Buy American!

Buy American!

I have no issue with the idea that when we purchase goods made in America, we help our country. More jobs with better wages can result if we buy goods made in America.

My issue is how we achieve our goal of buying American made goods. Taxing imports is not the path to take. Instead, we need laws that require businesses to pay livable wages and adhere to our environmental standards and employee safety laws regardless of where the work on items is done.

If companies know that it will cost almost as much to pay foreign workers or foreign companies as it would to hire American employees, millions of jobs would not be shipped to foreign countries. US companies remaining in other countries will force local companies to raise wages because they will be competing with American companies for workers. 

Fewer people will leave their home countries for better lives in America when they can earn a livable wage at home. More people in the USA and around the world will be able to afford American products.

Instead of companies being solely focused on their market price, they will become focused on higher quality goods, their relationships with customers and employees. The employees that generate the wealth of a company deserve a fair share of the profits.