Buy American Mention of the Week

[gonerail]

Spring for American-Made Goods this Spring



Spring is in the air. If you’re sprucing up your home to match the sights and sounds of the season, there are certain ways you can buy American and spruce up the balance sheets of American companies employing American workers at the same time.



All garden ornaments that are made by Buzzard Towne (www.buzzardtowne.com) are made in the USA. Buzzard Towne began in 1997 in Charlotte, NC when owner Karen Beal decided to start reproducing her original clay sculptures into cast stone garden art and sell them to local garden centers.



Now Buzzard Towne is available at garden centers and gift shops throughout the country and in several catalogs as well. Each sculptured piece for your home or garden is still 100 percent hand made in America in their 500,000 square foot facility.



But you can choose to order your own favorite from garden rock faces, wall plaques, message rocks and statues right from their website. I personally bought the peace message rock for my parents a few years ago for just $24.95 and they still proudly display it today. And soon this spring I’ll be looking for a Buzzard Towne garden ornament for my own garden at www.buzzardtowne.com.



If you want to get serious with those spring around-the-house projects then try Council Tool at www.counciltool.com where you’ll find American-made tools made from American steel. You can visit their online catalog and choose from garden tools like the groundhog cultivator & mattock or from more serious tools like a single edge bush hook with an American hickory handle.



Once you visit the Council Tool website you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the “Made in USA” logo proudly displayed at the top of each page. This North Carolina-based company prides itself in being a trusted source for quality tools and in providing jobs for the local community. Although this American company is aware of the economic advantages of producing offshore, Council Tool takes the responsibility of operating under U.S. labor laws and regulations seriously rather than evade American laws by moving their factory to another country.



Workers in foreign countries don’t pay taxes to America. Only American workers do. That’s why it makes sense if you’re a firefighter searching for a high-quality fireman’s axe, for example, to buy one from Council Tool that’s American made since the tax dollars paid by American workers can be used to provide for well-equipped fire departments among other American essentials. If more companies were as concerned about being a good corporate citizen of the United States as Council Tool (www.counciltool.com) our great country would be a lot greater and a lot better off.



If it’s the inside of your house that needs a little spring cleaning, you might pay a visit to www.metrovacworld.com where you’ll find another patriotic American company proud of employing their own people. Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company has been around since 1939, and each webpage displays a logo that claims the company’s products are “Deliberately Made Better in the USA.”



At www.metrovacworld.com, you’ll find a vacuum for your needs whether it’s pet grooming, computer maintenance, car & bike care, or floor care. Although Metro has a long and interesting history, one of the things I found most interesting is that back in 1970 they produced the first and still only dual voltage (110V-12V) hand held vacuum cleaner designed to work in the home and the car.



Metro has grown over the years to operate over 80 distribution centers within our borders and in many foreign countries. But they still only manufacture in one country, and that’s the United States of America.



With companies like these that are still proud to be called American and produce here, one can’t help but have hope that if we continue to seek out and buy American products now, there will always be American products available for us to buy in the future.



Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes “Buy American Mention of the Week” articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is now a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.

[ILOVEDNY]

Well Gonerail. This might scare you but bravo for the above post. I too go out of my way to buy American.

[cookie]

And don't fall for all the "manufactured in USA" stuff. Just like cars, they might be assembled here, but many of their parts come from foreign plants. I've seen ads for many things touting that the product is assembled right here in the good old US of A. People get warm and fuzzy seeing that, but check no further to make sure ALL of the product parts are made here as well.

[ILOVEDNY]

And don't fall for all the "manufactured in USA" stuff. Just like cars, they might be assembled here, but many of their parts come from foreign plants. I've seen ads for many things touting that the product is assembled right here in the good old US of A. People get warm and fuzzy seeing that, but check no further to make sure ALL of the product parts are made here as well.

To apply your utopian standard would deprive us of many items we now enjoy/need. Cars, TV's and computers just to name a few. We can however choose products that rely on American assembly/manufacture more then their counterparts. This would go a long way to stimulate American jobs.

[Aaron O'Brian]

Didn't there use to be stores that only sold American made products? Where did those stores go?

[gonerail]

We all need to be more aware of American made products. The wife and I have been using the
Calphalon brand of cookware which is made in Toledo,Ohio. http://www.cookware.com/Calphalon-Co...FQy0Hgod9wvzjQ It is fairly expensive but is the best we have found and we buy a new piece every now and then. Highly recommended for the kitchen. Top of the day to ILOVEDNY by the way !!

[gonerail]

Didn't there use to be stores that only sold American made products? Where did those stores go?

Here is the place to use your Tax Rebate Stimulus Package money.
Patriots will always start their shopping with Made in USA products.
Boost our economy instead of China, as this program was intended.

http://www.madeinusa.org/ Searchable database

[Cgoodsp466]

Its a better car and I am not supporting the UAW.

[Achbek1]

Didn't there use to be stores that only sold American made products? Where did those stores go?

Ironically one of them USED to be Wal Mart.

But as for American made, I think a lot of the plastic storage stuff from the Plano Molding Company is still made in USA.

[therising]

Its a better car and I am not supporting the UAW.

Yeah, I don't mean to spoil the good intentions of this thread, but I haven't had an American car in about 15 years.
Coincidentally, I also haven't had one single car problem in that same time frame.

[ILOVEDNY]

Its a better car and I am not supporting the UAW.

Roughly 50% of Toyotas sold in America are manufactured here at 5 different plants. They use about 25% of domestically manufactured parts. All lexus' are imported.

Nissan manufactures domestically close to 100% of all models sold here. This includes their Infinity models also. In addition. all Murano's and Quest models are manufactured in the US including those for export. Couldn't find where their parts come from though I've been told mostly at their Mexican plant.

BMW only manufactures the Z4 roadsterand X-5 in the US.

Honda manufactures most of there lines in the US and Canada.

So even though you might not be putting 100% of your $$ into Americans pockets with a Foreign owned auto company. When you consider The dealership amd mechanics who will service it for years. More of that money stays here then going overseas.

[ILOVEDNY]

Top of the day to ILOVEDNY by the way !!

Tip O' the cap right back.

[ILOVEDNY]

There are no TV's sold in the US that are made here.

[Smiley]

Its a better car and I am not supporting the UAW.

Sorry to bust your bubble (NOT), but Depending on what model you have, you probably are supporting the UAW!

[cookie]

To apply your utopian standard would deprive us of many items we now enjoy/need. Cars, TV's and computers just to name a few. We can however choose products that rely on American assembly/manufacture more then their counterparts. This would go a long way to stimulate American jobs.

Actually that was for those that are into the Buy American stuff. Faced with equal quality, I try to opt for American, but I don't waste money on something that isn't of good quality just because it is American made. If American companies want me to buy American, they better make a superior product.
I like to spread the love around. I own an American made foreign car. Assembled here, sold here by American sales people, maintained by American mechanics and washed in American carwashes. 4 out of 5 isn't bad.