A recent ABC World News story reported that in comparing two similarly decorated rooms, one with products made in American and the other with foreign-made goods, the American-made products were $92 cheaper than the foreign products. This report suggests that buying American looks like a great way to help America’s current economic situation.

 
This report triggered an inventory of my personal belongings as to the number of foreign-made purchases and the number of American-made goods. Although my bed sheets and curtains are imported, almost half of my clothes are made in the United States. This discovery was a welcome surprise after seeing “Made in Taiwan and “Made in China” labels on commonplace items.

Sandra Piccirilli commented after observing my clothes investigation, “I am not surprised at the amount of clothing made in America. I make a conscious effort to familiarize myself as to where the items I purchase come from. I think buying American is a great idea for the economy and citizens.”

Lloyd Sowers of Fox 13 News reports that buying American goods keeps money from leaving the US economy, supports American companies, and provides benefits for the consumer. The Tampa Bay area has companies such as Southern Crafted Homes that use 100% American-made goods to build their homes and try to use as many local suppliersl.

ABC World News recently featured the pros of buying American. The report used an example reports from a dorm catalog from On Campus Marketing that sells dorm staples from China and Bangladesh. On Campus Marketing has contracts with over 850 colleges and universities in the United States. ABC concluded that switching to American goods offered n the catalog would create over a half-million new jobs.

“I will provide a complete line of made in America college room products in the coming year,” Andrew McDade, President of On Campus Marketing said, responding to the pressure of consumers who wish to keep the American dollar here at home.

“At least fifty percent of all the products I purchase are American made, which is much more than it used to be,” said Mrs. Beth Chase, an economics teacher at AHN. She believes that the benefits of buying American clearly outweigh the negatives. She has become much more self-aware of her buying habits in recent years because of the recession and the importance of economic recovery for the United States.

“I always double check prices from different stores and online to ensure I am getting the best quality good at the best possible price,” comments Chase.

To educate herself on the economy, Mrs. Chase reads articles from Bloomberg, Kiplinger, and McKinley, which her students also read in economics class. She also watches MSNBC and views information online.

“Not only will the shift back to purchasing American products aid in the stimulation of jobs, it will also allow for increased circulation of money back into our economy ,” said Mark Molenda, an American citizen and educated businessman .

Not all Americans agree that buying “home-made” is the best possible solution to the economic downturn. Academy students who are not pro-American goods oppose this strategy because they say that it will not create jobs and takes the focus off of other problems. They cite examples that include how this campaign did not work for America in the 1980s .

How can Americans get involved?  Start with seful Internet sites such as www.stillmadeinusa.com , suggested by Academy Senior Sami Menard, and www.americansworking.com , which provides lists of American-made products in categories ranging from home décor to sporting goods to apparel. Students can become more aware of the school supplies that they purchase, and also look into to a new provider of uniforms that are made in the United States.