Maybe it’s because I have spent most of my life in higher education, but this phrase bothers the Hell out of me. I learned to never defer but to do my own research.

Other countries subsidize their start-ups to come to the USA and sell spending billions on trade shows, reps, freight, displays and step by step guidance. Our government offers support to Agricultural conglomerates, we offer support for exporting companies that are often large enough to not need support….. but less than 1% of our micros can grow beyond their local market to export because of the big gap in support.

We spend 7k per person for job training (for low wage jobs), we estimate 60k+ to create a new business. Instead we could efficiently spend less than 7k and help a micro grow from local to regional or national sales. And they’d be hiring new employees in less than 6 months. The SBA loans for micro-enterprise (less than 20 employees) amount to less than 1/6th of 1% of the entire SBA loan total each year. That’s disgraceful.

Instead we subsidize fortune 500 companies tossing million dollar bonuses around like candy? Where’s the logic. The middle class that CAN pay taxes is so disgusted that I’m afraid this year they just WON’T PAY. I have a plan to create new micro-manufacturers is simple and costs less than 5 Million to create 50,000 new jobs.

This holiday season…
Go shopping and… DEMAND American Made wherever you go! Be a bit frustrated, firm, but not angry. Tell small retailers that you aren’t buying Made in China until unemployment is around 4%. …Tell retailers you want to buy from small manufacturers, just like you want to buy from local small businesses. That you also want to see country of origin honestly displayed on every product, not with a sticky label, not with a price tag covering the sticker, but instead marked permanently so that fraud is reduced.

Don’t believe somethings Made in the USA unless you bought it from a handmade source, an artist or a handmade gallery. Spending a buck at a big box sends your dollar off shore before sundown.

Spending a buck on a local service or handcraft keeps it ALL here, in your community, in a local bank. If we all spent just $65 of our holiday shopping budget on Made in America gifts… the recession would be OVER.

Sources: http://www.AmericanStyle.com

Wendy Rosen, Founder
American Made Alliance
410.262.2872 Cell Phone

AmericanCraft.com : The Rosen Group
Buyers Market of American Craft
American Style Magazine
The Arts Business Institute
Niche Magazine for Retailers