Category: Campaign

It has been more than 15 years since China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), yet in that time, they have failed to make good on the trade-liberalizing commitments they made in order to have their membership approved. Their reluctance to follow through on those promises has had a negative impact on economic growth and health of innovative industries in both the United States and Europe. China made 9 specific commitments that they have not followed through on, and they are:

1. Refraining from requiring technology transfer as a condition of market access

One of the main stipulations of the WTO accession agreement that the Chinese signed was that they would not tie foreign investment or market access to technology transfer, yet it is a practice that still regularly takes place. Many companies still need to hand over their technology before they can do business in China.

2. Significantly reducing intellectual property (IP) theft and violations

China was required to recognize the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) when they became part of the WTO. This agreement is in place to protects patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, service marks, digital content, and all other forms of property. Numbers in the IP Commission Reports on the theft of U.S. Intellectual Property clearly show that China is responsible for as much as 80% of such thefts from businesses in the States, a figure that adds up to roughly $300 billion annually in lost sales.

3. Substantially reducing production and/or export subsidies

When China joined the WTO, they clearly stated that their government would eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, production and export subsidies. Since then, the Chinese have handed out subsidies in excess of $115 billion to just 4 industries: glass and glass products, auto parts, steel, and paper. Just imagine how much money has been subsidized if you take all the other industries into account.

4. Liberalizing foreign film distribution

When the agreement was made to allow China into the WTO, they agreed that they would allow 20 films to be imported on a revenue-sharing basis over the next 3 years following their admission. The joint ventures were set to include sound recording, videos, and software entertainment, as well as allowing for the owning and operation of movie theaters. As you may have already guessed, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) reports that all such entertainment entering China does so on a flat-fee basis as opposed to the agreed up revenue-sharing model.

5. Joining the Government Procurement Agreement

Another part of their inclusion into the WTO was that China would immediately join the Government Procurement Agreement, which is in place to have restrictions on government purchases between member nations. No such credible offer has yet been made.

6. Requiring state-owned enterprises to make purchases based on commercial considerations

Another item that China agreed to was that their state-owned and state-invested enterprises would buy and sell with commercial considerations as the basis for each transaction. In short, they agreed to purchase the best tools for the job without ever favoring a particular vendor or nation. They have continually gone against this agreement by simply refusing to allow those state-owned enterprises from buying products made or developed in the United States.

7. Giving foreign banks national treatment

Part of their membership to the WTO required China to treat foreign banks just as they would national entities within 5 years of admission. To this day, it appears as though China has not fully implemented all of the commitments required within this particular agreement, with national banks still being given an advantage over the foreign branches.

8. Opening the telecommunications market to foreign producers

China committed to several things in the telecommunications industry, including to allowing foreign suppliers to use whatever technology they deemed fit to deliver services, the implantation of pro-competitive regulations, and the liberalization of foreign investments. Things have not gone to plan, though, with USTR finding that China essentially forced foreign companies into joint ventures with Chinese-based firms, while also implementing incredibly high capital requirements. The end result is that foreign suppliers are not granted even the most basic access into the Chinese telecommunications market.

9. Abiding by the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement and not manipulating technology standards

Members of the WTO abide by the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which states that no member can use certifications and standards as a means to block trade. While China agreed to this agreement to gain access to the WTO, they have once again failed to live up to their end of the bargain, instead opting to develop indigenous technology standards as a building block in their strategy for economic growth.

The question now is about what can be done to mend these broken promises?

The bad news here is that the WTO enforcement system is simply not strong enough for them to take action. Furthermore, a weak WTO settlement system means that China continually goes unpunished for their infractions.

The best way forward would appear to be for the U.S. and European policymakers to get a little more creative in their confrontation methods when dealing with China. Rather than focusing on the legal process, they need to instead create a results based process that will effectively hold the Chinese to task for their broken promises.

 

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Watch the average American sitcom and you will get the idea that dads are wise men who are always there with answer to every problem their children face. The TV dad is a caricature of the real thing, but most kids will tell you that their father is indeed the hero they need in their life. It is often mother’s who get the majority of the love, and deservedly so, but it’s always nice to give dad’s their due, which we do every Father’s Day, which falls on the third Sunday in June in the United States. You may well be wondering how this celebration began, and how you can best wish your dad a happy Father’s Day.

In Europe, the history of Father’s Day stretches all the way back to the Middle Ages, but here in the U.S. it did not take hold until the 20^th century. The history of Father’s Day is rather sad, as it all began in 1908 in West Virginia after a major mining disaster killed over 350 men, 250 of whom were dads. Grace Golden Clayton lost her father in the disaster and asked that her church remember the men who were lost at the next service, which they did. It was an event that had local appeal, bur which did not register anywhere else in the country.

It took a little more time for Father’s Day to be officially recognized in the United States, with Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane playing a major role in establishing the holiday. She began the celebration in June, 1910 to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who single-handedly raised his 6 children. Bills were eventually introduced to Congress to make the holiday official, but it wasn’t until 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson spoke at a Father’s Day event in Spokane, that the movement gained some ground.

The idea was shot down for fear that the day would become too commercialized, but after another few failed attempts, Father’s Day as we know it now was signed into being by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. It became a permanent feature in 1972 under President Richard Nixon. Now that you know how much effort was put into creating a special day for your dad, you probably now understand the importance of honoring the most important man in your life.

 

America has a drug problem! When you hear that, you probably imagine people struggling with addiction to cocaine, meth, or many of the other harder illegal drugs, but that is not what we are talking about here. The drug problem we are now facing is with opioids, many of which are delivered via a legal prescription from your local doctor. That said, the illegal trade in opioids is also booming, as the American people go in search of a substance that heals their pain, while doing so in a way that they believe to be safe and harmless.

Opioids are far from harmless, though, and they are also incredibly addictive. The fact that opioid addiction treatment options are now becoming more prevalent than other forms of treatment is a sure sign that more and more people are finding themselves in trouble. We will get to the link between these drugs and unemployment in a moment, but we first need to talk about what opioids are used for. They are used for a variety of purposes, but most commonly as a treatment for pain, both mental and physical. If you have spent a good portion of your life in pain and you see those symptoms relieved with an easy to attain drug, chances are you are going to want more and more of those pills.

The link between increased opioid use and unemployment is clear to see, as people turn to something to ease their stress and depression when they are unable to find work. As more and more jobs move overseas, hard working American citizens are either left unemployed or stuck in a job that is well below their skill and talent level. For many, that means taking on low-paying physical jobs that put a strain on their mind and body. What starts off as a legitimate attempt to ease that pain ends up becoming an addiction that can lead to more serious health issues.

It’s no real surprise to learn that opioid use is more commonly found in depressed regions where unemployment is high and job opportunities are scarce. The sense of hopelessness in these areas is very real, and opioids help mask the pain, if only for a little while. It’s not long before people need more than their prescription has to offer in order to dull their pain for longer and longer periods of time, which is when the real problems and illegal purchases of opioids begins.

One of the most effective ways to help opioid addiction become a thing of the past is to create more opportunities for people in this country. People want to work and have a feeling of accomplishment, but we need to start looking at buying American products again to make that happen. If we all make an effort to buy American made products every time we shop, we will be doing our part to make our nation healthy, in more ways than just economically.

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As the month of May is close to its end, and most of us are already thinking of our summer vacations this year, this particular period of time also tends to leave us on the brink of sentimentality. And the reason why the end of May has such a bitter-sweet feel to it is because of Memorial Day. On the 30^th of this month, Americans as a nation will have the opportunity to honor the memory of those men and women who have fallen in battle fighting for our country.

The wrathful roar of war transpires through our everyday lives as there is no way of escaping it. Even if someone has not been personally affected by the death of a soldier, we can still clearly see the marks of warfare with its unsettling echoes in our day-to-day life – when crossing paths with a neighbor, when at work, when passing the writing on a wall. And because this country’s armed forces – or better put, the notion of our country’s armed forces and what it means to fight for freedom is so deeply ingrained in our civil culture, it’s often hard for Americans to not make a habit of reliving in remembrance. Likewise, often enough, finding a natural balance between honoring those who have sacrificed themselves for this land and living our normal lives doesn’t come easy. When all is in the shadow of such morbid events, grief and the general disgust towards everyday trivialities may take us on a different path of self-destruction. Nonetheless, days like Memorial Day, on top of giving us the chance of remembering and honoring those who have given their lives while serving, is also a country-wide social outlet which allows us to compartmentalize, and helps us to – as much as humanly possible – not constantly live within the constraints of a cult of the dead.

Because of the wide-spread cultural effect of over a century’s worth of military conflicts, it is indeed true that these battle field deaths are reflected in how we operate not only as a country, but also as individuals. From said perspective, at the Buy American Campaign, we admit that this mixture of sadness and pride is also present in our organizational culture, and that we never step back from standing up and speaking loudly for our soldiers, for those who have passed on the torch, as well as for those who keep it burning. We support our troops in various ways, but the thought we feel the need to communicate today is one of encouragement towards the general public.

Thus, we encourage our readers to think about how much this country has lost – and will continue to lose – for the sake of our civil rights, for the sake of independence, for the sake of economic and political freedom; and to also think about how this is strongly connected to the way we live our lives at home, how we sustain and provide for ourselves and for our loved ones, what we choose to put on our table and on our backs. Yes, this is a call to action. Buy American-made products. Not everyone can – or should – sacrifice their lives for their country, but as long as we’re a part of it, we can and should make small sacrifices to help our local businesses, help our economy and help preserve our economic independence.

Regardless of what we do, what our political orientations are, or where we stand on the issue of war, we believe that if our Armed Forces will never let the U.S. die, it is our duty as American citizens to not let the U.S. economy die.

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In today’s world, the phrase “buy American” is something that is tiring to the ears of many. We see it on TV, we read about it in the newspapers, and it has even become some sort of slogan in some quarters with many people not really knowing what it truly means and the benefit inherent in it.

Buying American simply means to buy made in USA products by the people of the United States. Buying American is more than just a show of patriotism, rather it has a lot of benefit for everyone.

The first of this is that it ensures that manufacturing industries are able to continue functioning and provide more jobs for our teeming youthful population. Purchasing American-made products ensures that industries stay in business and the manufacturing sector continues to grow thereby reducing unemployment.

 

Secondly, to buy made in USA products ensures that quality goods are continuously in circulation. As everyone has come to understand that many products made outside the country are more than half of the time inferior because of the fact that manufacturers can mass produce at a cheaper quality outside the country, a situation which regulations in the United States will forbid.

Lastly, to buy made in USA products puts more money in the pockets of American families and investors. It means that more American businesses can open and enjoy the patronage that they deserve. And as anyone knows, a key attraction for any investor is the presence of a market. If American people can come together to increase the demand for made-in-America products, then we would see a huge turnaround in the growth of business investments and household income.

How to recognize an import (even if it says ‘Made in America”)

It is not unusual to find a product that says “Made in America” with a big American flag but on close observation it may carry another statement saying its parts are sourced from another country. Misleading labeling such as this are far too common as many manufacturers are either trying to skip the barrier of regulations or appealing to consumers. But whatever the case may be, you have the right to know if you are genuinely purchasing a made in America product.

As a consumer willing to buy American, you need to pay close attention to labeling despite the American flag that may be boldly placed on these products. Many products may carry the flag and the statement, but on close observation, they may carry a label that reads “Country of Origin”; a requirement by the regulatory agencies. This label will often be in a conspicuous place where by casually handling the product, you will easily see it. For instance, when buying a new refrigerator, you can easily see the country of origin of the manufacturer on the wall of the interior. If you are buying a gas grill, you may see this on the back of the metal frame. But you must keep in mind that for a truly made in America product, it is not required.

In conclusion, as a consumer and patriot, the choice to grow our community and economy by buying American lies in part with you. When next you go to the store, pay attention to that made in America label. It might after all not be truly made in America.

 

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Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and no matter if you prefer to get it over with quickly or if you like to make a big event out of it, one thing is certain, you will be thinking about gifts for Mother’s Day this week.

The best Mothers Day gifts are, of course, the ones from the heart. That can mean something homemade, special and unique, something that your mother really loves, maybe collectibles and such, something expensive and breathtaking if your budget permits, or even just chocolate novelties and a small trinket.

You can find endless gift ideas for Mother’s Day online, but whatever you may end up choosing, it’s good to keep in mind that in the majority of cases, you are the gift – you coming home with a big smile and a big hug is what really makes Mother’s Day special. The gesture of gift-giving is more important than the actual gift when it comes to these kinds of holidays. Nevertheless, while we do know this deep inside, it always seems like a struggle to make up your mind on what to buy or make for your mother on this special occasion. Some people prepare days or even weeks in advance, and have their gift sorted out when the moment comes, others just enter panic mode the morning of, and purchase whatever is more convenient at the time.

For both aforementioned categories, at the Buy American Campaign, we want to remind you of another special mother in our lives, our motherland. Mother’s Day is more than getting a flower bouquet for your mom on Sunday, it’s a national celebration where we as a whole honor motherhood, and take a step back to recognize the undeniable influence American mothers have had and will continue to have on our society. For this reason, instead of debating what are the best Mothers Day gifts, which is kind of silly taking into consideration that people and relationships are so unique and diverse, we feel like it’s more important to say that the best gifts for Mothers Day are those made in the USA.

When talking about a special celebration like the one happening this upcoming weekend, our team always tends to shift their attention to the consumer’s behavior, and we often times feel obligated to speak up for what we feel is right. So, even if events like these usually come with a dose of frenzy that frequently leave us searching for the easiest solution, we want to remind readers that as a mother is the heart of the family so is manufacturing the heart of our economy.

In conclusion, even in cases where American-made products are not the most accessible due to various reasons, we encourage you to make the extra effort no matter the holiday, and buy your gifts, or the materials required to make your gift from right here, from home, from where the heart is.

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If you’re looking for something to give on an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or any holiday, you should be looking at products which are made right here in America. American-made products make the perfect gift for any occasion, and you can find scores of amazing products made in America for any age range or interest. Let’s take a closer look at why American-made products make the perfect gifts.

American-made products are higher quality

Products made in America are high quality. You won’t have to worry about messy paint jobs, ill-fitting or even missing parts, or any of the other defects that are so common with foreign-made products. This is especially essential if you are buying a gift for a child or an infant, who should not be exposed to certain chemicals that are common in objects made overseas.

You can find truly unique American-made products

While American factories may produce hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies of certain products, that doesn’t mean you have to stick with big-name products made at American factories for your gifts. There are countless American companies and individual American creators who offer more unique products made right here, that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Items from “indie” companies or handmade items are truly unique and will stand out even more to your gift recipient.

They encourage others to follow your lead

Everyone from your gift recipient to others at the birthday or holiday party will no doubt hear that your gift was from a company made in America. One of the great things about buying American products is that once people hear about others doing it, they want to join in as well. The simple action of buying a gift made by completely by American companies may spark a lasting trend among your family and friends of being more conscious about where the products they buy come from.

If you have an upcoming gift-giving occasion, whether it’s a birthday, holiday or other special event, take the time to find a truly special gift that was made right here in America.

 

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In the world of TV and movie entertainment, the United States is king, with Hollywood serving as the unofficial capital of the entertainment world. Given this knowledge, it may come as a surprise to learn that the US is losing ground as a television manufacturer. More surprising still is just how rapid the decline has been. When the golden age of television started back in the 1950’s, there were anywhere between 90 and 150 TV manufacturers doing great business in this country, selling more than 11 million units per year.

American made television sets continued to be in high demand in the domestic market in the 1960’s, which was around the time when Japanese imports started showing up, albeit in small numbers. To put it in perspective, by the mid-60’s US manufacturers were making 3 million color TV’s per year as compared to the 100,000 being made in Japan. The Asian nations were off to a slow start, but they soon started to play catch-up rather quickly.

By the start of the 1970’s, imported TV’s were becoming more common, with many US manufacturers deciding to move their business overseas. Developing nations, such as South Korea and Taiwan, had factories already established, making it easy for American companies to move in and quickly grow their business because of the cheaper cost of doing business in that part of the world.

The 70’s was the heaviest period of decline for US television manufacturers, with just 3 – RCA, Zenith, and GTE-Sylvania – left in business when 1980 arrived. GTE-Sylvania got out of the consumer electronics business a few years later, dropping the number of American TV manufacturers down to just two. While RCA and Zenith still had about 40% of the US market share in 1982, roughly 68% of black and white TV’s and 13% of the color models were being imported from overseas.

The tide was turning, and it was not long before the remaining US television manufacturers were caught up in the tsunami. General Electric acquired and broke up RCA in 1986, leaving Zenith to fight the battle alone. They made it until 1995, which was when South Korean giant LG Electronics swooped in and bought Zenith out.

The dream of TV manufacturing in the United States stays alive, though, with the New York Times reporting in 1995 that Dutch company Phillips and Thompson Electronics out of France opted to make their TV’s in Indiana and Tennessee, respectively. Foxconn, a Taiwanese company which is responsible for making products for Apple is attempting to rid themselves of the bad press they have received concerning their labor practices by moving their manufacturing to Arizona.

Japanese  and South Korean manufacturers are still the leaders in the TV industry, accounting for roughly half of the flat-screen market. Now that you know which companies make which products and where, you may want to consider that that next time you buy. The best TV shows and movies in the world are made in the US, so wouldn’t it be great to see the TV manufacturing industry once again become huge in this country?

 

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Ever since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States back in the early 1800’s manufacturing has played a major role in local communities all across the country. Many small towns and cities big and small where the factories began popping up started to grow by leaps and bounds. These large employers needed many people to perform the work and often this meant people were attracted from places outside of the location where the factory was built.

For the most part, this was a huge positive in that it made it possible for families to be able to support themselves since many of these jobs paid very good wages for the time. With the townspeople having money to spend other businesses soon popped up all around the factory. This added to the workforce and that brought more money to tax coffers, which made it possible for the local government to be able to provide services that benefited the people of the town.

As time went by factories large and small became heavily ingrained into the fabric of the local communities in which they were built. Depending on how long the factory was around and what type of industry it was part of you would often have several generations of families working at the local factory. This lasted through most of the decades throughout the 1900’s and as the arrival of the 21st century.

Advantages and Disadvantages of having large single employers to a community

While you might think that having a company that employs a large percentage of the residences in the community that surrounds it would be all good. The truth is there are some bad things that can be expected along with a long list of advantages. We will start with the list of the advantages and end with some of the disadvantages that for some community leaders were too great of sacrifice which caused them to reconsider courting one of the large businesses to locate their factory in their town.

Advantages

• Payscale for factory jobs is considered fairly high
• Tax collections bring a large amount of revenue to the local town
• The extra funds allow the town to provide more services to the people
• Large factories tend to attract a large number of support businesses
• The more businesses you add the more jobs that are available for the people

Disadvantages

• In the event of a downturn and the factory closes down it could leave the town devastated
• Increased traffic could lead to a number of different issues in the areas around the factory
• Too fast of growth could put a strain on a number of different services

One of the ways community leaders can help to lessen the impact that a large single employer could have on its community is to be proactive when it comes to community planning. This way they would be better prepared to deal with any negatives that would arise.

For the community as a whole one way to help the local American factories and the people that they employ is to “Buy American Made”. As long as they continue to be profitable they are far less likely than to shut down the factory which we all know how devastating that has been to many towns and cities all across the US.

 

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The economic downturn in the United States caused manufacturing to decline as companies looked for cheaper sources for the products that they were selling to their customers. Unfortunately, when US companies are sourcing the manufacturing of their products overseas, the United States is the only loser in the whole deal.

It is not surprising that as the downturn continued more and more US-based companies were finding more and more cost-effective sources for their products from manufacturers that were located outside of the United States. This included countries like China and India. The business environment at the time was definitely not pro-business and that was one of the primary reasons why it lasted for so long.

Overseas Manufacturers benefited

Whether we are talking about companies sourcing overseas companies to supply them with the products that they sell or US manufacturers moving their production operations to locations outside of the United States. Either way, the United States economy and the American people lose out as the jobs were eliminated and the factories started to close down.

Fortunately, not all is totally lost, we still have a fairly robust manufacturing sector and as we continue to see the improvement, we can all do our part by insisting on purchasing more domestically produced products. This will go a long way to help convince the companies to expand their domestic investment.

Why should we buy American?

Buy American should be much more than just a saying. It is more about taking pride in the United States and what it means to be an American. In the end, we all benefit when companies choose to do business inside the United States. This means to source the products that they sell from manufacturing companies in the USA and when possible manufacture their products in facilities within the United States.

We need to promote “Made in the USA”

In order to help reverse the trend of too many overseas products being bought in the United States, we need more people to promote the idea that American Made is worth the money that you are paying. One of the reasons why there are so many foreign made products filling the store shelves of US-based companies is that they can find the products that people are demanding from overseas manufacturers at a lower price even though the quality is usually much less.

There is a big push to help improve the business environment here in the United States and if it works as it is intended there could be a big reversal in the trend that caused so many companies to turn to the overseas manufacturers in the first place. If this whole effort comes to fruition and our manufacturing industry is able to recover the millions of jobs that were lost, this will be a huge benefit for the American people as a whole.

 

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