A business section article in yesterday’s newspaper was decrying the trade deficit of the USA with China, Local businesses on front lines against trade deficit with China. The author suggest the way to reverse this economic nightmare was for US business to increase exports. With China this would be hard to do, for with their ‘controlled’ economy they can put high demands on American businesses wish to export to China.

Ironically one of the big promoters of the “Buy American” campaign in 70’s and 80’s was Sam Walton, the founder of the Wal-Mart chain, now the largest retailer in the world. Nowadays it is hard to found anything in Wal-Mart that was not ‘Made in China.’ Wal-Mart became the world leader of importing items from China. The “Buy American” is all but forgotten. China can make products for Wal-Mart that are cheaper than American made products because of cheap labor and cheap products, not exact, precise or quality as most American products. Using American tax breaks and welfare system with cheap products from China the documentary on Wal-Mart is now called “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”. Americans want low prices although they end up paying more in the long run.

Wal-Mart is not the only violated of this “Buy American” campaign. It is hard to buy almost anything that was not ‘Made in China.’ Even in a grocery store, where quality of food products is important I need to read the label to make sure it is not ‘Made in China.”

Some years ago I remember being a part of campaign of encouraging people to not buy ‘Made in China’. But now I, as others, have given up and try to personally practice that, although it is hard, especially in area of electronics. Even my American “Apple I Phone” was mostly made in China.

As the newspaper article points out “China accumulates the dollars but doesn’t spend them on an equal amount of imported goods from the U.S. Often it spends them on U.S. Treasury securities, which the U.S. government issues on a daily basis to fund itself. The Chinese who buy those bonds effectively are lending money to the U.S., enabling Washington to spend more than it collects in taxes — and putting Washington in debt to Beijing in the process.” So the cycle worsens, the more we buy from China the more in debt we become to China.

If we could only find a way to revive the ‘Buy American’ campaign we would reduce imports and reduces our trade deficits. My experience is that “Trade Agreements” we have with many countries, like China, do not really benefit the working people of either country but the rich of each country. China now is the leader millionaire maker country in the world.

So next time you purchase that jar of peaches or pair of socks take a look at the label first and make sure it does not say “Made in China”. Not buying “Made in China, will be helping the American economy to reduce imports and debt.

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