Buy American or Go Without

I'm listening to the news and all I hear about is that US exports are falling in Europe, US exports are declining all around the world. Meanwhile, our trade deficit with China grows unchecked along with our national debt (mostly to China). What baffles me in this multi-million dollar trade deficit is that we tend to make quality, long-lasting goods in the US, while China has a reputation for making cheap, low-quality, disposable goods. So, we borrow money from China to buy their own poor-quality goods and then dump them in our own landfills, while China does not return the favor by buying things from us. That just makes me angry. Why do we eat that up in this country? Sure the government could step in and increase trade tarriffs with China but that is waiting for someone to do something for you. I believe in a more pro-active approach. I want to cut myself off from anything that is made overseas. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? I don't believe so.

I am never one of those that say, "do as I say not as I do". I believe in backing up what you preach so I am going force myself into the very same paradigm shift I want the rest of this country to adhere to. I confess the great difficulties in buying exclusively American-made products so my plan is to treat buying foreign-made goods as an addiction. I'm not going to quit cold turkey. I'm going to take baby steps...and here it goes.

I vow here and now to not purchase anything, now I mean anything, not made in the United States for one whole week. Now, I have to make one exception and that is gasoline. I wish I could afford an electric or hybrid car but I simply cannot at this juncture. So aside from gasoline, I resolve to purchase only American-made goods for one full week. Anyone that would like to take this leap of faith with me, I welcome them to and hope that they will share their experiences with me when I give a status report next week.