American Made

With all the push for bringing jobs back home how many of us are really willing to pay for or use american made products? It seems over half the people here drive foreign cars. I know 90% of my clothes are made somewhere in Asia and all of our electronics are as well. How many of us are willing and ready to buy american?

I am. It helps that I don't shop like an 80's valley girl, though.

I love a bargain as good as anyone, but American made would certainly be priority if it were a reasonable choice. American made cannot demand a higher price for the same low quality and expect to have much of a following.

double said:

With all the push for bringing jobs back home how many of us are really willing to pay for or use american made products? It seems over half the people here drive foreign cars. I know 90% of my clothes are made somewhere in Asia and all of our electronics are as well. How many of us are willing and ready to buy american?

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Define American made. With regards to vehicles, is it American owned car companies or cars made with the most American labor and American made parts?

If you say labor and parts, then the #1 American made car is the Toyota Camry.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20160628/OEM01/160629860/toyota-camry-returns-to-no.-1-on-most-american-list

Apple is an American company. It makes its phones in China.

I'll pay for quality and durability. Don't care where it's made if it meets those criteria.....

Yup that topic open lot of discussion as far as the electronics don't ever see us competing but other things I'd for sure go USA made I'm not big shopper clothes last me lon time

I am willing to pay a few dollars more for the same product if it is equal or better quality, if it is made in the US of A. Funny thing is trucks and cars like Toyota are more American made than your Chevy, Ford, or Dodge these days. Go figure.

If I can find American made products I buy them. Its kinda hard to do that though today and has been for some time now..

Ford trucks are the most anerican made. Toyota trucks are close. Chevy suvs and some cars are much more american than others. Many of the suvs are over 60% made in america.

double said:

With all the push for bringing jobs back home how many of us are really willing to pay for or use american made products? It seems over half the people here drive foreign cars. I know 90% of my clothes are made somewhere in Asia and all of our electronics are as well. How many of us are willing and ready to buy american?

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i am willing and ready.

unfortunately between the hard facts on cost and availability and the dream of globaliztion it's not a practical position for many items.

Lot's of those foreign cars are made here in the USA. Hyundai has a huge plant in Alabama and California, BMW has a huge manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, SC and the list goes on. They don't make all the vehicles here, but a good portion of them are made here. Seems to me Ford and many other Detroit players moved much of their manufacturing to Mexico and other cheaper labor countries, so we have to watch the labels when we say foreign vehicles anymore!

I'm in the electronics industry and can tell you this is where most of the jobs lost are at. More electronic assemblies are done in China, Mexico and off shore facilities than anything. This is an area where someone needs to start bringing these jobs back here. Textiles and clothing is another industry dominated by China and other western countries.

Hard to compete when this country became a leader in manufacturing prior to all other countries. They paid out decent money with benefits, retirement funds and other perks. People who worked back in the 30's, 40's, 50's busted hump, made some decent cash had retirement funds with pensions etc. They built houses and are now collecting what they deserved, problem is companies don't want to offer these to anyone anymore except CEO's, and other high ranking upper management. How do you keep a labor force when you're competing against countries whose people will accept lesser wages, no retirement, no insurance etc., and they live in cheaper housing, don't drive cars for their jobs and the government subsidizes for them?

This is what our politicians sold us out to and continue to support.

by American made automobiles I mean Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep. The automakers who's profits stay here and are taxed here not in a country that tried to kill us in WW2

double said:

by American made automobiles I mean Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep. The automakers who's profits stay here and are taxed here not in a country that tried to kill us in WW2

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American car company executives and stockholders benefit from the profits. American workers profit from their labor in foreign car factories building cars in America. Also American stockholders holding foreign car company stock also share in the profits.

American workers don't profit from a GM or Ford made in Mexico. Also check your facts - the parent company of Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep is Fiat, an Italian company. Last I looked, Italy was an ally of Germany during WW2.

double said:

by American made automobiles I mean Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep. The automakers who's profits stay here and are taxed here not in a country that tried to kill us in WW2

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Man your funny [emoji23]... I've got 2 dodges and everything in them says made in Mexico on them.

As an American taxpayer I helped bail those "domestic" car manufacturers out. They make inferior products in Mexico, sorry I'm not going to help them by buying one of their vehicles. All things equal, sure I would buy from an American company, but it's not and it's way more complex than that anyways.

I would love to buy all American products. But, it's not possible in today's economy. Ideally, we will continue to export lots of products to other countries too. When our dollar was lower than the euro, that was happening. Now that the euro fell, not so much.
Many many things come into play for foreign trade that people do not realize: taxes, tariffs, daily currency exchange rates, shipping costs, etc..

My best bet is to at least try to buy from local stores compared to Walmart. But, even that is difficult...

Being retired and not wealthy means that my wife and I don't buy much outside of food and the occasional bit of clothing. My newest car is going on 18 years old, my tools are getting to be worn out, my riding mower is nearly 30 years old. I do most of my own home and mechanical repairs so we don't spend much by some standards but when we do we try to find American made products. They are pretty scarce, and don't try to sell me any chicken, pork or seafood from China or SE Asia; I'd go hungry first. Even Mt. Olive Pickles, a long time North Carolina company sources their small cucumber pickles from India.

I bought from a local store today. I needed some socks and was sick and tired of Walmart sold socks. I bought some farm to feet socks made local. Yes they were more expensive but if anything ever happens to them you get a new pair. Tired of all the crap made over seas it's just junk. If we all bought American goods it would be great but I know it's tough.

A while back the Wife wanted a new light fixture in her bathroom. I went to several places where they are sold and could not find one made in the USA, all were chinese junk. And chinese auto parts are the worst as far as I am concerned, some won't work right out of the box..Yeah, I will gladly pay more for good ole USA products, if I can find any...As far as products made in Mexico in 1999 I bought new in the crate a chevy 350 and installed it in my '86 Chevy pickup. It was guaranteed for 50,000 miles or three years.. So far after thousands of miles it has been bullet proof and I have run it hard pulling boats for long periods traveling to fishing spots many times..It still runs like a champ today with plenty of power and does not use oil and never has..