Think whatever you want to think. Thoughts are free.
When you export, are you hurting someone somewhere? Does it make you happy or sad?
When you import, are you hurting someone somewhere?
OMG.
This is too much for my head.

A very worthy goal. I have been thinking about this as I am working on my kitchen, particularly the cabinets, but wrt to the appliances, sort of hard to make the compromise there.

I am posting an article below from a blog about how many US businesses are shutting their doors because of Chinese competition. Very interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: plywood manufacturer's in the US

Funny you should post this because as I was driving in to work this morning, I saw a Honda Civic with a big American flag sticker on the back and thought to myself "what an oxymoron!" My husband and I spent a little extra on our cabinets as we were told they were made in America. I only drive American cars, and most of what we bought for our kitchen remodel was from american-based companies (who probably still don't make everything in America). It is getting increasingly difficult to find things that are Made in America and sometimes the premiums are just not affordable (ie the barstools that I am currently shopping for). Not that I wish ill on other countries, but I do fully agree with stepping up and helping our neighbors, especially in this economy where jobs are scarce.

Actually, Hondas are made in the US - power train, body, assembly. They're probably more US-built than many vehicles out of Detroit.

My cabinets came from a local builder, though who knows where the wood was sourced. But I know the sub-zero was USA made, the bin pulls and knobs were USA made, the floor was USA made, the viking hood was USA made, and the viking micro was "assembled in the USA" whatever that means. I tried pretty hard to get as much stuff that was USA made that was in my budget. I feel like I did a pretty good job at it. Though there are things in my kitchen I know were made in other places including the range and wall oven which were made in Italy. And w/d which were built in korea.

Yes, the whole issue of American-made confuses me. Is my Kentucky-built Toyota more or less American-made than the Ford built in Mexico that preceded it?

I think Capital is also made in the U.S.A. - good news for me since this is what I am considering

Also, I think people don't realize how much things travel in process these days. If I buy a can of Publix brand organic corn (big grocery store chain in FL and southern states), the corn was grown in Pahokee, about 80 miles from me, but it went to China to get into that can.

Now, if that's feasible to do for a product that costs a dollar or so, how much more so for large ticket items? I doubt that many manufactured goods are completely "made in America" unless you interpret that very loosely, and I'm sure most of the places that use that label for marketing do.

Well, I agree that there are a lot of gray areas - like American made cabinets getting finished with polyurethane that was made in Taiwan or something? But every little bit counts, really.

And if you import from countries without any kind of labor laws or worker protection, you're just encouraging them to continue treating their people like crap, because it's better for their bottom line.

Outsourcing jobs is also killing our edge in innovation. If you're at all interested in finance or economics, you might like this article about how the ROI calculations that led so many manufacturers to outsource jobs is actually an incomplete figure, and is dooming in the long run.

Thanks for the brand tips, guys!

"So, Garden Webbers: will you go the extra mile for American Made? "

Yes! We take most opportunities to buy American made products, and always have. Glad to see that after many years this is becoming something people care about again.

Thanks to the greedy Republicans selling out our country, it's almost impossible to buy American anymore. Prepare to bow to our Chinese overlords :-(

fwiw, Menard's, a big-box building and hardware and etc provider for our region, has an annual "Made in America" sale, which I think is a wonderful idea. The ads tout American-made products available at their stores. That's the sale where we bought our very very affordable oak flooring, DIY of course.

To quote Bill Maher (one of my idols) "Walmart wouldn't exist if Americans didn't want cheap crap from China."

"Thanks to the greedy Republicans selling out our country, it's almost impossible to buy American anymore."

NAFTA was signed by President Clinton. That started alot of American companies outsourcing. Many, Many, free trade agreements followed, with little benefit to U.S. Now, President Obama is supporting Trans Pacific Free Trade which will undoubtably result in Chinese goods being misrepresented and imported under this Free Trade Agreement (which will exclude China, for now). Also, goods from China are no longer subject to quotas which were established to protect domestic manufacturers.

This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. Both parties have supported these agreements and the abolishment of Chinese quotas which have greatly impacted U.S. manufacturing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trans Pacific Partnership

And then there's the whole counter top thing: granites and soapstones are generally hacked out of the mountains in Asia and South America and then shipped 1000's of miles to the US.

It's not like we don't have beautiful rocks here - we do! But the cost of the imported rocks is less, so US quarries can't compete on price.

Overseas quarries can produce a cheaper product because they don't pay the same costs for environmental and labor protections.

But is it OK to just grab the cheaper foreign stone, even if that means some other country, and some other workers, get stuck with the consequences of less-regulated quarrying?

It's certainly true that we don't have the same rocks here so the choice of stones would be different. Different, but not necessarily inferior.

I am not saying you can't, or even shouldn't, choose imported stone, but I am saying you might want to give it some thought.

L.

Well said dilly...

I only buy stuff that was made by earthlings, for earthlings. Buy human!
Casey

ditto Dilly - lots of blame to go around.

I am posting a picture that I think says a lot. The car belongs to the owner of the company that makes the cabinets I want to buy for my new kitchen (providing I can swing the cost... American made doesn't come cheap - at least not as cheap as the crap from China).

I get that this is a global economy. We as "humans" need to help care for each other in times of adversity. Americans (not saying that our Canadians friends don't do the same) have proven our generosity time and time again. I'm confident we will continue to do so. But there is nothing wrong with supporting our own country. Trade policies and union power have to change in order for this to become more affordable. This is not an easy or likely solution. I'm not dissing the original intent of unions; so no attacks necessary. I'm a hypocrite...I bought IKEA because that's what I could afford to do. My soapstone, though purchased locally; was probably mined in India (if I remember correctly). This thread prompted me to look it up and all my appliances are made in Germany except for the Bosch DW which is made in No Carolina. I regret this...I didn't really think about it at the time I bought them and did my kitchen. I take some solace in knowing that I purchased them from companies in America, they were shipped/delivered by American workers, soapstone fabricated locally, etc. What's the solution? I'm not smart enough about trade policies or economics to know. But one of the many beauties of a democracy is that I have the right to express my limited knowledge based opinion.

I am really enjoying this thread. My family and i try to buy local, buy American and such. It is getting harder and harder to do. I got my cabinets handmade form a local craftsman, got nafco flooring, washer and fridge are older (with have to check) but oven came from canada. We tried to buy local granite, the state I live in has lots of it, but ALL of it clashed with my cabinets - which were already ordered.
I could not afford U.S. made lights - and we have had tons of problems with the crap lights from china. Actually, pendent over sink is hand blown U.S. made glass.
I could not afford U.S. made pulls - I searched and could not find them in my price - or anywhere near it.
I think as consumers we have more clout than we realize. If we refused to purchase Chinese goods, companies would respond - its a matter of having enough of us demand it to make a difference.
I suggest reading a book called "Poorly Made in China". It is written by a man (American) whose job it was to help U.S. companies set up manufacturing operations in China. It will curl your toes. As an aside, after reading this book I make sure all soaps and beauty products that touch my skin are U.S. made.

There are plenty of greedy Democrats too, weissman.

Would you like a list ???

Plus, when the numbers get so ridiculous and cannot be serviced, the Chinese will simply write off a huge portion of debt owed them just like ou recent banking/housing fiasco.

Indiv. debt holders will be left holding the bag just as they were here, so fear not......................................................................

unless you are heavily invested in Chinese securities.

We do try to buy American and also locally when we can. It is hard sometimes. There were items I had to buy online, but were made in USA, and items I bought or had fabricated locally but were not from the US (like my soapstone).

My floor tiles were bought from a small local shop and made in USA (part recycled materials too!). My Waterstone faucets are made to order in USA but had to be purchased online. My cabinets were made locally from reclaimed wood and American plywood. Those are items I can remember off the top of my head.

Recently we have been looking for a new dining set and found a great Amish-made walnut slab table right down the road. For chairs, we were stumped finding something to go with, and then also finding something made in USA. Luckily we found these Emeco chairs, but didn't want the metal or the high price tag for 8 so we got the 111/recycled coke bottle version which I believe will add some fun and be strong enough to withstand the kids!

Here is a link that might be useful: our emeco chairs

Lots of interesting thoughts. Some jobs that cannot be "outsourced" are plumbers, electricians, on-site carpenters/ installers/tilers/etc., general contractors, painters. And yet, when I and several of my friends have tried to do renovations in the past, we have had a difficult time finding competent trades people to bid and then actually show up and follow through on the jobs! What gives?? (Caveat -- my experiences are 5 or so years old, so maybe the situation has changed??)

We also try and buy US manufactured. There are a number of reasons:

1. It does help to save American jobs.
2. The environmental impact of less travel for goods is less.
3. The US has standards for pollution and for items put in finished goods. Look at the case of China made drywall that caused illness in many people, and contaminated pet food, baby formula (in China), lead paint on things, and who knows what else.
4. In many instances US made goods are NOT MORE EXPENSIVE but you must seek them out. The distribution chains seem to be set up to buy China, China, China. We are neither racist nor xenophobe but I feel like I have to put my own nation, and its producers, first as I LIVE HERE.

The gent who was building that house in MT found that it cost ABOUT 1% MORE to buy US made items. So you CAN do it but you HAVE to be creative.

Example. Kitchen faucets. I wanted a US made faucet. I found on: a Dishmaster. (see attached link). It is not true that ALL Moen and Kohler stuff is US made - it is not. SOME of it is but you MUST SEEK IT OUT and you probably won't find it wandering down to HomeDepotLowesOtherBigBoxStore.

Here is an example of what we are doing. We are assembling our materials now for our kitchen refit.

Appliances: All US made, except for 1 item. The stove is US made Kitchenaid, the refrigerator is an Amana (made in IA), the dishwasher is a Bosch (foreign brand BUT domestic production). The other oven is a Miele - German made BUT at least Germany is a first world country with enviro and labor standards.

Cabinets: Old Youngstown steel ones. But if we hadn't gone with these it'd have been US made Kraftmaid. They also use US made plywood. I know, I checked.

Countertops: US made laminate. We'll probably go with Formica brand, which is now owned by an NZ based mega company BUT at least it is manufactured here. Wilsonart, I believe, is still US made.

Flooring: The flooring is made by Tarkett in Germany, I believe. I couldn't find US made flooring that I liked.

Sink: US made Kohler cast iron.

Faucet: Aforementioned Dishmaster.

Lighting: No idea yet but the kitchen already includes one (US made) Solatube that I had installed. I will certainly try for US made.

None of these choices were much more expensive than China or other low cost country made options. Oh, the sink cost me $400 (I think) at Lowes, and wasn't a $100 kitchen sink - but American Standard makes acrylic ones in the USA that are $150 or so. So you CAN do it.

We have no one to blame but ourselves for this mess.
Both the Democrats and Republicans have brought us here because both parties are exactly the same: filled with rich folks who don't care about the country, only their own enrichment, and for a population that wants everything for nothing. People wouldn't spent $.01 more for a US made product and then they discovered their pets died from bad food; their kids got lead poisoning; their manufactured goods didn't work as well; etc.

You CAN do it. You CAN buy domestic. But you have to work for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dishmaster Faucet

"As soon as folks stop looking to social security as a pension plan, and we actually do something to curtail the growing medicare balloon that is being inflated maybe we can bring the federal budget under control. "

"Plus, when the numbers get so ridiculous and cannot be serviced, the Chinese will simply write off a huge portion of debt owed them"

Let's all stick to subjects we actually know something about, before the thread gets removed. There is actually some useful information in it.

Conate: You mentioned that your Kitchenaid stove is made in the US - any idea where the parts that went into that stove are made? Are all, some or none of the parts made in the US and if not then where?

When we did our renos we tried to use local merchants ( no big box stores), our cabinets were local custom, and local contractors for our job. When buying products we tried to keep it Canadian by using maple for the floors and cabinets and it was from the east, if we couldn't buy Canadian then we bought US. The reason for that was to support the local and then the North American economy and to keep transportation pollution effects to a minimum.Failing that we tried to buy from countries and areas that practiced fair labour practices and/or sustainable wood practices for some of our furniture. It sounds like I have a Pollyannish outlook on our efforts and I like to think that it made a difference. We were lucky in that we had a GC who supported our efforts. It wasn't easy to do but we tried and were we 100% successful - not by a long shot.

My BS tile is made in the U.S. ;) But I hear you, about *made in American* being pricey. I am getting Jeffrey Court field tiles and Encore Ceramics crackled glass for an inset.

I had a quote from a year ago on the field tile; and when I ordered, it was about $5 more per sq. ft. than I remember the quote. They are a gorgeous tile, so, rather than start the search all over again, I just went ahead with my order.

Tho pricey, I do am glad it is American made!!!

jody

I'm not surprised if there are 'global' components in the range.

I'm doing what I can; we ARE a global economy, but at least i can maximize the US stuff.

I'm not a polyanna at all. I think if we are to SURVIVE we have to buy from ourselves.

BTW I also agree that 'buy first world' if you can - or 3rd world if the country has good enviro and labor standards, if you can't find an equivalent US made product.

How many laundry appliances are domestic? Dryers are still made in Ohio but washers, not so much.

To those who are not sure if buying Made in USA matters when component parts are world-sourced, let me tell you why I think it does.

I work for an equipment distributor in the HVAC industry. Our products are Made in USA. In Wichita KS and Norman OK. Yes, there are parts that are sourced and not made in house. But our USA manufacturer takes responsibility for the engineering, quality control, and ongoing customer satisfaction. The workers there engage in feedback and problem resolution.

So if you as a customer have a problem, you have a means of true problem resolution.

In addition, the wages for the workers stay in the USA, where they uplift the community.

Exactly. It's extremely hard to find totally US made, but I don't mind that as much as long as the majority of the work, the assembly, and the support is here.

It goes beyond that; it's almost impossible to find domestic clothing. It is possible to find domestically made shoes, though they aren't cheap. Etc. etc. etc.

I have zero issue with trading with other countries when bilateral trade is just that - bilateral. It's why trading with the EU is fine; we are pretty well balanced. We have a trade deficit with Germany but trade surplus with other nations, and it balances out.

Of course, one of the problems is that we've decided that production is a terrible thing.

Nearly every salesperson I meet gets greeted with, "I'm looking for .... and I'd prefer to buy from our hemisphere." Interesting conversations ensue, and many respond at some point with, "I wish more people would ask."

This approach limits choices, and I have to remind myself that they, my purchases, are not just about me and what I might "want." My money has power, and my purchases affect people and environments. That helps keep me from coveting the dramatic choices, and being perfectly satisfied with more local choices.

Granite shops offer "Rainforest granite," and flooring shops offer "Brazilian cherry." Apparently many are living in kitchens that are actually effigies to cut down rain forests.