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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

One Light Bulb At A Time

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would.
With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time.

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value. " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . . . yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE U.S.A.! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago )

Let's get with the program ... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U. S. A.!

16 comments:

  1. My toothpaste is colgate as well. I will switch to crest. Could you imagine the difference it would make if everyone did this with all the products they bought? I know Great Value brand is american made.

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  2. I didn't think anything was made in American anymore. I will definately start looking after reading this article. Something else we can all do-only partronize businessess owned and run by Americans. Too many of our businessess have been taken over by foriegners who get low interest government loans and don't pay taxes. Then they send our dollars back to their country of origin. The government has stacked the deck against US and given THEM the unfair advantage. Go ahead and call me a racist, but I don't feel guilty at all when I boycot them. I am an American and that is still my right (for now, anyway).

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  3. I've been doing this for a long time and I too have noticed the money saving on it! Since not all companies out there proudly display their country of origin, there is also a way to tell based on the barcodes. The first 3 numbers in a barcode tell you the country of origin:

    000 – 019 United States
    020 – 029 Restricted distribution
    030 – 039 United States
    040 – 049 Restricted distribution
    050 – 059 Coupons
    060 – 139 United States
    200 – 299 Restricted distribution
    300 – 379 France
    380 Bulgaria
    383 Slovenia
    385 Croatia
    387 Bosnia-Herzegovina
    400 – 440 Germany
    450 – 459 & 490 – 499 Japan
    460 – 469 Russia
    470 Kurdistan
    471 Taiwan
    474 Estonia
    475 Latvia
    476 Azerbaijan
    477 Lithuania
    478 Uzbekistan
    479 Sri Lanka
    480 Philippines
    481 Belarus
    482 Ukraine
    484 Moldova
    485 Armenia
    486 Georgia
    487 Kazakhstan
    489 Hong Kong
    500 – 509 UK
    520 Greece
    528 Lebanon
    529 Cyprus
    530 Albania
    531 Macedonia
    535 Malta
    539 Ireland
    540 – 549 Belgium & Luxembourg
    560 Portugal
    569 Iceland
    570 – 579 Denmark
    590 Poland
    594 Romania
    599 Hungary
    600 – 601 South Africa
    603 Ghana
    608 Bahrain
    609 Mauritius
    611 Morocco
    613 Algeria
    616 Kenya
    618 Ivory Coast
    619 Tunisia
    621 Syria
    622 Egypt
    624 Libya
    625 Jordan
    626 Iran
    627 Kuwait
    628 Saudi Arabia
    629 Emirates
    640 – 649 Finland
    690 – 695 China
    700 – 709 Norway
    729 Israel
    730 – 739 Sweden
    740 Guatemala
    741 El Salvador
    742 Honduras
    743 Nicaragua
    744 Costa Rica
    745 Panama
    746 Dominican Republic
    750 Mexico
    754 – 755 Canada
    759 Venezuela
    760 – 769 Switzerland
    770 Colombia
    773 Uruguay
    775 Peru
    777 Bolivia
    779 Argentina
    780 Chile
    784 Paraguay
    786 Ecuador
    789 – 790 Brazil
    800 – 839 Italy
    840 – 849 Spain
    850 Cuba
    858 Slovakia
    859 Czech
    860 Serbia & Montenegro
    865 Mongolia
    867 North Korea
    868 – 869 Turkey
    870 – 879 Netherlands
    880 South Korea
    884 Cambodia
    885 Thailand
    888 Singapore
    890 India
    893 Vietnam
    899 Indonesia
    900 – 919 Austria
    930 – 939 Australia
    940 – 949 New Zealand
    950 Global Office
    955 Malaysia
    958 Macau
    977 Serial publications
    978 – 979 Bookland
    980 Refund receipts
    981 – 982 Common Currency Coupons 990 – 999 Coupons

    So just remember 000-019 and 030-039 and buy American!

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  4. 8:36~Great information. I will store this info.

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  5. Made in the USA by illegal Hispanic workers!

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  6. My husband was laid off along with all the other American workers from a mulch company in Pittsville. They kept all the illegal Mexicans and yes they are aware that they are illegal. Just because a product is stamped made in the USA doesn't mean it is being produced by American citizens!

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  7. Sorry this wont have any effect on the economy. 99.5% of people don't care and out of the remaining .5% only 1/100 will actually do anything like this.

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  8. 8:36 - This is great information - I will print out and carry with me when I go shopping. Thanks. Oh, and Virginia and New Jersey got it right yesterday and voted responsibly.

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  9. Joe,

    This is the smartest thing I have ever read on your blog. About time people wake up. Made in America means employing your neighbor. Next, we need to get smart about energy. Those solar panels I just installed were made in the USA! That 30% federal tax credit made them affordable. The guys who installed them were all Americans. Renewable solar energy-not from a desert in the middle east!

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  10. anon 8:36 is almost correct. "The first 3 digits of a barcode indicate which numbering organization has allocated the bank of numbers to the company. For example, a company may have its headquarters in South Africa. The EAN organization in South Africa has the code "600," but all the products of the company may be manufactured in England. The English-made products would still have the "600" prefix code." from snopes.com/business//politics/barcodes.asp

    Better to rely on reading the label to see where your product is made. Everyone who's ever seen a scary movie knows that shortcuts can get you in trouble!

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  11. I just checked my unopened box of Colgate it says made in the USA. I have had it a few months so maybe they changed or maybe it's the same as I have found when buying socks. The same brand will have some made in the USA and some are not. I still buy made in the USA when ever I can find it. They are getting tricky now. Some will say packaged in the USA but it was not made here. Check the labels on fresh produce also you will be shocked at how much is NOT grown in the USA

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  12. You are a racist, Mexophobic Canadian hater. Haven't you been listening to Nobel Obama's message. Stop being Patriotic and think Global. If you start buying American, Obama will have to go apologize to these nations.

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  13. Last time I checked Hershey made a good amount of chocolate right in Hershey, PA. This is one of those sensationalized chain mails, not everything in Lowe's is made in China and not everything in Ace is made in the USA, as this would lead you to believe... Tsk tsk tsk.

    When you buy something if you want it to be Made in the USA, check the label.

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  14. 11:16 a.m Let me add to your last comment. Irrigation water used for produce crops, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, etc. here in this country, has to be water sampled on a regular basis to be sure that the water is a safe, bacteria free source.

    Mexico and other countries produce is not required to do this and they use what is called "grey water". Grey water in our country is the water from a washing machine, shower, diswasher, kitchen sink, in other words, bacteria free water. Grey water in Mexico can and does include "used" water from the toliet facilties. So,..... Their irrigation water can & does have bacteria in it! Something to think about.

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  15. 1:39
    Thanks for the add on. I'm aware of what grey water is, anyone that owns a camper knows this but there are others that are not aware what it is so thanks for explaining it. We will see alot less produce now since they cut off the water to that town in California. I still can't believe they put an entire town out of work for a little damn fish.

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  16. I agree with the earlier comment and that is that "Made in the USA" means NOTHING if it is an illegal or barely legal producing it.All the local food processors,farms,produce companies,landscapers,all use ILLEGALS to do the job cheaper.I would rather support a Chinese guy trying to feed his family than a greedy American enteprenuer who hires only the cheapest labor he can find and turns his back on fellow Americans.

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