Yes, lets be calm and rational when discussing Trump. That will show 'em.
39 page weekly flier from Menards featuring all Made in USA products. I saved it as a good reference resource if nothing else, the ad lists the states the items are made in.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-made-in-america-20170308-story.html
Saw someone post this on Facebook...
When you stroll the aisles of the Made in America Store, you might notice a conspicuous absence. There is not a single item for sale that requires a battery or a plug. That is because no electronics meet the strict guidelines of an emporium that stocks only products 100% made in America.
Still, American-made goods abound — socks and hiking boots, plastic lawn furniture, flags and decals, beer and barbecue sauce, mops and sponges. Toilet paper.
There are three aisles of toys, non-electronic, that veer toward the nostalgic: playing cards, horseshoes, marbles and jacks, boomerangs, Slinkies, perhaps their bestselling item. Checkers and Chinese checkers. (Not the kind made in China.)
The Made in America Store is the brainchild of Mark Andol, 50, an energetic, mile-a-minute talker with silver-tinged, waved-back hair and a wispy mustache.
Andol, the third generation of a Greek immigrant family, was raised on American manufacturing. His father was an ironworker employed at the Ford stamping plant in nearby Buffalo and his mother made xylophone keys for a subcontractor of Fisher-Price, the toy company headquartered in nearby East Aurora.
Andol was frustrated that his welding company, which made metal parts for industry, kept losing contracts to cheaper Chinese competitors. So on a whim, in 2010, he rented a vacant automobile dealership to showcase American products.
“Sure, Mark. The world is fully of crazy people. Go for it,’’ Andol recalls he was told.
Filling the cavernous building proved more difficult than Andol imagined. At first he carried only 50 products. He had set a standard higher than the Federal Trade Commission, requiring that the products be 100% U.S. made “right down to the glue in the packaging.’’
Andol was familiar with the certification procedures because he sometimes bid on military contracts, which give preference to U.S. suppliers under a 1941 law called the Berry amendment. He would pore over binders with letters certifying the origins of the components only to be crushed when he had to dump a product that did not make the cut.
“I was so excited to find tea from the United States because I’m a tea drinker, but then I found out the bags were made in Japan and I had to kick it out of the store,” he said.
In homage to his mother’s past making xylophone keys, Andol badly wanted to sell toys from Fisher-Price, which has its headquarters just two miles away.
“They used to have model builders, toy makers, engineers working here, but now they are all gone and only the corporate headquarters is here,’’ Andol said. “I couldn’t find one Fisher-Price toy completely made in America.’’
Other retailers are trying an all-American approach, but it is a constant struggle. Today, Andol boasts that he stocks 7,000 items, although admittedly the numbers get a boost from some products that are essentially the same but come in different sizes or colors. He has opened several branch stores and sells online.
Shoppers in search of a specific item would be advised to head to Wal-Mart. But the novelty of shopping American is enough of an adventure that the Made in America flagship attracts more than 600 tour buses annually.
The store is decked out in an American theme, the walls covered with large completely American-made American flags. (The U.S. imports about $4 million in American flags from China each year.) T-shirts are plastered with the store’s slogan, “Because China is a long drive to work!”
For all the anti-China rhetoric, some of the best customers are Chinese tourists.
“The Chinese go ballistic buying stuff in there because it is made in America, not made in China,’’ said Eric Bateman, a tour bus operator from Conrad, Iowa, who brings tourists on their way to Niagara Falls. “Mark sells these great, simple things. You can buy a can opener and put it in the dishwasher and it doesn’t rust.’’
Bringing manufacturing back to the United States — and preserving manufacturing still here — is seen as the holy grail of economic revival for many policymakers and politicians. “My administration will follow two simple rules: Buy American, and hire American,” Donald Trump declared at a postelection victory rally in Des Moines last year.
And yet they are elusive goals, many economists say.
“We live in a world today where you have very complex interdependent supply networks,’’ said Willy Shih, a professor at Harvard Business School who has written extensively on the need for a U.S. manufacturing revival. “One of the challenges with technology is that you have a lot of high-value components from various sources.”
From experience, Andol knows that hiring American labor can be as difficult as sourcing American products. At his manufacturing shop, he is struggling to find skilled welders, fabricators and engineers, and the people he hires are undoubtedly more expensive than foreign workers.
“If I took my $2.4-million payroll overseas, I’d be paying $400,000,” Andol said. “But you need to support the country you live in too.”
Andol is enthusiastic about President Trump’s promises to bring back American goods, though a little disappointed that Trump and his daughter Ivanka had so much of the clothing they sell manufactured outside the U.S.
“I think it is very hard, but I personally know clothing can be made here… and some of what we sell is cheaper than the imports,’’ he said.
To prove his point, Andol explains his own wardrobe. He wears Texas Jeans (which are actually made in Asheville, N.C.), Wigwam socks, Thorogood work boots. It’s all made in American right down to the underwear, belt and the wallet he carries. The only notable except is what he always carries: the iPhone.
Thanks Sang for posting that.
As much time as I do spend trying to buy USA (either made or assembled) I have never and can't imagine actually trying to verify where all the components are made. To me personally, if it is assembled in the USA with all foreign components that is still better than foreign assembled with all foreign components. I have read stories from companies who seek domestic components for their products and in many cases those parts are just not available here.
The FTC says in order for a product to be labeled made in USA that “All or virtually all” means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content
That is a very high standard, and difficult in many cases for companies to achieve.
New Balance shoes says that if the content is 70% domestic value, they label them as "made in USA". If it is under 70% but built here, they label those "assembled in USA".
To me 'assembled in the USA with domestic and foreign components' satisfies what I am looking for - and often that is as good as it gets on many products.
A few electronics off the top of my head that likely don't meet the Made in USA store's criteria, but are assembled in the USA to my knowledge:
Most Wahl shavers
Some CHI branded hair dryers and irons
Dewalt is reintroducing cordless and corded power tools as assembled in USA
Wolf and Dacor microwaves (although costing $500 and up)
Bunn has some limited USA coffee makers
Kitchen Aid has USA mixers
MagLite flash lights (and Surefire flashlights a higher end flashlight)
Princeton headlamp flashlights
Some table lamps and wall/ceiling mounted light fixtures are made in USA, but the wiring and bulb/switch components are foreign
RCA labels an indoor/outdoor over the air HD antenna as USA
Leviton has many electrical outlets and switches USA
Hubbell has some 220v electrical outlets and other products USA
Vornado has a couple small heaters assembled in USA
Shop Vac branded shop vacs are still listed as USA (most other shop type vacs are not)
Some Oreck and Ricar sweepers
There is still some very high end consumer audio/video equipment + professional recording and amplifying equipment that is USA
Big Ass Fans (large industrial ceiling fans)
Fellows paper shredders (expensive commercial units)
Aprilaire dehumidifiers (some other high end dehumidifiers also USA)
Some outside security lights (newer LED units, not HID or HPS)
Some outside low voltage landscape lighting
Some Braun bathroom exhaust fans
There are probably some others I am not thinking of. Electronics assembled in the USA are out there, but exclusively using USA parts? - it must be virtually impossible as the article states.
Kid Rock is diversifying himself it appears:
Bad Ass Grill - Made in USA
https://americanbadassgrill.com/
Kid Rock's 'American Badass' grill will promote U.S. manufacturing, jobs
Introducing Kid Rock's American Badass GrillBrandon Champion | bchampio@mlive.com By Brandon Champion | bchampio@mlive.com
March 03, 2017 at 1:59 PM, updated March 03, 2017 at 2:13 PM
DETROIT -- Add grills to the list of merchandise Kid Rock is offering to the world.
The Detroit musician announced the "American Badass Grill" via his social media channels on Friday, March 3. The release comes with a message of keeping jobs in the United States. The grills will be manufactured 100 percent in America.
As only he can, Kid Rock hammered that point home in an explosive promotional video posted to a Facebook page dedicated to the product.
"We got grills that are made in China," he says in the video as "Bawitdaba" plays in the background. "We got 50 cals that are made in America. This is 100 percent, pure American badass."
He then proceeds to use the gun to shoot and destroy the Chinese grill.
The portable, full-throttle grill comes in gas or charcoal and is large enough to fit 12 burgers. The charcoal grill costs $99.95 and the gas grill is listed at $149.95.
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2017/03/kid_rock_joins_grill_market_to.html
NAFTA update
Nafta Renegotiation Timeline Could Weaken Mexico’s Bargaining Power
Talks could overlap with next year’s elections, risking rejection of any pact by whomever wins the presidency
By Juan Montes and
Dudley Althaus in Mexico City and
William Mauldin in Washington
Updated March 10, 2017 3:05 p.m. ET
26 COMMENTSAn uncertain timetable for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement is sparking concern in Mexico that the complex talks will become entangled with the country’s presidential elections next year, undermining its government’s bargaining position and ability to get a deal approved.
Senior Mexican officials have said they want to complete negotiations by year’s end. But observers see that goal as overly optimistic and fear pushing talks deep into next year risks rejection by whomever wins the July 2018 vote.
A lame duck President Enrique Peña Nieto could have trouble garnering support in Congress, where his party now lacks an outright majority, and as the election nears, it will be increasingly difficult for his government to make any concession to a U.S. administration that is highly unpopular in his country, analysts say.
On Friday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he hoped to notify Congress in the coming weeks of the Trump administration’s intention to renegotiate Nafta, starting a required 90-day clock for consultations with U.S. lawmakers.
“There will be lots of discussions about lots of issues,” Mr. Ross told reporters after meeting with Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo. Starting U.S. consultations soon could permit formal trade talks to begin by July, meeting Mexican officials’ preferred timeline to minimize political risks, but still push them well into next year.
“The process is likely to stretch to the second half of next year,” said Jaime Zabludovsky, a former Mexican official who helped negotiate Nafta in the early 1990s. “Trade talks risk becoming the piñata of Mexico’s election.”
Negotiations during Mexico’s political season could further heighten uncertainty, which already has hit the Mexican currency, hampered investment and throttled growth, analysts say. A weaker peso could further widen Mexico´s trade surplus with the U.S. by boosting cheaper Mexican imports and denting demand in Mexico for costlier American products.
President Donald Trump made renegotiating Nafta, which he has labeled as the “worst trade deal ever,” a key campaign promise. He shocked Mexicans with claims that the pact—which also includes Canada—has unfairly benefited Mexico, which last year posted a trade surplus with the U.S. of about $63 billion.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto spoke at a meeting of the National Agricultural Council in Mexico City on Feb. 2. If Nafta negotiations extend well into next year, Mexican presidential candidates would likely use them to attack the Peña Nieto administration.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto spoke at a meeting of the National Agricultural Council in Mexico City on Feb. 2. If Nafta negotiations extend well into next year, Mexican presidential candidates would likely use them to attack the Peña Nieto administration. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/Associated PressCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said his government is prepared for any proposed renegotiation of Nafta. This isn’t a “zero-sum game in terms of negotiations,” Mr. Trudeau added.
Mr. Trump has sought to speed up Nafta renegotiation, and his advisers say new aspects of Nafta could serve as a blueprint for bilateral negotiations with other countries such as Japan and the U.K. But the U.S. Congress is also eager to play a role in setting priorities of the talks and could slow down the process, which could also be complicated by midterm elections in 2018. Some lawmakers are wary of opening up Nafta to changes.
“The next two years look politically and electorally difficult on both sides,” said Tony Payan, a Mexican political scientist with the Baker Institute at Rice University in Houston. “This is why free trade agreements are often negotiated in the dark.”
Comments by Mr. Ross earlier this week that the talks “hopefully won’t take more than a year” raised eyebrows in Mexico. Such a protracted process could weaken Mr. Peña Nieto’s political capital with both lawmakers and the public if his administration is seen as losing in the talks, analysts say.
A revised Nafta would require the approval of Mexico’s Senate, where the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party only has a simple majority. If negotiations extend well into next year, presidential candidates would likely use them—and Mr. Trump’s deep unpopularity in Mexico—to attack the Peña Nieto administration.
Recent opinion polls place leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador ahead in what is expected to be a bitterly contested presidential election campaign. Though he has spoken favorably of Nafta in recent months, Mr. López Obrador has been a sharp critic of the free-market policies of Mr. Peña Nieto and other recent presidents.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday that any talks with Mexico and Canada over the North American Free Trade Agreement ‘will either be two parallel bilaterals with symmetrical provisions or one new trilateral.’ Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“There may be enough time, but it’s difficult to tell until there’s more clarity over what exactly the U.S. wants to change,” said Moisés Kalach, a businessman who coordinates the government’s business advisory group on trade talks. “If they want a deep overhaul, it could be problematic.”
In 2011, talks between Mexico and Japan to renegotiate their free-trade agreement lasted more than a year. Mexico’s renegotiation of a free-trade deal with the European Union started in 2015 and hasn’t concluded yet.
Both U.S. and Mexican officials have stressed this week that it is too early to discuss any particulars on what might be produced by negotiations. Mexican officials began consultations with the country’s business community weeks ago. Mr. Guajardo, Mexico’s economic minister, has said that any new U.S. import duties would be a deal breaker.
“There has been no talk about unilateral actions,” Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said in Washington on Thursday, after a day of “constructive” talks with senior U.S. officials.
—Paul Vieira contributed to this article.
Write to Juan Montes at juan.montes@wsj.com, Dudley Althaus at Dudley.Althaus@wsj.com and William Mauldin at william.mauldin@wsj.com
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-signals-nafta-talks-could-start-as-soon-as-late-june-1489161050
[Edited on 3/13/2017 by nebish]
I do business with Dollar Shave Club, mainly because I liked the commercials and I think the prices for razors in the stores are way too high.
Over the years I have also started to buy their shave gel and one hair product. The shave gel says "Made in the USA" on the back, the hair product not, so I sent them an email and asked about the hair product and also their razors.
They responded that not only the shave gel but also the hair products are indeed made in USA, but the razors were made in S. Korea - dangit, I suppose that was asking too much.
I can't wait until Mr. Trump stops the incentivization of outsourcing. I have no doubt he'll make that a priority.
I do business with Dollar Shave Club, mainly because I liked the commercials and I think the prices for razors in the stores are way too high.
Over the years I have also started to buy their shave gel and one hair product. The shave gel says "Made in the USA" on the back, the hair product not, so I sent them an email and asked about the hair product and also their razors.
They responded that not only the shave gel but also the hair products are indeed made in USA, but the razors were made in S. Korea - dangit, I suppose that was asking too much.
I think there is one of those member companies that offers USA razors...can't remember their name, maybe google knows. I use an electric that was made in Netherlands, had it for long time now. I have thought about trying a Wahl if it was USA. Some of the Phillips and Norelco shavers are still made in Europe.
I can't wait until Mr. Trump stops the incentivization of outsourcing. I have no doubt he'll make that a priority.
Talk is cheap. We'll see what the actions are. Please don't make any mistake, my personal interest in this subject is not a newfound attachment with Trump, goes much much further and deeper than that.
Passed this onto a friend yesterday thought I'd post it here as well.
This is where we get our bedding sheets and covers, etc.
https://www.amdorm.com/collections/dorm-bedding/Dorm-Bedding
My wife and I have had a Tempurpedic bed for more than 10 years. She wanted something new, so I did some searching online. We decided to try the Eight Sleep mattress, which has a technology layer that tracks your sleep and has a feature to warm each side of the bed to different temperatures. Just ordered it, so I don't have it yet. According to them the mattress is Made in the USA, but the technology layer (which goes over the bed like a mattress pad) is made in China.
Nebish, Hi, with this new executive order i thought of you. a thought popped into my head about how you try very hard to buy american. do you apply the same rules at the grocery store? are there alot of fruits and vegetables you won't eat because they are only grown outside the USA. i'm not making fun of you, i am sincerely curious. are there restaurants you won't eat at because they are owned by a corporation from outside the USA? i didn't read back thru the thread to see if this was discussed, sorry if it was.
i think i remember its not a hard and fast rule just something to try to do your best at.
Nebish, Hi, with this new executive order i thought of you. a thought popped into my head about how you try very hard to buy american. do you apply the same rules at the grocery store? are there alot of fruits and vegetables you won't eat because they are only grown outside the USA. i'm not making fun of you, i am sincerely curious. are there restaurants you won't eat at because they are owned by a corporation from outside the USA? i didn't read back thru the thread to see if this was discussed, sorry if it was.
i think i remember its not a hard and fast rule just something to try to do your best at.
That's nice of you to think of me!
I am a little out of the loop this week being on the road. I will have to look into the EO.
Vegetables are never a problem, atleast the ones I eat. Fresh and frozen vegetables that I buy have always been able to be easily found as produce of the USA.
Fruit is a little tougher. I buy grapes from California. If they are from Chile or Peru I leave them. Blueberries can be tough, at times you can find them from California, other times Central America. Bananas are always imported at my stores and I do buy those. Unless I had a local Florida or Hawaii source I don't know where in the US I could buy Bananas from.
One funny thing about organic. You know you have organic produce, some of it USA some of it imported. And organic is more money and some people buy that because they believe in the benefit of organic produce. I don't hear too much fear mongering about higher prices for organic produce. But if you say we should have more USA product, produce or goods in general look out "all that is going to do is rise prices and hurt people".
Just comes down to what you care about and believe in.
But yeah, grocery shopping food in general. I look at everything.
Restaurants? I've asked where a restaurant's shrimp comes from before and got blank stares back. If you are in the south, those people can typically answer that question and hopefully if they tell you it is US caught or raised you can believe them.
All this push for dietary and calorie data on menus...how about some country sourcing on menus?
Honestly I know very little about who owns what restaurants.
Alot of times I do not know if brand x is owned by a domestic or foreign company/country either, but it doesn't always matter anyway. I would buy a Honda or Toyota made in the USA before I would buy a Chevy or Ford made in Mexico or Korea. I celebrate foreign brands making their goods here just as much as I do US brands. And I demonize them both equally for taking advantage of cheaper costs abroad to import those products for sale here.
My view comes down to where the local investment and employment is taking place in our country regardless of it is foreign or domestic ownership. More foreign companies making things here instead of abroad is a good outcome for my beliefs. So I am not anti-foreign person, I just want average people to be able to have jobs available to them here and if we have more jobs chasing fewer workers then wages and benefits for workers can rise naturally.
I would love country of origin listed on restaurant menu's !
I'll never forget the time I picked up a can of green beans in Publix, Del Monte or Jolly Green Giant or some other big name - fine print on the back - "produced in China" - on a can of green beans for goodness sake.
Shrimp is a tough one for sure. Living in Florida has spoiled me somewhat on seafood, not that imported seafood doesn't exist here, it does, but in that shrimp, stone crabs, fish are all available locally caught.
Ate some stone crab claws last night, ummm.
You mean Sysco is not an acceptable answer ? 😉
thanks for the reply nebish, i have nothing to add other than i think, not sure, that Trump wants to do away with that kind of labeling. i'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong, lol, or right.
I would love country of origin listed on restaurant menu's !
I'll never forget the time I picked up a can of green beans in Publix, Del Monte or Jolly Green Giant or some other big name - fine print on the back - "produced in China" - on a can of green beans for goodness sake.
Shrimp is a tough one for sure. Living in Florida has spoiled me somewhat on seafood, not that imported seafood doesn't exist here, it does, but in that shrimp, stone crabs, fish are all available locally caught.
Ate some stone crab claws last night, ummm.
I'd like to know the country of origin of all food, but particularly meat. If you, like me, are pissed off that Congress took away country of origin labeling last year and want to know who to blame, here is a list of how each member of Congress voted:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2015/h333
Some guys I went to automotive trade school with were there on TAA or TRA money who were laid off when Werner Ladder shifted production from western PA to Mexico.
It's gotten hard to find a new ladder made in the USA.
Here is an option. You can buy a few of them from online sources, or there may be a distributor in your area if interested. I own some.
[Edited on 4/28/2017 by nebish]
If you are looking for tires, Kumo tires are made here in Macon, Ga. They just doubled production about a year ago.
Mexico will not renegotiate nafta http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37945913
And they are NOT paying for any f#cking wall.
😛
Don't they have enough revenue from the pot trafficking and officials being paid off so that people sneak it thru customs at the border? Don't they have enough revenue to pay for the wall, seriously!
We have a Samsung refrigerator with a water filter that occasionally needs replaced.
These things are not cheap at Lowe's as they only carry the original Samsung replacement at $49.99 for one.
Went searching online and found discountfilters.com
They had a filter they say is Made in the USA, brand name Clear Choice.
I got a pack of three for the same price as the Samsung filter at Lowe's - with free shipping !
Speaking of filters...
If your water system uses a cartridge style sediment filter those are hard to find made in USA. Here is a source I have bought from:
http://www.micronfiltercartridges.com/index.html
If you are looking for tires, Kumo tires are made here in Macon, Ga. They just doubled production about a year ago.
A friend of mine who balances tires has praised the quality of some of the Japanese tires. I am not too familiar with the Korean brands, although I'm seeing more of them on new cars.
I am partial to US brands, but bottom line, if Kumho or any foreign brand is building more products here employing Americans and supporting US communities vs importing them that is a good thing.
Speaking of filters...
If your water system uses a cartridge style sediment filter those are hard to find made in USA. Here is a source I have bought from:
http://www.micronfiltercartridges.com/index.html/blockquote >
From the above website:
One filter brand had an American Flag on the package with the words-
“Made for the U.S.A.”
which could easily be mistaken for “Made in the U.S.A.” Obviously, the brand was trying to be deceptive with their customers.
Speaking of filters...
If your water system uses a cartridge style sediment filter those are hard to find made in USA. Here is a source I have bought from:
http://www.micronfiltercartridges.com/index.html/blockquote >
From the above website:
One filter brand had an American Flag on the package with the words-
“Made for the U.S.A.”
which could easily be mistaken for “Made in the U.S.A.” Obviously, the brand was trying to be deceptive with their customers.
Yeah pretty crazy the depth some people will go to fool others!
I'm wasn't aware of any other of these types of filters (called point of entry filters) that are made in USA except for Micron Filter Corp. The link you posted for discount filters does show some of the Hydronix brand with an American flag on it, although their description doesn't say. Everpure and Pentek do not have any USA photos or references. Never saw a name brand one in a hardware or plumbing store that was US.
I may have been duped on the filters I bought, when they come in I'll scour the fine print, see what I find.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/business/harley-davidson-thailand-factory-manufacturing.html?_r=0
Even Harley-Davidson Can’t Resist the Tug of Overseas Factories
The filters I mentioned above were indeed made in the USA by the way.
That Harley news is a little different.
This from a different article:
The plant is known as a complete knock down facility, an assembly plant where Harley-Davidson will put together bikes using parts shipped from its U.S. factories or suppliers.
Harleys made in Thailand will support sales in China and southeastern Asia, as the manufacturer works toward its goal of growing its international business to half of annual sales by 2027.
Thailand has a 60% tax on imported bikes, a tax that would not apply to Harleys assembled for delivery inside the country’s borders.
The Harley story is a prime example of how a tariff works and what companies will do to avoid it. What if we had a 60% tariff on cars imported from Korea? Think Kia and Hyundai would be building more plants here? You betcha.
