I was in a regional big box home improvement store looking for a high quality drill bit. I'm doing some precision work on my truck. I need the best I can get. That means American made. I was becoming frustrated with the brands they stock. Vermont American, made in China; Tool Works (a store brand), made in China; Blu Mol, made in China; Bosch, made in China. I like American-made for durability, attention to detail and quality. Who knows how it's made in socialist China. Maybe these drill bits are all coming out of same plant. Even the companies that put their names on the products may not know where and how they are made. These outsourced parts are not made the competitive American way.
Then there they were, a few rows of bits below the big displays of China product, Montana Brand drill bits
made in Rowan, Montana. The price was the same as the China product. By the way, I do credit the upper Midwest big box, Menards, for at least attempting to stock Made in USA products. They even have occasional "Made in the USA" sales. We need way more of this to rebuild our damaged economy.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Kirby Made in USA Vacuum Cleaners
When my 1970's U.S. made Hoover vacuum finally developed a serious problem, I hit the stores, the big boxes, for a replacement. Here's what I found: Hoover, the long time product of North Canton,Ohio: made in Mexico. Eureka, once proudly made in Detroit, MI and Springfield, IL: now made in China and Mexico. Bissel, homegrown in Walker, Michigan: made in Mexico and South Korea.
I wasn't planning on spending $249 on a used Kirby vacuum cleaner, but I wanted a well- made vacuum cleaner made in America, made by the free workers of the free enterprise system. I'm fed up with the vacuum cleaners now sold by "American" companies like Hoover, Eureka, Royal and Bissel. They break down quickly and I'm tired of replacing them. These are prime examples of the loss of both jobs and quality products with the outsourcing done by American companies. Many of these U.S. companies lobbied hard to gain favor with Congress to pass the free trade agreements. They said they needed free trade with China and Mexico to open these markets up for their product sales. But the desperately poor and repressed workers of China and Mexico, making pennies-per-hour, could not afford to buy or had no use for these manufactured products. The Chinese and Mexican Governments just wanted international investments, not the products. The free trade agreements only opened up these repressed labor "markets." So began the U.S. economy- damaging practice of designing products in the U.S. and then signing deals with the Chinese and Mexican Governments for the manufacturing, then shipping them back to sell in America.
I also find it troubling that the "parent" company of Hoover, Royal Dirt Devil and Vax is a home consumer products giant based in Hong Kong called Techtronics (TTI). So these one-time U.S. invented, marketed, and manufactured products, competing with one another to be better and better, are now part of a multinational corporation, apparently well on it's way to monopolizing the vacuum cleaner industry.
So Kirby stands alone now as the only U.S.-made vacuum cleaner. I found my $249 used Kirby, made in Cleveland, Ohio, at small local repair shop. Kirby didn't shut the factory gates and strike up contracts with the Chinese or Mexican governments. They continue to make a sturdy product, built to last and worth every penny. I'm not buying another vacuum cleaner, ever. And when it needs service I know this local guy...
I wasn't planning on spending $249 on a used Kirby vacuum cleaner, but I wanted a well- made vacuum cleaner made in America, made by the free workers of the free enterprise system. I'm fed up with the vacuum cleaners now sold by "American" companies like Hoover, Eureka, Royal and Bissel. They break down quickly and I'm tired of replacing them. These are prime examples of the loss of both jobs and quality products with the outsourcing done by American companies. Many of these U.S. companies lobbied hard to gain favor with Congress to pass the free trade agreements. They said they needed free trade with China and Mexico to open these markets up for their product sales. But the desperately poor and repressed workers of China and Mexico, making pennies-per-hour, could not afford to buy or had no use for these manufactured products. The Chinese and Mexican Governments just wanted international investments, not the products. The free trade agreements only opened up these repressed labor "markets." So began the U.S. economy- damaging practice of designing products in the U.S. and then signing deals with the Chinese and Mexican Governments for the manufacturing, then shipping them back to sell in America.
I also find it troubling that the "parent" company of Hoover, Royal Dirt Devil and Vax is a home consumer products giant based in Hong Kong called Techtronics (TTI). So these one-time U.S. invented, marketed, and manufactured products, competing with one another to be better and better, are now part of a multinational corporation, apparently well on it's way to monopolizing the vacuum cleaner industry.
So Kirby stands alone now as the only U.S.-made vacuum cleaner. I found my $249 used Kirby, made in Cleveland, Ohio, at small local repair shop. Kirby didn't shut the factory gates and strike up contracts with the Chinese or Mexican governments. They continue to make a sturdy product, built to last and worth every penny. I'm not buying another vacuum cleaner, ever. And when it needs service I know this local guy...
Monday, March 18, 2013
Made in the USA Camco Toilet Tissue
Made in the USA
I finally found some US-made RV toilet tissue at a Wal-Mart store in Branson,MO. The name brand is Camco. Prior to this, all the tissue I could ever find, under the brand names Thetford and Coleman, was made in China tissue. These China-made rolls have fewer sheets per roll and cost about 20 cents more than the US brand. A roll of the Chinese-made Coleman (does this company make anything in the U.S.?) tissue weighs 90g. A roll of the U.S. made Camco tissue weighs 175g. Looks like Camco wipes out the competition.
Thanks, Camco. I now have a RV toilet tissue supplier.
I finally found some US-made RV toilet tissue at a Wal-Mart store in Branson,MO. The name brand is Camco. Prior to this, all the tissue I could ever find, under the brand names Thetford and Coleman, was made in China tissue. These China-made rolls have fewer sheets per roll and cost about 20 cents more than the US brand. A roll of the Chinese-made Coleman (does this company make anything in the U.S.?) tissue weighs 90g. A roll of the U.S. made Camco tissue weighs 175g. Looks like Camco wipes out the competition.
Thanks, Camco. I now have a RV toilet tissue supplier.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wrap Up a U.S. Job
I was shopping recently for wrapping paper in the Big Box Store. I was looking for some U.S. paper.
When the heads of the purchasing departments of American mega-retailers look to place big factory orders for their store brand products, they look 7,000 miles to the west . They contract with China, a socialist totalitarian state, a state obsessed with control, that keeps wages low to encourage foreign investment. They partner with China, where working conditions have been found to fall ridiculously short of international standards for worker safety, wages, work hours and child labor. They order from a system that buys little of our manufactured product. Could they have placed their factory orders with an American paper mill? Sure they could have, but their competition struck a deal with China and the businessperson’s favorite game is “follow the leader ”, no matter how bad his ideas are. How ironic and hypocritical it is that American business leaders, living and thriving in the free enterprise system, have no problem writing checks to a repressive socialist state when stocking their shelves.
Wrapping paper is made right here in the U.S. Sometimes it’s sold in the same stores that sell the store (China) brands. Mine was made in Cleveland, Ohio by American Greetings. It costs slightly more, but the price included paying a worker a living wage. That worker had money to spend in his community and paid U.S. taxes instead of having to file for unemployment benefits.
When you’re out to pick up some wrapping paper, consider supporting a U.S. manufacturing job. Even better, put that paper around a Channel Lock hand tool “Fiercely made in Meadville, Pennsylvania” or a Mag-Light flashlight, made in Ontario, California. Or wrap up some Black Hills Gold jewelry, made in Rapid City, SD or clothing from Woolrich Woolen Mills of Woolrich, PA, or American Apparel, made in Los Angeles.
Support American manufacturing and give the gift of a job.
Thank you, USA Manufacturers
“Thank you” to Mag Instruments of Ontario, California, maker of the Mag light flashlight. Owner Anthony Maglica has kept his manufacturing plant in the U.S running, while all the other major flashlight brands alit for Mexico and China. Mag even exports 25% of their production. Eight hundred Americans have good manufacturing jobs, pay federal and state taxes, and have money to spend to keep other local businesses going.
“Thank you” to New Balance of Boston, Massachusetts for the Made in U.S.A athletic shoes that carry me about. They are the sole U.S. company still manufacturing athetic shoes in the U.S. Look for the tag “Commited to the American Worker” on their U.S. made shoes.
“Thank you” to Weinbrenner Shoes of Merrill, WI for continuing to employ American union labor in the manufacture of work and safety shoes. It’s not easy to make a principled stand when the competition has taken a hike, to have their products made in a socialist totalitarian state.
“Thank you” to American Apparel of Los Angeles for producing “sweatshop free” clothing with all U.S. labor. The company pays workers an average wage of 12 dollars an hour. In China the prevailing wage is 17 cents an hour. Our child labor laws, workplace safety laws and wage and overtime laws protect 5,000 employees. They sell across the nation and export as well, in factory outlet stores.
These companies prove that even in heavily outsourced industries, a business can succeed with U.S manufacturing. These companies made a strong commitment to the American way of manufacturing.
The American way of manufacturing is about caring owners keeping a watchful eye on all aspects of the manufacture of a product, from raw materials in, to finished product in the hands of a customer. It’s about strict adherence to labor laws and environmental protection. It’s about a team approach between management and labor, whether through unions or enlightened management. And it’s about fair competition on an even playing field.
There is something good and fundamental about the taking of raw materials and carefully bending, heating, cutting, stitching, melting and assembling them into a useful and salable product. Manufacturing is the foundation of any economy. Whenever I can I say “thank you” with my wallet, to the stubborn American survivors of these foolish outsourcing times.
“Thank you” to New Balance of Boston, Massachusetts for the Made in U.S.A athletic shoes that carry me about. They are the sole U.S. company still manufacturing athetic shoes in the U.S. Look for the tag “Commited to the American Worker” on their U.S. made shoes.
“Thank you” to Weinbrenner Shoes of Merrill, WI for continuing to employ American union labor in the manufacture of work and safety shoes. It’s not easy to make a principled stand when the competition has taken a hike, to have their products made in a socialist totalitarian state.
“Thank you” to American Apparel of Los Angeles for producing “sweatshop free” clothing with all U.S. labor. The company pays workers an average wage of 12 dollars an hour. In China the prevailing wage is 17 cents an hour. Our child labor laws, workplace safety laws and wage and overtime laws protect 5,000 employees. They sell across the nation and export as well, in factory outlet stores.
These companies prove that even in heavily outsourced industries, a business can succeed with U.S manufacturing. These companies made a strong commitment to the American way of manufacturing.
The American way of manufacturing is about caring owners keeping a watchful eye on all aspects of the manufacture of a product, from raw materials in, to finished product in the hands of a customer. It’s about strict adherence to labor laws and environmental protection. It’s about a team approach between management and labor, whether through unions or enlightened management. And it’s about fair competition on an even playing field.
There is something good and fundamental about the taking of raw materials and carefully bending, heating, cutting, stitching, melting and assembling them into a useful and salable product. Manufacturing is the foundation of any economy. Whenever I can I say “thank you” with my wallet, to the stubborn American survivors of these foolish outsourcing times.
Friday, March 1, 2013
We Need Smarter Guns
The NRA and the gun lobby think that we need more weapons to solve the affliction of mass shootings that plague our society. I think that we need smarter guns.
Technology is the answer. It's time we insist, in the interest of public safety, that gun manufacturers make their products safer. All firearms should at least have a key switch. The safety could be simply mechanical, locked or unlocked with an ordinary key. But imagine the possibilites with a smarter gun.
Try to picture a gleaming new smart gun, with an LCD interface in the handgrip. Yes, this means the safer, smarter gun has an onboard computer and a battery in the safety circuit. The firing mechanism could then be locked by default by this electronic safety. With the correct passcode keyed in, the on-board computer would give an "all clear" signal to energize a solenoid coil. The coil would pull in an interlocking safety pin and allow operation of the firearm.
Every car, house, apartment and business has a lock. Passcodes are found on bank accounts, e-mail, on line accounts and industrial machinery. Why should every gun be unguarded and wide open to any homicidal, suicidal person or criminal with an index finger?
The technology exists to make such a weapon. Tamper-proof safety mechanisms are already used in many places. It would need to be made with industrial stoutness to withstand the concussion of the weapon. The electronics could be housed in an epoxy sealed “puck” used in brutal industrial conditions for measuring and monitoring systems. With today’s micro-electronics, a ton of computing power can be housed in a tiny package.
There is much for the responsible gun owner to like about a code-protected gun. It’s his gun and only he can use it. He would not need to keep the weapon in a safe to protect the rest of his family. He just has to remember a short code in order to use the firearm. After entering the code the gun would remain ready to fire for a time selectable by the owner, perhaps up to eight hours. If he or she is hunting for eight hours they can set the safety to hold off for that long.
With computer monitoring of the weapon, there could be additional features built in that could aid the gun owner. For example, the gun could have a temperature sensor built into the barrel and the computer could shut down the firearm before overheating damages the barrel. Useful information about the firing characteristics or a record of discharges of the weapon could be downloaded via USB to a computer and put to good use.
For law enforcement, in the event of a crime committed with the weapon, there would be a time stamp in the on-board computer of the exact time of discharge. This could assist in the investigation of the crime. With a further application of technology, the location of the discharge could also be recorded by a built- in GPS. This could have major importance in a criminal investigation. A GPS also might be useful for a hunter, say, trying to find the exact place where he fired the weapon in order to hunt there again, or to help locate a wounded animal. Imagination is the only limitation for the features that could be added to a smart firearm.
This brings up another intriguing idea. With all the controversy over assault weapons, perhaps a built-in GPS safety system in assault weapons is the answer. They could then be made with “no-fire” GPS locations programmed in for schools, churches, malls, government buildings or anywhere else where their discharge could cause great bodily harm.
Adding these safety features to guns would require some serious long range central planning. Our leaders would have to work with gun manufacturers to set guidelines and timelines for phasing in these new safety requirements. There's precedent for our leaders in government to regulate the safety of a product. Cars are a good example. Many of the life-saving safety features found in cars today, from seat belts to air bags were mandated by our government.
NRA and passionate gun owners take note: no one will lose a gun here. Let’s fix this problem with some good old-fashioned American ingenuity. We don’t need to ban guns, we need to make them smarter and safer.
Technology is the answer. It's time we insist, in the interest of public safety, that gun manufacturers make their products safer. All firearms should at least have a key switch. The safety could be simply mechanical, locked or unlocked with an ordinary key. But imagine the possibilites with a smarter gun.
Try to picture a gleaming new smart gun, with an LCD interface in the handgrip. Yes, this means the safer, smarter gun has an onboard computer and a battery in the safety circuit. The firing mechanism could then be locked by default by this electronic safety. With the correct passcode keyed in, the on-board computer would give an "all clear" signal to energize a solenoid coil. The coil would pull in an interlocking safety pin and allow operation of the firearm.
Every car, house, apartment and business has a lock. Passcodes are found on bank accounts, e-mail, on line accounts and industrial machinery. Why should every gun be unguarded and wide open to any homicidal, suicidal person or criminal with an index finger?
The technology exists to make such a weapon. Tamper-proof safety mechanisms are already used in many places. It would need to be made with industrial stoutness to withstand the concussion of the weapon. The electronics could be housed in an epoxy sealed “puck” used in brutal industrial conditions for measuring and monitoring systems. With today’s micro-electronics, a ton of computing power can be housed in a tiny package.
There is much for the responsible gun owner to like about a code-protected gun. It’s his gun and only he can use it. He would not need to keep the weapon in a safe to protect the rest of his family. He just has to remember a short code in order to use the firearm. After entering the code the gun would remain ready to fire for a time selectable by the owner, perhaps up to eight hours. If he or she is hunting for eight hours they can set the safety to hold off for that long.
With computer monitoring of the weapon, there could be additional features built in that could aid the gun owner. For example, the gun could have a temperature sensor built into the barrel and the computer could shut down the firearm before overheating damages the barrel. Useful information about the firing characteristics or a record of discharges of the weapon could be downloaded via USB to a computer and put to good use.
For law enforcement, in the event of a crime committed with the weapon, there would be a time stamp in the on-board computer of the exact time of discharge. This could assist in the investigation of the crime. With a further application of technology, the location of the discharge could also be recorded by a built- in GPS. This could have major importance in a criminal investigation. A GPS also might be useful for a hunter, say, trying to find the exact place where he fired the weapon in order to hunt there again, or to help locate a wounded animal. Imagination is the only limitation for the features that could be added to a smart firearm.
This brings up another intriguing idea. With all the controversy over assault weapons, perhaps a built-in GPS safety system in assault weapons is the answer. They could then be made with “no-fire” GPS locations programmed in for schools, churches, malls, government buildings or anywhere else where their discharge could cause great bodily harm.
Adding these safety features to guns would require some serious long range central planning. Our leaders would have to work with gun manufacturers to set guidelines and timelines for phasing in these new safety requirements. There's precedent for our leaders in government to regulate the safety of a product. Cars are a good example. Many of the life-saving safety features found in cars today, from seat belts to air bags were mandated by our government.
NRA and passionate gun owners take note: no one will lose a gun here. Let’s fix this problem with some good old-fashioned American ingenuity. We don’t need to ban guns, we need to make them smarter and safer.
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