Holiday Shopping Is Here - But Who Are YOU Buying From?

www.madeinusaforever.com

Hey everyone

I know, right?  Two blog posts in two weeks?  I haven't blogged this much all year, it seems... but hey, I've got a couple of minutes before I have to be at my next appointment, and what am I going to do... eat lunch?  Ha!!

So, my dad occasionally forwards me emails.  Yeah... he's turned into that guy.  Now, don't get me wrong - I don't get 50 emails per day with cute photos of dogs and "funny" videos and such (well, not 50...) Honestly, he's pretty selective about what he forwards around.  He's been on the receiving end of those email barrages, and he doesn't want to clog anyone's inbox with things they don't care about. 

He sent one recently that I think all of us ought to care about, though.  I didn't write it, so don't ding me for the language or spelling errors... but the sentiment is right-on-target in my book.  Oh, I may have added a couple links of my own into the text...

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods  - merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.




My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet atyour hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion
groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in
your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations,
and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Ok, so I don't know that this is a "NEW" American tradition... in point of fact, Trish and I have always tried to buy American (and buy LOCAL) when it comes time to give a gift.  It's not easy - go into any Target, Wal-Mart, or other "Big-Box" store and you'll spend an hour searching the shelves to find an American-Made product... and make no mistake, when you do find one it'll probably be a little more expensive.  That extra money you spend buying a Cuisinart instead of a Sunbeam, however, is going to factory workers in this country - not factory workers in places like China or Taiwan.

I was glad to see that the emailer suggested supporting your local arts groups when thinking about giving LOCAL gifts.  When he forwarded this message, Dad made sure to mention that giving the gift of locally-produced films is another good idea - and you know, I couldn't agree more.  There are over twenty Oregon-Produced films in my Oregon Film and TV Market Amazon store, and several more locally-produced films available through other retail outlets. Giving your friends and family members a DVD this Christmas puts money in the pockets of people working in Oregon's film and TV industry, and allows them to produce that next feature and hire even more of your friends and neighbors for it.

One last note - You can still buy American when you shop online.  www.MadeInUSAForever.com has over 29,000 American-made products (many produced by small businesses around the country) that are ready to ship out anywhere in the country. 

Look, guys, it's the "season of giving." We want to make the holiday season bright for our friends and family, but we also feel a little more prone to help those who haven't been as successful or fortunate this year.  In some cases that means bringing cans of food to the food bank or dropping a couple coins in the Bell Ringer's kettle... but this year, you have the chance to keep someone employed - and maybe even create a few more jobs once the receipts are tallied.  It's certainly worth taking a couple extra minutes to think about where the product you're purchasing was made, and checking to see if there's a domestically - or locally - produced alternative.

Hope you're all doing well...

-Harold

A Real Stand-Up Guy

Hey guys, I want to introduce you to someone. Meet my state representative for the 48th district of Oregon, a guy named Mike Schaufler
.

Mike's been my Rep for about seven years. I'm ashamed to admit that, until recently, I didn't really know that. Like most people, I knew the President's name, Oregon's Governor and Portland's Mayor. Like (sadly) fewer people, I also knew my Senators names. My State Senator and Representative, though? Eh... not so much.

You might remember that back in March I and a group of people from Oregon's film industry went to our state capitol in Salem and lobbied for the passage for Senate Bill 621 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 863. Mike was good enough to meet with me (on short notice) and talk about the bills. I could tell from our first meeting that he was a "regular Joe," a working man in a suit. He got the positive economic impact that the bills would bring to the sate, but he also got the political realities of the economic crisis the state was facing. We had his support on the bill, but he didn't whitewash things - he let me know that it'd be an uphill battle to get it passed.

Fast-forward to late June of this year... the session was winding down, and SB 621's future was in Jeopardy. Trish and I joined the dynamic Leanne Littrell and Lana Veenker as they were shuttling back and forth to Salem to lobby for SB 621's passage. Mike was on the front lines of that fight - he and I had several conversations in between votes about the bill, and he was instrumental in gaining the support that eventually got the bill passed.

Mike gets it. He's a regular guy who understands people who work hard for their daily dollar. He also knows that the best way to help working people at the bottom of the ladder is to help THEM, and not the people at the top of the ladder. Sit down with Mike, and you won't get a patrician attitude or the idea that he thinks he knows more than you do - he's the type of guy you might run into at your local diner, or out at your local supermarket.

This effort to pass SB 621 was a real wake-up call to me... if you've read the blog much in the past, you know that I keep an eye on politics. Those politics have always been on the national level, though... and this was a reminder that "all politics are local." Get to know your State Rep's and Senators - they really want to hear from you on the issues, and it's a great way to play a part in shaping the decisions that get made on a local level.

And if you're one of my neighbors in Happy Valley, get to know Mike. He's the type of guy you want on your side.

-Harold