Employment at a good-paying job is key to the continued prosperity of nearly everyone. Full-time, nonseasonally adjusted employment in the United States peaked at 123 million jobs in July 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of the end of October, the number of total full-time workers stood at 112 million — nearly 11 million fewer.
Over that same period, the resident population of the United States has risen by almost 9 million people, according to the Census Bureau. So not only have we lost lots of full-time jobs, but workers are entering the workforce on a regular basis, leaving more people to chase fewer jobs. The conclusion is exactly what everyone has been expressing lately; the nation’s top priority is the economy and employment.
So what are we going to do about it? First and foremost, buy U.S.-made products as much as you can. Although I know it is difficult and may require going online to make your purchases, it is worth the effort. Many U.S. products are listed on various Web links, including at /?page_id=25. The top link is to my company’s database, where manufacturers and retailers can go to list their businesses — and consumers can find those products.
Let me give you a couple of examples of what I have been doing and ask that you join in the effort. I used to use Vonage for my phone service. When they moved much of their support offshore from New Jersey, I changed to Comcast, whose customer support is based in Colorado. Support from the host of my business Internet site was offshore, so I called into their sales department and asked if there was any way I could get support domestically. Their premium support is provided 24 hours a day in a nearby state, so I signed up. It costs me a few dollars more a month, but I am happy to be employing people here at home.
You may not be able to find the U.S.-made product or service that you want, so what then?
I was shopping for a webcam recently, and despite all my efforts, including searching on the Web, I have not been able to find one made in the United States. The best answer is to go without, but if that is not a practical solution, what next? I could buy from a series of manufacturers headquartered and based offshore, or buy from an American company. Logitech has offices in the United States but is based in Switzerland. Creative USA, despite its name, is a Singapore company. H-P and Microsoft are both U.S. companies employing many people here. H-P employs lots of people in Colorado, and Microsoft has staff based here too. Although their support when I called on the weekend was all offshore, both offerings were the best of what is available.
What I like to do when I cannot find a domestic product is call company sales departments and ask if they have a U.S.-made product. This way, they at least know I wanted to buy something domestically made, and if they hear it often enough, we may be able to get them to provide us an American- made alternative.
Pay attention to the focus of the company and its efforts to carry and sell U.S. products.
