Madd Money: Made in the USA?! Actually, Yes!!!

One of the oft heard quips from many is that "the US doesn't make anything anymore". Well, that may or may not be true, but here's a question... how many of you (and I'm pointing at myself when I use that "Royal You" as well) actually make it a point to look at where your items are made? Do we really care?!

One one side, I'm as patriotic as the next guy and I want to see our country prosper and grow. On the other hand, if I need new shoes and the US pair is $90 and the Chinese pair is $40, well...

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...and I know I'm not the only one that does that! Truth be told, though, I'm willing to bet that 90% of the time, we don't even give a second thought as to where something is made, just the price and "can I take that home now?!" If we have to do much thinking beyond that or much detective work, then it's likely we'll do nothing, or move onto what is easier for us. 

Just for grins, I thought I'd check my labels. My shoes? Made in China. My swank Gap 1969 jeans? Festooned with references to San Francisco in various places and prominent on many of the labels... but made in Macau. My flannel, actually made by a company called American Living... and manufactured in India. See? I'm in a glass house myself, so I ain't throwing any stones here. Also, there are certain items that I greatly enjoy and I know full well they come from overseas, and I'm cool with that and willing to spend the money for the real deal item. My Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses are hand made in Italy, and I do not mind spending the money for a pair of them because the style and the brand are excellent and high quality (and hey, looking like a bald Roy Orbison is kinda' cool ;) ).

So what's a patriotic person supposed to do? What if we want to buy products that are Made in the USA? How do we even know what's out there? Well, there's a site actually dedicated to that at Made in USA Forever. Now, granted, I can't vouch for anything here yet, as I haven't ordered anything from them, nor am I in the immediate market for anything on this list, but should I find myself in the need or wanting anything, I do plan to give this list a look and see how things rate. If the items in question are of solid quality, I'm willing to pay for them and support local business and economies. If you want to play along as well, please feel free to. At least this way, when we make our comparisons, and if we know there's a viable alternative, we can put our money where our mouth is. If enough of us do it, there just might be a desire for a resurgence in American made goods and, frankly, I would like to see more of that!