I already do this most of the time.

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.


.. . one light bulb at a time . . . .


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!

Made in America may only mean it was assembled here. Jeans, for example, may say made in America but the material, including zippers, snaps, and buttons were not made here.

This is a pretty good website and others can be found.
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/appliances.html

Here is another dimension to add to our consumer habits.
GREEN PRODUCTS.

If it's made in America, there is less chance of the product being a green product.

While going through some of the information at the website above, take note of how many (in red) updates signify factory closings. Most are not really closing, only moving production out of country.

Green energy light bulbs - we'll see about that, when the first shipment of GE bulbs comes in from out of country at half the cost of energy consuming bulbs still made in America.

It's time for us to understand that even the vast majority of Americans cannot possibly afford to buy American. We have overpaid our workers right into obscurity.

A pair of designer Jeans made in America (with imported material) can cost over $100.00.

But we can send cotton to another country, where it is woven with (spandex type) materials, the material is then sent to another country to be cut and that country imports zippers and buttons from other counties with which to complete the assemply of the jeans.

The jeans are then shipped to American, to be unpacked, separated, and repacked for distribution. Trucks deliver the product to WalMat, Meijer, Target, and other department stores and so on.

Upon arrival they are unpacked and a bunch of plastic is used to tag and sometimes hang the jeans for sale.

And we pay less than $30.00.

Most items of clothing, in most closets have, have traveled more extensively than (I could guess) 90 percent of American will ever travel in their life time.

We cannot return to industry and maintain our consumer habits, we can't afford it. Not only is the monitary expense prohibitive, but without GREEN legislation to protect the environment, we cannot really afford the damage of going back to industrial production of the past.

BUY LESS - BUY NECESSITY - STOP WASTE - RECYCLE - TRY TO BE GREEN

That's my solution.

One last note - 99% of consumers have no clue what working conditions are for those who manufacture the products they buy. In the article there is mention of Hershey's.

Look up where and how the cocoa beans are grown and harvested and even processed. Slavery in the chocolate industry has been an ongoing consern since chocolate first became a commidity in Europe.

Hershey's/Cadbury - in the decade has been associated not only with slave labor but with child slave labor.

IF WE ONLY KNEW or if we only

BOUGHT LESS - BOUGHT NECESSITY - STOPPED WASTING - RECYCLED - AND DID THE RESEARCH.....

I wondered when I read the email if the whole manufacturing was going on here because I remember that cars that are supposedly made here are sometimes only assembled here.

Great post Redy.

I have to do most of what is on your list of things to do because I am too poor to do otherwise.

Oddly, living in poverty has taught me just how little it really takes to survive. I have also come to understand the benefit of keeping items that may be old but are still useful.

This summer I had to "recycle" a window fan that someone gave me a couple years ago. It was almost all plastic but it could not be cleaned or properly oiled and 'literally' the dirt destroyed it.

Fortunately I had an old (30 year old) window fan that my parents gave me many years ago. It is almost all metal with wood trim. I can take it all apart for cleaning and I gave it a good oiling and viola my 30 year old (ugly) fan has kept me cool in place of the air conditioning I can not afford.

So I'm with you on this.

STUFF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqZMTY4V7Ts

Part one...the others are to the right on Youtube....worth a look. Enjoy.

"Buy American" is a motto that I live by.
Its not always possible to buy American made products these days, but I do put an effort into finding out where things are made.

Every imported item that you buy, you are chipping away at the economic survival of the USA. A cheap price should not be the end of all logic when it comes to purchasing goods.

If you cant buy American, at least buy from a company that is American based.

thanks to globalization, made in your home town is a thing of the past..every country has markets flooded with cheaply made imported goods, killing off the local manufacturers...

contrary to what most people believe, I hold heartedly support the capitalist system of supply and demand. Give power back to the merchants, take it away from the gloatted, corporate monopolists...nationalize your markets...shop and produce local..save local jobs...

Perhaps in a better economy but I have to tell ya, it's still cheaper to buy (mostly) ORGANIC produce in the store (most of which is not produced 'locally', than it is to purchase from our 'local' Farmers Markets all summer.

And my 'local' seamster wanted $25 to hem a pair of jeans that only cost about $20 new (I paid $6.00 at Goodwill for them). So I cut them off for shorts instead.

The 'local' computer refurbisher and repair consultant, makes the cost of a new computer seem more appealing.

There is a GREAT little store near me that sells 'locally' made goods (mostly food items) and designs gift baskets out of your purchases (baskets made semi-locally as well). If it weren't for the affluent neighborhoods around the area, and the fact that they also do business via the Web, they would be out of business.

Like most Americans, the over-consumption lifestyle of those who sell locally, requires a hefty price tag on the goods they sell, even when selling more econically by selling 'locally'.