Publisher’s Letter: Buy American
By Patrick Wood
Publisher, Multimedia Channels
Dear Reader,
Why buy American? We consciously look for a better price in most any- thing we buy. Historically this has led our country to forfeit much of our manufacturing base to lower wage countries on the Pacific Rim, such as China and Indonesia.
Companies moved their operations overseas to save money. We rewarded them for this choice by spending billions on foreign-made products, putting many US manufacturers out of business. Another harmful effect: Much of our technology and intellectual property has been stolen by unscrupulous operators, often supported by their government, which turns a blind eye to the theft of intellectual property.
The consumer faces a dilemma: Pay less to buy products made overseas, or pay more to buy US-made products. I think we should try to buy American at every opportunity to do so. This strengthens our manufacturing base, which in turn adds to our nation’s prosperity.
