There Oughta Be A Law ;0 (TOBAL)

On my way into work this morning, my attention was grabbed by a local TV station's airing of a US Citizenship swearing in ceremony. I watched as each and every new citizen was introduced, walked up to a greeting line of ceremony officials - and before returning to their seats - were given a small (roughly 8" x 5") USA / American Stick Flag as part of the celebration. That (squirrel ;) got me to thinking, hmmmmm…where do all those flags come from ? I did a bit of due diligence research and discovered, with some disappointment - but no surprise, that about 90% of the world’s flags are made in China. And nope, 'American' flags are not the exception.

So I decided to see if one could purchase these cute lil ol USofA flags from a manufacturer IN the USofA - and how much more would they cost ? Well, not wanting to make a doctoral thesis out of this project, I went straight to Amazon.com and typed in ' USA Mini Flags made in USA' (try it if you don't believe me or want to see for yourself ;) and VOILA - a hit !!! Mini-USA flags, actually 'Made in USA, Sold by Vets' available in a 60-pack for ~$25 - yeah, hurray for the USA !!! Their sales page states: "Perfect for Parades, Scout Troops, Returning Servicemen". Um, but what's the catch ? How much more are these cute lil ol stars n stripes / red, white and blue flags ?

On the very same page, a 'similar' pack of 50 could be had for a mere $16. Funny thing is, the 'imported' el cheapo flags have a much more (imo) appealing and broad sweeping enticement to buy their 'import': "HORNER OUR COUNTRY - July 4th, Memorial Day, Welcome Party for returning serviceman and veteran, Funerals, Grave Markers, etc. PATRIOTIC DECORATIONS - Put them in your mugs or wave with your hands and it will instantly create a patriotic vibe." - sounds more like the typical 'Merican consumer - right ???

So, ~$0.42 / per 'USA-made' flag - or save a few pennies and opt for the $0.32 / per 'import' flag ? Well, the 'first cost' economic impact of that decision would be an additional $9.67 / per 100 flags - or a whopping $96.67 / per 1,000 flags. But hey - as some of you might have realized by now - first cost is only PART of the overall cost. What about the 'trickle down' economics ? The job creation and retention factors ? The local economy impacts for the manufacturer ? The sales revenue / profits that are reputedly 'Sold by Vets' ? And the money that stays within the community, rather than being shipped overseas ? Well, again, this isn't a doctoral thesis - just a squirrel hunt by a concerned citizen of the USofA - and a vocal advocate for buying 'American Made' and locally grown / produced products ;) I can't acurately state what the total 'life-cycle-cost' comparison is between the $25 60-pack of 'Made in the USA' flags is versus the $16 50-pack of 'imported' flags. But IMO (& we all know how valuable that is - at least how valuable each of our opinions is to each of US ;), an additional $0.10 per flag for the 'Made in USA' version is absolutely worth every penny !!!

Personally, if was an event for which I was responsible, there's NO WAY I would even consider buying an imported product to represent a 'Patriotic' event - that would be unforgivably embarrassing !!! That would be just like the last presidential election where some jackalope wearing a 'MAGA' hat was espousing (okay - too many sylabols), ranting about how proud he is to 'be an American for America First !' I asked him if I could see his 'cool hat' - he acqueseed (sorry), handed it to me, I looked inside at the label - and guess what ??? 'MADE IN CHINA' was right there on the inside tag ! I thought 'WTH ? this guy is politicing and going on and on about 'Make America Great Again' - and he's wearing and passing out (sorry - trading for a policial donation) hats MADE IN FREAKIN' CHINA ???

SERIOUSLY ??? Well, my fellow Americans, this gets us to the title of my posting "There Oughta Be A Law ;0 (TOBAL)". Yes, there REALLY oughta be a law either prohibiting imported 'American' products - or requiring any products that represent America to be MADE IN THE USA. Does ANYONE know OR care that there is presidential legislation making today (May 1st) 'Loyalty Day' ??? I'm NOT making this up - check it out:

The holiday was first observed in 1921, during the First Red Scare. It was originally called "Americanization Day," and it was intended to replace the May 1 ("May Day") celebration of the International Workers' Day, which commemorates the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. During the Second Red Scare, it was recognized by the U.S. Congress on April 27, 1955, and made an official reoccurring holiday on July 18, 1958 (Public Law 85-529). President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed May 1, 1955, the first observance of Loyalty Day. In 1958, Eisenhower urged Congress to move Child Health Day to the First Monday in October, to avoid conflicting with Loyalty Day. Loyalty Day has been recognized with an official proclamation every year by every president since its inception as a legal holiday in 1958.

So, how about in honor of Loyalty Day - we all go to our legislators and demand that any products that represent America MUST BE MADE IN THE USA ! IMO (oops, sorry again), TOBAL that also requires any products that represent a state or locality in the USofA be either made in that state or locality, or at the very least, that those products also must be made in the USA...

What do you think - or would you rather be observing today, May 1st, as 'National Bubble Tea Day" ? Seriously, I am NOT making this stuff up !!! Check it out for yourself ;0