American Made
Outside of Christ, Its the only way for us to fix a broken nation.
Much has been said over the years about globalization and how it has decimated American manufacturing and while I do agree that globalization has wreck our manufacturing base I don’t agree that businesses and politicians are completely to blame. Here’s why…
Every nation has something that forms its identity and its that identity that rallies people together. Unfortunately, our industries have gone to third world nations and to our enemies and our national identity has been wrecked here in the US… but that is a topic for another time.
Germany used to be a warring group of nations, until it became unified in 1871, then it decided that they would direct their efforts at becoming known for engineering, precision manufacturing, and craftsmanship. British industry started the industrial revolution and became known for high quality hand made craftsmanship. Japanese industry is concerned with building the best that they can through the goal of reaching some level of perfection. Russia became known for propaganda, psychological warfare, disinformation, death, and building stuff that is crude and cheap, but kinda gets the job done at the cost of the people who built it. China is known for the same things as Russia as well as stealing everyone’s technology and industry and then building and selling garbage. I don’t care much for Russia or China…
That brings the discussion to the good ole’ US of A. Our industries are based on making money. No more. No less. President Calvin Coolidge is quoted as saying, “After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world”. This is how our mentality goes in the business world and in American culture. It’s also been said that “Americans know the price of everything, but they don’t know the cost”. We shop on price, which is part of the American mentality and certainly not on principle or national identity. It’s become all about the Benjamins…
In the past, once American industry made processes and products more cheaply, profitable, and efficiently than the rest of the world. This collapsed competition in the world markets and the US became the builder and owner of those processes and products. American industry is above all tuned for efficiency and profitability, it’s just what we do, and this requires the fine tuning of existing processes and not making drastic changes to the process or creating new processes and products until it is absolutely necessary.
Then World War 2 happened and the US industrial base exploded and produced staggering amounts of literally everything. After the war, the US was the only industrialized nation still standing and the world had no choice but to buy our stuff. This was a boon for the American economy but was also the beginning of the demise of American manufacturing. Germany, Britain, Russia, and Japan all had to rebuild their industrial base while ours keep humming along with the thinking that anything would change. We minimally modified existing processes and built new industrial infrastructure using time tested and proven technologies while everyone else rebuilt with the latest and greatest technology, except the Russians. Ultimately, this caught up with us as other nations were able to start producing new things as cheaply or cheaper as the US. They innovated and we stagnated. The world market then flooded our market with goods that were cheaper than what could be produced domestically.
Once this started happening, American businesses started looking at reduced profits when sourcing stuff domestically and started shopping where the economics made more cents. If it was cheaper to equip a shop with a Taiwanese or Japanese made CNC machine tool than it was to spend more money on a higher quality American or German made machine tool, then the business went with the cheaper option. The American machine tool industry failed to innovate, even though CNC equipment was developed in the US, and the industry eventually collapsed. Business is only interested in one thing; making money. Once industry is no longer as profitable as it once was, it’s closed down and the money was invested where it can grow. This is the Wall Street game where money is the only thing that matters. Business can’t be about anything else unless it is so incredibly profitable that they can afford to spend capitol on things that aren’t focused on profits or growth. Apple and Google are good examples of this. American businesses and consumers will typically buy something based on price alone. That’s why we have Wal-marts and Dollar Generals everywhere. Even when people can afford higher priced products, they often won’t spend more than they have too, even if the higher priced one is the one they want. Americans will buy something of cheap quality multiple times instead of initially spending more for higher quality that will last.
Businesses had to do what businesses had to do and so they moved production overseas in order to be able to stay in business. This made products even cheaper, of even lower quality, even more uniform, and much more boring. Politicians and corporate lobbyists made it almost impossible for the little guy to compete and that drove small manufacturing businesses out of business and left us with companies that are beholden to foreign nations, politicians, and stock holders and not to local community or the nation as a whole. There is a big part of this that is economic warfare and has been done by design from our enemies, primarily China, by appealing to American corporate greed and power, but that is a discussion for another time. National policy and political division also caused its share of issues with the demise of our industrial base. Just a side note here: every major city in this nation had a large base of manufacturing at one timer, it is what made the city grow because manufacturing is the only industry that actually adds value and worth to pretty much anything. Once the manufacturing left, the cities started to have an increase in crime rates and went into massive decline. This decline allowed for the increase of Marxist/Liberal/Democrat policies that further drove businesses out of town and now all that remains in the large cities are primarily the large tech, financial, and banking corporations who can afford the politics. Don’t think that republicans are any better, its just that they aren’t in charge of the large cities. Republican and Democrat policies are what created the “free trade’ agreements that expanded globalism and sold our base off to the rest of the world. Both parties are responsible.
Now… The politicians and business world certainly has it’s share of the blame in this but so does the American consumer. Business will supply what the market wants and the market has demanded cheap, disposable, and boring goods that are marketed and purchased based on emotion and not on utility, principle, or value. We know the price, but we don’t know the cost. We as Americans have settled for cheap and it is what we were given in abundance. We have landfills full of cheap imported junk that never should’ve been bought in the first place. We have settled for “good enough”. Good enough that scratches an emotional itch but doesn’t truly matter.
So what can be done to correct this? Well… I’m glad you asked. American manufacturers and creators are some of the best in the world. American made products, and there are far more out there than most of us realize, just have a quality feel to them. There is just something different when you hold a product that is created here in the US. From the design of the product to the packaging, American made just feels better and is most often far better than what is produced elsewhere. Lots of people understand this and want that quality. Thankfully, there is an incredible amount of potential in this market for those who are brave enough to step out of their comfort zone and create something different and unique and who are willing to put their work out for the nation to see and judge. And believe me… it is a very uncomfortable feeling when you first start doing that. There are many people that are tired of supporting companies that hate the US and what this country stood for. There are many people that want to spend their hard earned money with people who share the same values and principles. Americans want people that care about what they do and they want to support those people. All it takes is for those of us with the ability to create to step out, take a chance, and create that unique and special thing and then let that community know about your awesome thing that you just built. If the thing you created sucks then that is ok. Create something else until you find your niche. Wash, rinse, repeat…
But what if you aren’t the creative type or don’t have the ability to start a business? It’s really simple. Check out local arts and crafts festivals and farmers markets. That is a great way to support local businesses and the local creators and it gets us out into the community where we actually get to do this old thing known as “talking to other people”. It builds community and a strong community doesn’t need politicians and others that seek to divide us. We should support local crafters and businesses first and then larger businesses. As Americans, we traditionally took care of one another If that isn’t an option, then check out the Made in the USA stores. There are several online and there are many that are actual brick an mortar stores. If you shop online, many companies that sell higher end wares will have a search function on their website where you can browse through products that they carry which are made in the USA. A google search will provide tons of options and businesses for you to consider.
Now… I know it’s unrealistic to buy everything Made in the USA. Not everything is made here and not everyone can afford to buy the highest quality, I get it. I’m in the same situation. I have to shop at wal-mart, even though I hate them as a business, but even those stores carry products that are American made and all it takes is for you to look at the label to see where whatever you’re buying is made. It maybe a little more expensive, but it will support the industrial base in this nation and all it takes is a commitment on our part to look before we buy and decide to spend the little extra. If all you can do is buy an American made bar of soap from a company who’s values align with yours, then by purchasing it, you’ve done all that you can do and you’ve supported a creator.
One important thing that I want to mention is that it is more importanter to know who you are buying from. Not every American company believes in what you believe in. Liberty Safes is a good example of what I’m talking about here. They are an American gun safe manufacturer whose corporate ownership donates to anti-gun politicians and causes. This is no coincidence. Taking money from a group of people that you despise and then funding the policies that will hurt them is some Marxist/Sun Tzu kind of bull sh*t. Large corporations with a political agenda will purposely loose money on one venture and manipulate the consumer just so that they can support the political cause that they are after. Walmart is notorious for this. They will lower prices and lose money at a store just to drive the competition out of business and then raise their prices after the local mom and pop store is gone. Buying from a local company and from a small business will help to grow the people who care about what they are doing while keeping your money from those who are against what you believe in. Ultimately, its the biggest way to get to those folks where it matters to them, in the wallet…
We need more creators. We need people that can create, build, repair, and design everything. There is no lack of opportunity in the American market, you just have to step out, be willing to work, and have realistic goals and expectations. You may have heard mention of the “parallel economy” and that is what this means. Supporting people who’s values align with yours, not perfectly, but close enough to share enough common ground in order to build a community. This is not going to be a simple or quick process; it has taken us a long time to get to where we are but we have to start now. If all you can do is make soap and candles, then make soap and candles but do so in a way that is unique and different. There are lots of soap and candle makers, but the ones that are different are the ones that stand out and are the ones that sell more and grow. It is all a process and it all takes time to figure out what will work best, but you/I have to start somewhere. Maybe all you can do is write blog posts on substack… Start with what you can do.
If you don’t have the ability to make things then you can choose to support those that do. If you go to an arts and crafts festival and buy a bar of soap or a candle, then you have done more good than you can know. Support those who are working to build something awesome, principled, and unique and let the boring and common fall by the wayside. We don’t need common and boring where we are going, we need people who care, people who can solve problems, and people who stand on principle. Though it may not seem like it, it is critical to rebuilding the nation’s identity and will have national security implications in the future. The people that don’t care for us loose a lot of power when we don’t have to rely on them. Americans making things and rebuilding our culture is more important than most folks realize and we can get a start by growing and supporting each other. In reality, its the only way to make the changes that we need. Growing and supporting each other is our future. Globalism is in decline and will ultimately collapse and we will need to be able to build, create, and repair stuff for ourselves.
Well that’s it for now. Thank you for following along. I really appreciate those who read my musings. If you liked this post then please like, comment, subscribe, and/or share. Part of my goal for starting Trinity Forge was to not only build stuff but to share my thoughts and ideas with the goal of hopefully inspiring others to start building, creating, and selling; especially if I can get younger people to start building at a younger age and especially especially if I can get people out of the soul crushing corporate grind and start building something meaningful. As always, I hope that you have a blessed day.
Fair winds and following seas,
Nate
This is how we work. Someone shared your site and I read this piece while exploring it.
A few years ago I wrote a post on my predecessor site talking about starting in my little corner, inspired by driving by the marker denoting the southwest corner of Delaware on a daily basis.
We talk about changing a nation and a world, but it has to start through actions we take. I try and use my writing talents in the manner of creating good soil by removing the rocks and thorns (like the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.) But we can also help out by supporting local farmers and artisans where we can, as pointed out here.
Once we get the corners, we can work outward.
The company I work for bought some equipment from Chinese manufacturer. I was sent to inspect the product before shipment. Talk about soul crushing. I came home with a real appreciation for made in America.