One thing you can be sure of, our USA Olympic Team is true blue. That is red, white, and blue under sheep's clothing. Breaking news: their opening ceremony uniforms are made in China with a French beret on top. Could these uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren have been made in the US? Of course they could. The last I remember, we have an entire section of New York City known as the garment district that could have and should have created their uniforms, the shame of it all.
According to the designer the outfits embody "the spirit of American athleticism and sportsmanship" and this is not the first time that Ralph Lauren has snubbed the American label in the Olympics. The same thing happened in 2008. I guess short memories prevail.
Made in China doesn't embody the American spirit, or does it?
More importantly, it makes me wonder why anyone associated with the US Olympic Team thought it remotely appropriate to offshore our uniforms that contain our trademark. Wear American made or nothing at all.
How about a concerted effort to buy American if you can?
But, speaking of games, "olly, olly, oxen free", come out from hiding if you can! It's more of a sad Olympic sized game of "hunt and seek" but you come up empty handed. Find the hidden object folks and good luck to you.
My proud Midwestern-rooted family has been on a search for American made products. We go into stores, any stores, with cash in hand ready to purchase items manufactured by our own. Let me tell you, it doesn't take much money, and you certainly won't go broke shopping. Why? Because there is a real scarcity American made products, period. And companies don't get much revenue on the American made dime. Higher wages prevail. Try it; it makes a critical point.
It's a priceless experience to walk into stores and tell them that you want to buy their products but only something made in America. Generally, they say, "No problem, right over here, or there." But the products don't exist. Sales associates scoff at the question, "You aren't serious, are you?" No, I am dead serious. But we end up keeping our wads of cash in our wallets because there just aren't many products to purchase.
Diane Sawyer of ABC News had the right idea. She challenged Americans to find American-made products that they can recommend to all of us to buy in support of our country. We can revisit the mom and pop shops, small businesses that are struggling.
In this year of political punditry, this is not about Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. This has become about the all American USA Olympic Team not supporting the American made label. This did not happen overnight folks, it evolved from a World friendly "group hug" point of view. Tacit approval and purchases only support the lack of US manufacturing.
We wonder where American manufacturing went. We wonder about the high rate of unemployment and we wonder where our hard earned dollars go. There is no need to look any farther than your local and national stores.
We need to take a page from our fore fathers. When our country was experiencing the Industrial Revolution when manufacturing was king, we protected our products by creating tariffs on imported goods. We protected jobs by putting a stamp on our products for all to realize the necessity of supporting our own growth of economy. And it worked.
It's nothing new that American companies struggle to pay the high wages that our own workers command. We pay pensions, benefits, and other entitlements that are ever increasing the cost of employment. Regulatory agencies are regulating and taxes are taxing. Let's face it; labor is cheaper off shore.
Take a look at here. You won't see any Olympic uniforms there.
but be prepared for sticker shock. It is part of the reality that we call globalization. Don't forget, they can manufacture and produce goods far cheaper than we.
We are becoming a post-industrial nation when countries that manufacture and export their products to the U.S.A. are thriving and growing on their newly found capitalism, largely on our dime.
Will I cheer for the USA Team in Chinese clothing? Of course I will but it makes a cynical statement about the future of manufacturing in the USA. But, Americans, it's time to take the reins and call in our own financial cavalry. We are losing this competition.
Let the Olympians wear the traditional Olympic costumes or nothing at all, same difference.