A Simple Plan

We have a host of economic problems facings us these days. If not already in one, we seem to be sliding into a recession. Although the unemployment rate is low, a lot of people are underemployed, wither working part time or in jobs for which they are overqualified. Americans undersave, risking an insecure retirement down the line. The weak dollar is contributing to the rise in oil prices, generating inflation.

I have a cure for all of that. Buy American.

I have to confess, I have been a Galactic-class pain in the rear on this subject for at least twenty years. For a long time, Christmas morning conversations went like this:
“Gee mom, thanks for the tie, let me just check the label. Oops, says here Made in Italy. You’ll just have to return it.”
“But dear, all of the silk ties were Italian.”
“It would have been okay if you had just gotten me postage stamps as a gift. Like I asked you to.”
This issue was finally resolved with the advent of restaurant gift cards.

Still, hear me out on this one. When you buy Chinese made products, you put a bunch of Chinese to work, plus one retail sales clerk. When you purchase American made goods and services, you put more Americans back to work. Basically, your dollars have a multiplier effect, creating jobs for more of your countrymen than when you imported products.

It’s not just patriotic, either. When you buy American, you are putting your money into the pockets of potential customers. Think about it, how many of your customers live outside the United States? Unless you work for Boeing or Hollywood, probably not too many.

I can hear someone whining now: “Nothing’s made in this country anymore!” Since I have worked for manufacturing companies for the last twenty years, this is one of my personal pet peeves (#3994, to be exact). However, I do concede that it can be difficult to find US made products sometimes. My advice in that regard is to do without. I mean, do you really need another picture frame/stuffed animal/baseball cap/kitchen gadget? Our homes are filled to overflowing with possessions now. Why keep spending your money on more stuff? Stop the insanity! Just say no!

If you stop buying offshore stuff, you’ll have more money for other things, like saving for retirement. Also, since we as a country currently buy so much more than we sell, we’ve reached a point where our dollars are worth less and less every year. If we stop buying stuff we don’t need, it will strengthen the dollar, making it cheaper to buy the things we do need, like imported oil.

I’m not advocating that we be slavish about this. We all have some things we just aren’t going to do without. For me, it’s coffee.