U.S. Adults Average $950 in Imports per Month in 2013

I was recently having a discussion about unemployment in the U.S. and how it relates to the $500 billion annual U.S. trade deficit. That got me thinking: just how much do Americans spend per month on imported goods and services?  Well I did a few calculations, and what I found was shocking.

I divided the total value of imports in the U.S.A. for 2013 ($2.74 trillion) by the number of adults in the U.S.A. (240 million), then I divided that by 12 (for 12 months in a year).  On average, each U.S. adult is responsible for over $950 in imported goods and services per month!

That is much more than I thought was even possible.  Can you imagine that?  Every month, every U.S. adult is responsible for nearly $1,000 in imported goods and services.  We have really let ourselves go!

But here is something equally amazing.  If we could get the average U.S. adult down to just $790 of imported goods and services per month (that should be doable, right?), we would have no trade deficit at all.  The trade deficit may seem insurmountable, but when you consider how much we are currently importing, we really don’t have that far to go.

In fact, if we could simply replace 17% of the imports we consume each year with U.S.-made goods and services, we would have zero trade deficit, and that would pump enough money into the economy (nearly $500 billion per year) that everyone in the U.S. who wanted to work would be able to find a job.

If more Americans will start to just consider where products are made in their purchasing decisions, we may really start to see improvements.  Please consider taking the Buy American Challenge today.

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

Where Did All Our American Jobs Go?

Take a quick minute to watch this really amazing video from the Million American Jobs Project explaining where all the American jobs have gone and what you can do today to help bring them back.

Do what the video asks and share it with just two people. Just a small change in our consumer behavior can create millions on new American jobs.

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

Now is a Good Time to Buy American-made Okabashi Flip Flops

I just saw that there is a Groupon for Okabashi sandals going on right now and I wanted to share it with you.  The deal is for $30 worth of Okabashi merchandise for just $15.  This bargain is too good to pass up.  I already got mine, and I’d jump on this deal too if I were you.

If you aren’t familiar with Okabashi, I hope you will be soon.  They make very comfortable and high quality flip flops.  Since I first tried them a couple years back, I have purchased three different pairs in different styles and colors.  They are by far my favorite brand of sandals.

What I like best about Okabashi is the quality construction of their flip flops.  Unlike most sandals, Okabashis are made from a single piece of stamped rubber, as opposed to different pieces of rubber that get joined together or uppers made of different materials sewn to rubber bottoms.

In my experience, Okabashis hold their shape perfectly and never flatten out like most sandals.  They also have true arch support.  I found I can walk around much further in these sandals than others I have owned in the past because of the support they provide.

My wife loves Okabashis, too.  She really likes to have sandals that match her outfits in the summertime, so she just loves how this brand comes in practically every color of the rainbow.  Some of their sandals for ladies also come with a 1” heal, which is pretty rare in a flip flop.

Okabashi is a family owned business that has been around for more than 25 years. Besides being made in the USA, Okabashi shoes are 100% recyclable, designed with superior foot support and a massaging insole, anti-microbial, dishwasher safe, and backed by a 2-year guarantee.  And at less than $20 per pair, Okabashi sandals are a really great value.

This Groupon for Okabashi ends in just three days.  Don’t miss this chance for a really good deal on some of the highest quality American-made sandals money can buy.  Not only will you love these flip flops, but you will be creating jobs for American workers when you buy them.

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

The Best Gift You Can Give This Holiday Season is a Job

When shopping this holiday season, don’t forget that for millions of unemployed Americans, the most important gift you can give is a job.  And you can make a real difference for people struggling to find work in this country by simply making an effort to buy American during the holidays (and beyond).

Most people don’t really consider themselves job creators, but the truth is every time we spend our hard-earned money, we are creating jobs – somewhere.

Decades ago the vast majority of goods consumed in this country were made in the USA, so pretty much however one spent his money, there was a good chance most of it was going toward American job creation.

But over the years, the percentage of goods found in stores that are made in America has decreased dramatically.  When we buy goods from overseas, that’s where the money goes, and that’s where the jobs are created.

So nowadays, we can’t just buy things with no regard for where they are made.  Unemployment is too high for that.  We need to pay a little more attention and make an effort to buy things that are made in USA whenever we can, especially when we can find items of equal or better value comparably priced.

Little by little those made in USA purchases add up, and they turn into jobs for Americans who need work.

It saddens me to think of all the parents out there this time of year, who want nothing more than to provide a joyous Christmas (or other holiday) for their children, but don’t have the means to provide it because of joblessness.

Even if it’s only for a few weeks around the holidays, try to make an extra effort to buy American.

If enough of us will do it, we’ll have more work to go around in this country, and a few more smiling children on Christmas morning.

Take the Buy American Challenge today.

Happy Holidays!

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

The Day Buy American Goes Viral: Part 3 “Let’s Make This America’s Project”

In parts one and two of this series we talked about the men behind the project that could make the Buy American movement go viral, and how their project is exploding into a firestorm of Buy American enthusiasm. Today, in the final chapter of this series, we will talk about how to bring that flame to every man and woman who loves this great nation.

That is where you and I come in.  When I heard this project was afoot, I immediately contacted Josh and offered him my assistance.  I asked him, “What can I do to make sure this ground-breaking project is a success?” Then it dawned on me: The key to making this small project being orchestrated from a kitchen table in West Virginia is to spread the word. 

Right now, this is the project of just a few thoughtful individuals.  But why not make this America’s project?  Why not spread the word, and make this small budget film America’s big chance to bridge divides, both politically and socioeconomically, that have not been bridged in years?  Why not take this opportunity, to forcefully remind ourselves that we are not powerless to control our economic futures, but empowered by our buying power to control our own collective destiny if we will each do our own small part by buying American more often?

Keep this in mind.  The average American adult is responsible for over $700 in imported goods per month.  With just a small change in our purchasing behavior, we could substantially reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and that would create millions of good-paying American jobs.  We can do better.

So, this is what I am doing, and I sincerely hope you will join me:

1. Forward this story to everyone you know.  Put this on Facebook, Twitter, and email it all around.
2. Go to:  http://www.usa30days.com/.  When you get there, make a contribution if you can, but more importantly, email Josh and tell him your thoughts about this project.  He wants to hear your thoughts and stories for the film, and it will just be immensely important for the success of this project.
3. Like this project on Facebook and follow it on Twitter.  If the project gets 2000 Facebook fans and 2500 Twitter followers by April 30th (only a few days away!), Josh and company are going to select a Twitter finalist and a Facebook finalist (at random) and draw the winner between the two finalists. The winner (and one friend) will be flown to one of the filming locations of their choosing to spend one night and one day with the film-makers all expenses paid by them!
4. Finally, if you have a high-profile contact that you know might want to appear in this film or help promote it when it’s done, please contact them and ask them to volunteer to be interviewed for this film by sending an email to Josh.  We want Josh to be interviewing the best experts out there.  If this project is going to make the most convincing case possible, Josh is going to need the best group of economists, politicians, historians, politicians, etc. he can possibly get involved.  Just a little tweet can mean a lot for a film like this.  Let’s use all our contacts to give this film the attention it deserves.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  I’m through hoping for better outcomes for our country, when the status quo isn’t bringing them, and there is something I can actually do to make a difference.  Don’t we owe it to ourselves to try to do our part to get our country back on the right track while we still can by buying American?

Our country needs a thriving buy American movement.  Please join us.  And please spread the word about the 30 Day Journey. 

Let’s make this America’s project.  Let’s have this project be the spark that make this buy American movement go viral.

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

The Day Buy American Goes Viral: Part 2 “Igniting the Spark”

Every once in a while, you are just at the right place at the right time. Every now and then, an idea that has been stewing for years reaches a critical moment when a spark is lit, combustion occurs, and BOOM, next thing you know, it’s everywhere. 

In many ways, the Buy American movement is just such an idea.  It could be an idea that’s time has finally come.

In the last post we introduced you to filmmaker Josh Miller, the man behind the documentary that will bring the Buy American movement to every home. This post is the story of how Josh intends to do just that.

Hear it from Josh first-hand here:

Josh and his two companions, producer Ron Newcomb and a cameraman Justin Moe, never anticipated their project would ever grow to the size it already has. The threesome initially set out to make a small film with a meager budget of just $5,000; seed money they hoped to raise online, but were unsure they could.  But they figured they had the recipe for an intriguing story, and if need be, they would find a way to fund the project on their own if the fundraising efforts came up short.

The plan was originally for Josh, who has the double-role of co-producing and serving as the on-camera talent, to spend 30 days relying on and buying nothing but American-made goods.  The crew would hit the road, visiting cities and towns that either impact, or have been impacted, by America’s tendency to buy what they want, with little regard for the effect those decisions have on the greater health of our country. 

Along the way, Josh planned to interview business leaders, labor leaders, economists, politicians, historians, and regular Americans to hear their views, and hopefully,  make some sense of the multi-decade rise, fall, and mini-resurgence of made in America enthusiasm in this country.  In Josh’s own words, he wants an explanation for the seemingly conflicting exhibition of American patriotism displayed by so many when he asks rhetorically: “We’re willing to DIE for our country, but are we willing to BUY for it?”

It turns out that this just may be the case after all. For Josh and company, they are fast realizing that their project may be the spark that turns American patriotic spending from a notable consumer trend, into a full-fledged cultural revolution.

Josh and his team quickly surpassed their fundraising goal, raising nearly three times their original target. This concept clearly struck a chord with many Americans who have already heard about the project, and the reality is starting to set in that this project is bigger than just them.

So how do we do our part to bring this revolution to the masses? Find out in the third and final chapter of our series tomorrow.

Check out more about the film at:  http://www.usa30days.com/

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

The Day Buy American Goes Viral: Part 1 “A Movement is Born”

There is little doubt that the buy American movement is getting bigger.  You see it everywhere you go, from television commercials to campaign trails, Facebook postings to evening news, and most everywhere in between.  Since buying American is a proven job creator, for millions of Americans who are hoping our country will finally turn the corner on this down economy, it is great news that the buy American movement is growing. 

Best of all: It might be about to blow up! 

But what’s going to be the catalyst for this possible, yet realistically improbable, surge in buy American enthusiasm?  Given all the economic turmoil our country has experienced, what is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes this buy American movement go viral? The answer may lie in a small budget project taking shape right now in rural West Virginia.

Over the next several days, we’re going to release two more installments of a three part series covering the film that will, for the first time ever, bring Buy American to the masses.

As I type these words, a thoughtful film-maker named Josh Miller is up at the wee hours of the morning at the kitchen table of his home deep in the mountains of coal country.  Motivated to take on this project after witnessing first-hand the devastating impact of an aluminum plant closure that hit his small town like a punch to the gut, Josh is up drinking coffee and burning the midnight oil once again. He’s committed to a pace he knows he can’t long sustain, but he’s determined to power through and tell the story he knows must be told to the best his abilities.  He owes it to his family members who were most directly impacted by the aluminum plant shutdown, he owes it to his town, and he owes it to the American people.

Josh, along with his producer Ron Newcomb and cameraman Justin Moe are on a mission: to expose what happened to their town, and to towns all across America, and teach the American people how to stop it by buying American.

True, it will be hard for such a small group of young men to make a lasting difference in our country, but remember this: never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Throughout the entirety of our history, from the sons of liberty, to the abolitionists, to civil rights leaders, fundamental change came first at a trickle, then exploded into a movement.

What is happening in West Virginia today, as you read this post, is the start of the movement we have been waiting for. Tune in for the next two parts of this three parts series, to be posted tomorrow and the following day, to learn more about the men behind the film, and how you can be a part of history in the making.

Check out more about the film at:  http://www.usa30days.com/

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

$300 Billion Trade Deficit with China for 2011 is Biggest Ever Between Two Countries; Consumer Goods and Automobiles Accounts for 82% of Overall Trade Gap

In all the hoopla surrounding the Republican presidential primaries, the release of President Obama’s 2013 budget, the Grammy’s, and the tragic passing of Whitney Houston, a truly significant report about America’s relentlessly growing trade deficit has been given very little media attention and is in danger of going unnoticed by the American public.

On Friday, February 10^th, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the U.S. trade deficit for goods and services was $558 billion in 2011, a 12% increase over the trade deficit for all of 2010.  Over half of the U.S. trade deficit (53%) was due to a $295.5 billion trade deficit with China, a staggering sum which stands as the largest trade deficit between two countries in history. (full report)

As our country’s job-stifling trade deficit continues to expand rapidly, and our inability to get it under control is without a doubt undermining our economic recovery.

Let’s look a little closer at why the trade deficit grew in 2011.  U.S. exports experienced strong growth in 2011.  Exports increased by $265 billion for the year, an 11.4% increase over 2010.  However, these strong gains were more than offset by $324 billion increase in imports, a 13.8% increase over the previous year.

What does this mean? Even though we are making significant gains by increasing exports, which is creating jobs, we are simultaneously costing ourselves jobs by continuing to increase our consumption of imported goods. 

While some of the simultaneous increases of imports and exports are due to imported materials being used to make goods in the U.S. for export, the vast majority of our trade deficit is due to the trade imbalance we incur in consumer goods and automobiles. 

In 2011, the U.S. imported $768 billion worth of consumer goods and automobiles.  However, we exported just $309 billion in these same categories.  Overall, the U.S. experienced a $459 billion trade deficit in consumer goods and automobiles, which accounted for 82% of the overall U.S. trade deficit for 2011.

What does that mean for American consumers?  It means we have the power to control our collective economic destiny by adjusting our consumer behavior.  If enough of us will commit to buying American, we have it within our power to eliminate the U.S. trade deficit, which will keep more than a half-trillion dollars circulating in our economy, and will create jobs – probably millions of jobs – here in America.

That is why I am buying American.  I am determined to do my part to get our country back to prosperity.  Will you join me?  Take the Buy American Challenge today!

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

A New Year’s Resolution Worth Making: Commit to Buying American

Two years ago I made a New Year’s resolution.  I had been thinking about the high rate of unemployment in this country and how our economic troubles are made so much worse by the enormous number of goods we import each year.  We would be so much better off if we created jobs by making those goods here in America.  We just need more Americans to demand goods made in the USA.

So I said to myself, I might not be able to change the way Americans shop, but I can certainly change the way I shop, and I refuse to continue to contribute to a problem that is causing so much economic pain for so many. From now on I’m buying American!

That was the New Year’s resolution I made to myself two years ago.  I originally set out to do it for one year, but once I completed the first year, I didn’t even consider stopping there. I found out that once you buy American for a few months it becomes second nature.

While this experience hasn’t been easy, it has been very rewarding.  I feel good knowing I am doing my part to create jobs when I buy the things I need.  From shoes, to clothes, to furniture, to cars, practically everything I buy is made in USA.  Those purchases are creating jobs in Virginia where I live and in places across the country.  Looking back, deciding to buy American is one of the best decisions I have made.  I do not regret it at all.

My New Year’s resolution this year is to make a concerted effort to get more people to commit to buying American.  I know there are millions of Americans that are willing to do it.  We just need to find those people and ask them to join our growing buy American movement.  If we get enough people to do it, we can make a real difference by creating jobs at a time that so many Americans need work.

I may have already asked you in the past, but if you are reading this I am asking you again right now.

Please consider taking the buy American challenge.  Buying American is the one thing you can do every day to help create jobs for Americans.  What better time to begin than at the start of a new year?

If you will do it, you will be doing your part to get our country back on the right track.

Commit to buying American this New Year.  It is a resolution you won’t regret making.

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

Read Full Post »

Buying American When Gift-giving

(This is a repost from an article I wrote several months back, but since Christmas is around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to repost it.)

Buying American when gift-giving presents an interesting dilemma.  A person may be passionate about buying American when purchasing items for their own use, but how does that apply when buying gifts for others?

I have been in this place many times in the last year, and my advice is to use your best judgment and err on the side of buying gifts that the gift-recipient(s) will actually enjoy above gifts you might buy because they are made in the U.S.A. 

The guidelines of the Buy American Challenge say that buying American only applies to you.  It does not apply to friends and family you might be buying gifts for.  So, if your nephew asks for certain pair of imported sneakers for his birthday, just get them and don’t even worry about it.  Refusing to buy gifts that are not made in the U.S.A. has the potential to anger people who do not particularly care where the things they want are made.  Although I do not share that point of view, I respect people who have it, even if they are a brother, daughter, or significant other.

This changes when the gifts are intended for you.  If you would only buy goods made in the U.S.A. for yourself, why shouldn’t you ask the same of people buying gifts for you?  When I have a birthday coming up, and I know people will be shopping for me, I always circulate a list (electronic list with links) of American-made things I would like to receive as gifts.  Not only does this make things much easier for friends and family buying gifts for you, but it also ensures you will get the American-made things you really want.  It also allows you to price-shop online ahead of time to save those buying gifts for you some cash.  Most importantly, it is a great opportunity to educate the people in your life about all the great things that are made in the U.S.A.  In my experience, people are generally happy to buy gifts that you have suggested for them to buy, and they are generally pleasantly surprised at all the high-quality, reasonably-priced, American-made things on the list. 

Actually, regardless of whether you buy American or not, I suggest sending gift wish-lists out. Putting out a list of potential gifts is a win-win for everyone.  Nobody likes to wander through the mall, picking things up, and trying to find something you think a person might like.  A list takes all the guesswork out of it.  Just be sure that it is clear your list is of options for potential gifts, and not a list of all the things you expect to get for the occasion.   My first list I sent to my family raised eyebrows when they thought I expected to get every gift on the list, and I had listed about 20 things listed. 

One important thing to keep in mind is that American-made goods sometimes cost more than imported goods.  You may have received a $30 pair of jeans in years past from a certain person.  If you send them a list of American-made gifts, make sure the list consists of items in the $30 price-range.  Don’t send them a link to $100 American-made jeans and expect them to buy those for you.  By the way, this is just an example of the kind of predicament you might discover.  In fact, American-made jeans can be found for $30.  Here is a link to beautiful pair from a great company called All American Clothing: http://www.allamericanclothing.com/products/AA301.html

One time you should go ahead and buy a gift made in the U.S.A. for someone else is when no specific gift has been requested and you are reasonably sure that an American-made gift will be liked just as much as an imported good.  I don’t think my dad particularly cares what brand of jeans he gets as a gift.  So if I know he wants jeans, I would absolutely buy a pair of American-made jeans for him.  This is another great opportunity to show those around you what great American-made products there are available.  Maybe some of these gifts will turn into brand loyalty and/or increased interest in buying American.  Don’t miss the opportunity to give American-made gifts when the chance presents itself.

Here is one final thought on buying American with regard to friends and family.  Sometimes those close to me buy imported things that they are very excited about, especially if they spent a good deal of money on the item, like a fancy jacket or watch.  When this happens, I make it a point to show exactly the same enthusiasm I would have shown if I didn’t care about buying American.  Remember, buying American only applies to you.  That means not judging others when they get things they want.  Show those around you the respect of sharing in their excitement as you would if buying American was not a priority of yours.  It will be appreciated. 

I hope you will find this gift-giving advice useful.  I would love to hear what you all think about these guidelines for American-made gift-giving.  Have you ever been in one of these gift-giving scenarios?  What did you choose to do?  Were you pleased with your choice afterward?

Until next time, here’s to doing what we can to support our country by buying American.

Randy

P.S. If you are looking for a great American made clothing brand, check out Made in USA Threads!

Read Full Post »