >
> >
> > I Passed this on ........ will you ???????
> >
> >
About this "Buy USA" thing, I do think it's good to see where things come from, and to support local manufacturers when you can. But it's better economics to "build American".
For example: 3M is worldwide now, and always moving different parts of its operations around. Some business functions, are replicated in the places they're located, whether Indonesia, Brazil, or the US. These are things like recruiting and hiring, employment practices, and community involvement. Other business functions remain centralized. Purchasing functions, for example. 3M will move manufacturing operations to China, not so much because of lower labor costs, but because of the availability of capital to build factories. They recruit top candidates from universities all over the world, including the US. One product built by 3M has been produced with the combined efforts of people throughout the company, around the globe. So is your scotch tape or post-it note "American"?
Buying food from good Minnesota corporate citizen General Mills, such as Cheerios, Green Giant vegetables, Totino's pizza, and many other brands is much the same story. The grain may be grown in North Dakota or Argentina, the vegetables in California or Mexico. Is General Mills "American"?
Is my US-built Toyota less or more "American" than a Chevrolet built in Mexico?
Minnesota's economic vitality comes from the fact that we've provided a good business environment for companies that do business around the world, and can bring wealth from other places here. Not so long ago Minnesota prospered because farmers brought their harvest to the Twin Cities to be milled, processed, packaged, and sold across the US and around the world. Now we offer good quality of life, strong education infrastructure of all kinds, whether global business leadership, policymaking, or job training.
The closer you are to your own community, for example buying vegetables at the farmers market rather than from Minnesota-based Cub foods or SuperTarget the more you create economic vitality in your own community, not because your money stays close to home, but because more of it goes to supporting the economic well-being of your neighbors who produced it, rather than the profits of corporate shareholders world-wide. But Target and General Mills create many more jobs than the farmers market.
Still, I shop at the Farmers Market when I can because the food is fresher, better-tasting, and usually cheaper, and because I like to see the person who grew it and exchange smiles. But this purposeful economic action is very different from going to Home Depot and buying US-made nails, while skipping over the local hardware store where they're more expensive and maybe made somewhere else.
I think one of the biggest cultural and class differentiators around the world now, no matter where you go, is whether a person has a sense that they can travel or not. It's not so important if you actually do travel to other places around the world, but whether you view the different parts of the globe as some place you could go, or have no interest in leaving your local familiar area. Of course, traveling and learning the inevitable lessons about yourself and your closely-held beliefs are far better for personal development than just thinking or reading about it. But either way, believing that China or Brazil or Malaysia might be places you'd one day visit, or where your kids might live and work, you'll feel much different about people earning a living in those places than if you view them as "those other places on TV where they don't speak English and have civil unrest."
On 3/19/2011 11:48 AM, Mary Boespflug wrote:
>
>
>
> YeaH, it takes more time to shop, looking at labels. I look for the list of ingredients on cans, and the place where the product was made. If it says USA, it goes in the cart. Look at food packages, too. It must be grown in the USA for me to purchase it. I want to do all I can to save as many jobs for Americans as I can. Think about it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > One Light Bulb at a Time
> >
> > A physics teacher in high school, once told the
> > 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, obviously written by a good American ..
> >
> > Good idea .. . . one light bulb at a time . . . .
> >
> > Check this out . I can verify this because I was in
> > Lowes
> > the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was
> > looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The
> > next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked
> > the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking ..
> >
> >
> > In our current economic situation, every little thing
> > we buy or do affects someone else - even their job . So, after
> > reading
> > this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get
> > behind
> > her!
> >
> > My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though,
> > that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.
> >
> > My favorite toothpaste Colgate is 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 60 W 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 in 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 U . S . A
> > ..
> >
> >
> > I Passed this on ........ will you ???????
> >
> >
posted by rich solomon at 8:32 AM
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