Buying American

While technology continues to advance, it is apparent the world will become even flatter. To remain competitive in many markets, the author of The World is Flat has deemed it necessary to outsource. How can the parts needed for production be made the cheapest, fastest, and most effective? When parts of a product are made someplace other than the United States, does that mean the entire product is no longer American? What if a company has its headquarters in the United States, does that make it American?

Many people in the United States and other countries want to support their economy. They would like jobs to remain on their soil; however, globalization is making it more difficult. Buying American-made products is becoming more blurred.

One industry I thought was quite definitive was the automobile industry. I thought it was easy to tell which automobiles where made in America: Ford and GM. However, after reading the USA Today article, “How do you tell which car is American” it is obvious that there are some discrepancies.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-03-22-american-usat_N.htm?POE=click-refer

The article counts parts made in Canada as American parts, but not pieces made in Mexico. They both border the United States. Why does one count, but not the other? Furthermore, Canada and Mexico are part of North America, but I do not consider them part of the United States. I never knew I had to be concerned about where specific parts of a product came from; I used the brand name to judge American-made products. I now know that if I truly want to buy a product made in America, I must judge more than their brand name!