Made in the USA

Haha! And Microbrews and Marlboros!

Seriously, I was surprised at the 75% figure. I wonder if that is in Dollars or unit items. I thought it would be lower than 75%

"Today, U.S. manufacturers provide about 75% of the products that Americans consume," the study says. "But that number could soar to 95% within a few years if business and government leaders take the right actions. Conversely, if the sector remains neglected, that output could fall by half, meeting less than 40% of U.S. demand."

Oops, messed that up.

I am a buyer for an instrument manufacturer and most of my suppliers are still American. I like the quality and I like being able to inspect their operations. But compared with 20 years ago, so many of my suppliers have automated and have many fewer people actually building parts, or with machined parts, can pay the people less because the computer does so much more.

FTC Explains ‘Made in USA’ Standard
To Confirm Consumer Confidence
In the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
news reports suggest that more American consumers are seeking out products that are “Made
in the USA” with the expectation that the claim is truthful and accurate.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “Made in USA” means that “all or
virtually all” the product was, indeed, made in America. The agency enforces the standard to
ensure commercial compliance and confirm consumer confidence.
For a “Made in USA” claim to be accurate, all significant parts, processing and labor
that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. Products should not contain any — or only
negligible — foreign content.
According to FTC officials, there’s no law that requires manufacturers and marketers of
most products to disclose U.S. content. In fact, except for automobiles and textile and wool
products, it’s a manufacturer or advertiser’s choice to say whether a product is domestic. But
those who choose to make the claim must adhere to the “all or virtually all” standard.
While the FTC enforces the “Made in USA” standard, it’s the U.S. Customs Service that
oversees the requirements that imported goods be marked with a foreign country of origin (for
example, “Made in Japan”).
If you believe that a product is being erroneously promoted as “Made in USA” because it
wasn’t — or because it contains significant foreign parts or processing — call the FTC. The
FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in
the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To
file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit [url=http://www.ftc.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]www.ftc.gov[/url] or call tollfree,
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet,
telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a
secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies
in the U.S. and abroad.
If you are aware of import or export fraud, call the U.S. Customs Service Commercial
Fraud Hotline, 1-800-ITS-FAKE.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSUMER
1-877-FTC-HELP [url=http://www.ftc.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]www.ftc.gov[/url]
October