Friday, July 4, 2008

Made in the U.S.A.

I want you to go around your house and look at the tags on your furniture, home decor, children's toys and clothes. Where are they made? I took a trip around my house after reading this article. I found that the majority of things in our house come from China. It made me want to cry.

I used to work at a home decor store. As I unpacked boxes, I found two very disheartening things in common:

1)everything was made poorly and

2)everything was made in another country. Of course 95% was made in China. Remember them? I also found that the amount of packaging with Styrofoam and plastic is in an abundance. I won't go into the fact that I saw WALL-E yesterday and I believe we are going to bury ourselves in packaging. I'll save that for another post.



Back to China, they poisoned our small children with their poor craftsmanship of toys. Surely you haven't forgotten the recalls, but the good ole USA companies are still outsourcing. Not only to China, but to India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam to name a few. And it's worst than that, watch this YouTube clip.







If you're not upset by the state of our economy and watching friends and family members get laid off doesn't bother you, then you might want to look at what your putting into you very own body. I realize you have seen the benefits of genetically engineered foods, but that's not the whole story. Anne over at Twice Bloomed Wisteria has told us all about how the genetically modified corn effects the bees and your honey. You might want to read this article and decide if you want to eat the food others are growing. Also, there's a book that discusses the way we eat called Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer, Jim Mason.







Jayedee over at Life in the Lost World turned me onto the 100 Foot Diet Challenge. It is really very interesting. It doesn't take that much room to grow a few veggies and fruits for your family, Hell, I'm doing it and I haven't got a clue, but you've seen how much were getting from an 8 by 30 foot piece of land. This is only our second year to have a garden and we're feeding more than our family with what we're growing. This year my goal is to learn to can!


I know that this is pretty scary stuff, but I don't think I can sit back and ignore what's going on around me. If the outsourcing of jobs does effect you and if our food is being shipped in, out of season, from half way around the world doesn't bother you and if we buy it with out asking questions we are contributing to the problem.



If you can't grow anything please buy local and try to buy made in the U.S.A. Also, you should check out this Wall Street Journal article on 50 Things being Blamed on Rising Oil Prices.

8 comments:

Aunt Julie said...

Thanks for dropping by! We're getting a few fireworks tonight from Mother Nature as well. You really speak the truth in today's post. I've been blog-cruising today, and came upon a couple of interesting posts that speak EXACTLY to what you're saying: http://bettyb.teacherlingo.com/archive/2008/07/04/50-things-blamed-on-the-cost-of-oil.aspx, about how the high cost of oil influences so much in our lives, and http://scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com/2008/07/isnt-it-ironic.html, a patriotic swipe at the Made in China trend. Things are CRAZY these days, aren't they? Have a great 4th, and stay dry!

Melissa B. said...

m~I admire your outrage! Thanks for visiting my blog. We, as Americans, really NEED to have the conversation about poorly made foreign imports, the cost of oil, the failing economy & the food we put in our mouths. I hope to read more interesting posts from you! Happy Independence Day!

Unknown said...

Thanks for dropping by... I will be back... you always have good stuff! Happy 4th to you and your family! Nite

Unknown said...

Thanks for stopping by! Thank you for this wonderful reminder and message of truth! Sounds like a good lesson plan coming for the kids............

Melissa B. said...

And please don't forget, BTW, that today's Silly Sunday. Sharpen up that sense o' humor, and drop in to see me!

Hannah said...

What a perfect post for Independence Day!

Aunt Julie said...

m~: Thanks so much for stopping by today and entering my giveaway! Please remember to Share the Comment Love, and tell your bloggy friends to drop in, too!

Ren Allen said...

I'm glad I found your blog! It was by accident that I found another "100 foot challenge" person because I was really just searching for other's that are trying to live in suburbia and change the way they eat and live.

I joined the challenge and feel so stymied by my circumstances at times....but it's a step in the right direction.:)

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” mahatma gandhi