Mr. President, it's time to face the music and help America to do the same. This Wednesday evening, you will … Read More.
Invasion USA
The USA is being infiltrated by illegals, sold to foreign powers, and abandoned by its government. But are Americans enabling the dissolution of our economy and country, as well, by continuing to buy foreign goods?
America literally is being sold out from underneath Americans. According to the 2008 Economic Report of the President: "The United States is both the single leading recipient and leading source of foreign direct investment in the world. In 2006, total cumulative FDI in the United States was almost $1.8 trillion, 15 percent of the world total." In 2006, foreign-owned assets in the U.S. totaled roughly $16 trillion.
And where does all that foreign investment go?
As Paul Craig Roberts, who once was the assistant secretary of treasury under President Ronald Reagan and associate editor of The Wall Street Journal, wrote seven years ago: "Very little of the foreign money flowing into the United States is for the purpose of building Toyota and BMW plants. Eighty percent to 85 percent of direct investment by foreigners in the U.S. economy goes into mergers and acquisitions. In 2000, 97 percent of direct investment by foreigners went for the purchase of existing U.S. assets." And those assets include U.S. government securities and liabilities, including our national debt, which is mounting into the teens of trillions.
We all know China serves as an example of this vicious cycle. American companies, from agribusinesses to Wal-Mart, have proliferated markets with so many "Made in China" labels that our nation has one big tag dangling from the toe of Florida — "Sold to China." And do the Chinese mind their material and monetary dominance over America? Of course not. In turn, they take the money that we pay them for their goods and invest (lend) it back to us via our government as one of the groups of "foreign investors" in our national debt. And why? Lately, the reason has been so Congress can bail out more American industries and deepen our bondage (and ownership) to countries such as China.
In the same 2002 column, Roberts eerily predicted: "The United States is on its way to becoming a country whose corporations are foreign-owned and foreign-based. The United States will decline as a consumer market, as there will be no high-productivity jobs to support consumer demand. The United States is importing a new population that will help it on its way to Third World-ism. Every year, millions of poor and uneducated immigrants, both legal and illegal, pour into the United States from alien lands. … Today, 20 percent of the U.S. population is foreign-born or children of foreign born. This massive influx drives up the demand for income-support programs, while driving down the taxable wages in retail- and service-sector jobs, where Americans are forced to seek employment as higher-paying automotive, electronic, textile and manufacturing jobs leave the country.
The United States is still a superpower, but it is a country with very little, if any, control over its future and its destiny, a country whose time is running out."
It's time to realize that we're all together in this boat called America, that the boat is sinking, and that government is not our salvation. Our hope is not in Congress or even a political-messianic deliverance through the presidency. The only economic stimulus plan they should be preparing is the one that rewards manufacturers and consumers who promote and purchase American-made products and services. Our government doesn't need to dole out more bailouts and drown us deeper in debt. We don't need more bad trade agreements, such as NAFTA, or to provide tax relief incentives for corporations that are outsourcing. We need fair trade, not free trade. And we need a fair tax, not a flowering system of taxes.
Let's be honest. Justifications abound for purchasing foreign goods, and many of them make perfect sense. Reasons range from price to quality, but, as we have with gas prices, maybe we will continue to enable foreign dominance in commerce and beyond by paying the prices and not coming up with alternatives. We say we can't afford to buy American, but maybe it's time to say we can't afford not to. By supporting our homeland, we not only are investing in America and boosting the economy but also are helping to reverse staggering unemployment rates and keeping companies from going under. We all can do our part to bail the water out of our sinking ship by buying American goods and services.
But be careful with labels, as there's an obvious difference between "Made in USA" and "Assembled in USA." And some labels lie, so do your homework. Take some time to understand what it means for a business to comply with the "Made in USA" standards (www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/adv/bus03.shtm). And check reputable consumer Web sites, such as MadeInUSAForever.com and StillMadeInUSA.com, to search for domestically manufactured goods and services.
The good news is that, according to a Gallup Poll, 72 percent of Americans today are more concerned with the geographical origins of products they purchase, and 50 percent even are willing to pay more for American-made products. For many, "Made in USA" labels represent an increased concern for work and environmental conditions, quality and consumer safety. Buying American is also a way to rekindle patriotism.
If you're old enough, you'll remember when "Made in USA" was a badge of honor. Well, I'm proposing a buyers' revolution in which we all economically win that medal of valor. If the government isn't going to help us by securing our borders, reducing outsourcing, or ceasing debt caused by bogus bailouts and out-of-control spending, then we the people have got to take back the financial future of our country. The buck stops here — in America. One resolution we all should make in 2009: Buy "Made in USA." Don't just go green; spend green — in homemade products and services. If just half the country followed suit, our downturned economy would turn around in half the time.
To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Chuck, thought you might enjoy "MY DEFINITION OF THE 'INAUGURATION'!" - A HUGE HOLLYWOOD PARTY, PAID FOR BY TAXPAYERS, MIXING THE SLUGS WITH THE OTHER SLUGS!'
Come January 20th, there'll be no accounting for Taxpayers money! Bernard Madoff, Freddie, Fannie, AIG, the Big 3, and the rest of the criminal 'SLUG' politicians, should be hung in the middle of the streets so Taxpayers they've ripped off can throw darts at them - and this is good for them! If Politicians want to stimulate our economy and stop ‘Discriminating against hard-working Taxpayers', here's the best and only list that can and should be used!'Fair Tax-to include property tax', Public Schools, Welfare and Social Programs, period! This way, hard-working Taxpayers can spend their own money and educate their children in a good, safe, Christian School! After all, these children are our future! “Heartbeat of America” is a thing of the past! Don't tell me it's cheaper to send goods back and forth, especially steel and autos, across the water! Common sense and plain economics will tell you this is just another untruth smoothed over by the politicians' words of “I'll stop Nafta and Cafta and your jobs from going overseas!” This Stimulus Package is another form of untruth as something's going on! Printing presses going strong at the mints. Guess where this money is going? The folks getting a rebate check won't be ‘stimulating America's economy' only helping to ‘stimulate' foreign countries, as for instance; a] Wal-Mart - Money goes to support China. b] Gas - Money goes to Foreign countries that America already owes several trillion dollars. c] Computers - Money goes to India and when connected online, Taxpayers thinking their service is local - wrong - you guessed it “outsourcing” to India. d] Fruits and Vegetables - Money goes to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. e] Automobiles - Money goes to Japan. f] Drugs - Taxpayers no longer can afford good medicines and are forced to purchase Generic (made with who knows what) and, you guessed it, this Money goes to India and China. Watching the news about the trillions of dollars America owes Bank of Kuwait, and several more trillions due other foreign countries, makes Taxpayers wonder “when” and “why” the government decided to sell America out? Are politicians so ignorant they don't understand ‘everything is a trickle down effect?' It looks as though the only way to keep money in America is to buy beer, wine and Kentucky whiskey. Could this be why politicians want to build more jails and rehabilitation centers? It's time to bring back ‘honesty', ‘common sense',‘respect', ‘morals', and ‘principles'
Comment: #1
Posted by: Shirley deLong
Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:30 PM
Chuck, it appears that folk in the US have difficulty finding genuinely American quality goods to buy. (In the UK, the problem even extends to home grown foodstuffs, increasingly replaced by foreign imports). With your resources and contacts, you could compile a list a retailers that provide such items and publish it on your website with regular updates. I get the impression that a lot of folk over there would appreciate that.
Comment: #2
Posted by: Alan O'Reilly
Thu Jan 8, 2009 8:33 AM
Oh for affordable clothes made in the USA!! I bought some clothing that was so messed up one leg was bigger then the other, the side seams were off center ( quite a bit), and the elastic band came loose in no time. They were packaged items so you can't inspect it before you buy. You might say it was just a bad package but I bought another leading brand and found the same thing. According to the commercials you would think both these companies were American but I doubt it. You notice you no longer get a slip saying it was inspected by inspector so and so. I'm beginning to think that if we want made in the USA and the quality we use to have we are going to have to fire up our sewing machines. That's how many companies started out way back when and I'm thinking that maybe the answer to the whole thing. Start up mom and pop factories and buy from them and stop buying from these companies that aren't interested in quality anymore. Our forefathers didn't have the regulations they have put on people today that make it almost impossible to start many of the businesses our forefatheres started in their own homes.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Lola Mathuews
Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:27 AM
Sir;... Of the problems you mention: infiltration, selling out, abandonment by the government; and often, the fact that we have no choice but to buy foreign made are all the work of your rich republican supporting friends... Part of the reason the republicans lost in spite of having the candidate of their dreams against them, was that grass roots republicans have been so little served by the very government they have empowered... Our capital has been exported... Our jobs have been exported... These rich people we have made fat have bet all our wealth and most of our productive capacity on international capitalism... And, It is a fact that many of our employers taking profit out of us are really foreign too... There is absolutely nothing patriotic about capitalism... It will go anywhere, or do anything even if it paints us up as pigs, or wolves, or sheep -if they can see a profit in it.. Those people make foreign policy.. Those people make domestic policy... You want to wave the flag and stand on the line between democrat and republican and point the finger... Man; the rich own both parties... Look what was spent to buy an office and offices paying relatively -nothing... That is the price of power that is not paid without some expectation... The thing is, that the government, which should have an eye on the best interest of the people is in the hands of the rich who are always out for themselves... And even out for themselves as a class, the rich do not act in their best interest just as parasites often kill their hosts... And the fact is that grass roots democrats and republicans are both injured to the max, and the whole society is dieing; and you can see it in our morals as well as anyone else... It is just that we cannot cure morals half way...We cannot expect the people to buy American when there is no American to buy... WE cannot expect people broke by short wages will look at the label... We cannot expect that people misled across the reach of their lives, by government, by education, by religion, and by economy will be able to see the immorality capital supports abroad, of war, or pollution, and even, of outright slavery... If we buy a good from over seas we have no idea what an evil we may be supporting for the producer...The problems we face as a society cannot be solved by a divided people; and as hard as the medicine is to take, perhaps when we see that the republican and democrat are in the same boat, suffering alike the misery of depression, and knowing together that greed alone made this condition, then perhaps we will find unity...Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #4
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Tue Jan 6, 2009 6:18 AM
