I have a challege for all you Americans out there.

My challenge is to look at everything you pick up, things that sit around your house, or things at the store, and see where it is made. Some things will not say, but most will. I guarantee that you will be surprised. I bet greater than 95% of the stuff you look at is made outside of the US.

Now this is nothing new, but its extremely ridiculous what simple things you think an American could assemble aren't. They're assembled in China, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, etc.

I realized this during Christmas. I bought my stepdad a Remington pocket knife and a Heddon Fishing Lure. The knife was made in China and the Lure was "Designed in the USA" but made in China as well.

I have been following the ABC World News "Made in America" series. I am amazed by the information they have found out and even the viewers have gotten involved by seeking out American made products.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/

There is so many people out there that need jobs and manufacturing jobs are still being shipped overseas or across the border. It's really sad.

I can do better. It's one thing to sing the same old refrain over and over - why don't "they" make things in America? Well, here's the view from "they". We have a whole range of stuff produced for us to our designs. Some of it in the US, some of it overseas. And more of it is coming from inside the US these days. Not because we like to wrap ourselves in the flag (hey, we even employ immigrants) but because American manufacturers are becoming more competitive.

Take a Stage 2.5 suspension kit, for example. The shocks are made in the US out of parts sourced in Japan. The sway bars are made in the US. The springs are made in the US. The upper mounts are made in the US. The bumpstops...well, I think they're German. But still, that's not bad when you look at the dollar amount. All of our sheetmetal stuff like butterfly braces and the cool new ninja tool come from the US, from a company that just opened another plant. Heck, if you buy a set of AFCOs you're getting a hand-assembled racing shock from Indiana wrapped in a US-wound spring.

We brought our turbo manifold production back into the US after the quality of the Indian parts wasn't good enough. Those aforementioned springs used to be made in Sweden. Sure, not everything is made in the US. But we're certainly doing our part to make it happen. Even if we do source a part overseas, we always give US manufacturers a chance to compete for the work.

Clearly, the solution is for each of us to fabricate a locost in our garages to compensate for this condition.

[Edit: Thanks, Keith. You guys are awesome.]

I only own one knife that wasn't made in the US. A Mora, it was made in Sweden. I paid extra when I bought this pair of Levi's because they were made in the US. I've never bought a pair of boots that weren't made in the US. My New Balance were made in the US. The lamp sitting on my desk was not only made in this country, but in the town I grew up in. The majority of my tools are American made. The ones that aren't are European.

I refuse to purchase anything stamped "made in China." I generally prefer to buy something that employed an American to make it; when I can't do that, I look for something made in a NATO country. Some things slip through, but I make a concerted effort.

How funny, my daughter had to do that last night for a school assignment. 90% was made in China, clothes came from a lot of places, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam...

I did find a few Made in America items though.

In reply to Keith:

Thanks for the insight of where your parts come from Keith. It's good to know that your company makes an effort to make or at least manafacture products here in the US.

What's sad is that we are effectively supporting slave-labor around the world, and the feeble minded idiocracy who can barely dribble "WEEE NNEED TUHHH BRINNG DUHH JOBS BAACK HOME." who don't understand basic supply, demand, cost of labor, and the insane regulations US businesses face vs the insane lack of regulation in the countries we buy from/borrow money from.

Your politicians made it this way, but jesus tapdancing christ forbid it turns into a "political thread."

I don't need a "challenge." I'd be shocked to find anything made in the USA in my house, other than the things I've built myself.

The Ford Crown Vic wasn't an American car for awhile there. I drive (right now) a 92 Nissan Sentra, which was assembled in America. Not sure if it classified as USA or not.

Whaddya mean? The Crown Vic is as American as a Camaro! Oh, no, wait..

The NY times had a good article on why apple products and ipads will never be made here. Basically its because China has an incredible manufacturing system where changes on the assembly line can be implemented within hours. The factories are all in a "manufacturing cluster." If you need a different screw or connector, the factories are all within a few blocks. The manufacturing system has been changed immensely from when America used to be the big manufacturing center. For all the negative things about Chinese manufacturing at least its efficient? Also the conditions are pretty abysmal.

This is the article. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?_r=1&ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all&gwh=A53E909D9D60871853BA5C22A5266592

Politicians didn't make the jobs go overseas, the cost to produce them here vs. overseas did.

As Keith said "but because American manufacturers are becoming more competitive." Look at how long it took the American car manufacturers to really look at and produce something like the better designed and produced foreign cars.

Say what you will, but Unions had a lot to do with the cost differential. I'm not saying they were the only culprit, but look at Detroit now and ask where the jobs went.

Did you know that it was possible to build a house with 100% American made products? I didn't and I'm in the business. But it is AND the cost differential is coming down. Right now you can do it and the price of the house isn't small enough that people would pay it and brag about the quality.

Oh but recent reports suggest that as worker conditions improve overseas as a result of pressure from external forces, the cost of manufacturing abroad is also increasing. This means, for some industries at least, companies will start opening more factories in the US instead of opening them overseas. The cost of transporting is really expensive when most of the products are consumed here.

Another factor is currency exchange. Parts sourced from the US have more stable prices than ones from overseas. Plus you don't have to deal with US customs, which is remarkably difficult at times. Our Dutch-sourced shocks get held up for weeks and weeks - I guess they're looking for smuggled pot.

fritzsch wrote: The cost of transporting is really expensive when most of the products are consumed here.

One of the good things about the price of oil going up

I buy parts (hopefully) constructed to a standard that meets or exceeds my needs. Where they're made isn't often a driving factor.

I mean, you're telling me that Americans can't and don't make some complete E36 M3?

Osterkraut wrote: I buy parts (hopefully) constructed to a standard that meets or exceeds my needs. Where they're made isn't often a driving factor. I mean, you're telling me that Americans can't and don't make some complete E36 M3?

They do. An abundance of complete E36 M3 is made in the US. Complete E36 M3 should be avoided regardless of where it was made though.

The leather belt I am wearing right now was made in India. A belt. Made of Leather. India. It is the best belt I have though, but it is only a few months old.

This is a topic I pay attention to, because I've been trying to get my brain to think about what needs to be done to reverse the situation.

Conclusion: not much.

The ship has sailed. America simply does not produce manufacturing goods much anymore. After the post WW II boom, things began to slide in the 1960s. Just look at the invasion of imported cars. American companies were complacent, labor unions gained too much power, govt regulations exploded. We are Great Britain. Most of the jobs are never coming back. Our society simply has moved, and priced itself, out of being a production based nation. We do a great job of inventing and designing the products that are made elsewhere, and that is where our business future lies. I wish it weren't so, but it is. Skilled service jobs and tech jobs are where our future economy will come from.

In reply to T.J. :

I thought cows were sacred in India?

Where your car is made and the % of it Domestic (US & Canada) content:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Part+583+American+Automobile+Labeling+Act+%28AALA%29+Reports
The 2012 Ford Fusion is up to 30% compared to the 2011's 20% but still a long way from 2007's 55%

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to T.J. : I thought cows were sacred in India?

Just as not everyone in the USA is christian, not everyone in India is hindu.

I was eating some Dole fruit cups and guess where they came from? China. We can't even raise our own fruit? Guess what else? I told the wife not to buy them anymore.

Yeah, I try to draw the line at foodstuffs. Some Chinese companies have proven that they really don't care how many Americans they poison and kill in pursuit of a dollar.

Made in China food really sketches me out.

That "Times" article linked by fritzsch is a must read to understand the competition.