I have said it before, and will say it again:
With a little thought, and a little inconvenience, each of us can help take back America.
This is from our dinner discussion.
"I" believe, that if every time you shop and you insist on buying "Made in USA", you can make a difference. I know it is hard, inconvenient, and pricier than buying "Made in Wherever", but I "insist". It is a pain in my butt, but I still insist. Just think if EVERYONE did this? I believe it would send a statement, and seeing past unions and high cost of labor (as you can see, we have already gone through the pros and cons of importing) here in the U.S, maybe all parties could get their heads out of their asses and help save this drowning ship. Companies here could continue to operate or reopen, people would have jobs, quality would not be a crap shoot, and maybe, maybe we could get back to making cars the world wants to buy (including Americans).
I buy local whenever I can, and usually hit the markets a half an hour before closing so that I can get the food I need for the budget I am on. I trade whenever I can. I buy used 98% of the time, I only draw the line at underwear. I take my friends' extra fruits and veggies and freeze, can, or jam them. As a thank you, I give them jam :).
I am now in the process of cutting away gas. As a kid, I walked everywhere, for hours. Of course I lived in a city, and the times were different. I won't let my kids walk alone here. BUT, I am making it a point that we walk together to places that are close enough that we can walk there within an hour. We need to wean ourselves from our car.
My mom laughs at me and says: "No wonder the economy is in such a bad state!"
That may be true. I may the cause of the retail downfall during the Holidays, and I certainly am not a benefactor of Black Friday. I choose not to be a mass consumer, I have enough essential things I have to pay for, like food and bills. You could argue that the people in the stores that close are losing their jobs too. It is true, but I will argue that there is no need for a Target, Mervyn's, Kohl's, Circuit City, etc at every corner. My goodness, they all sell the same stuff! It is the overindulgence of everything that is killing this country. Only allow so many clothes, electronic, craft, etc, stores in a certain mile radius, and they will thrive.
The more we think, the better it will get.....
:)Labels: americana, economy, sustainability