ABC News series on Made in America deserves a lot of praise.

For many years I have studied product labels trying to avoid buying something Made in China. To me, Made in China meant Made in Communist China and I wanted nothing to do with supporting that. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than finding a product I need that was Made in America but that task became so difficult that I began to settle for products made in countries that were, at least, friendly to America, albeit those that didn't rely on child labor sweat shops. My wife has been the proud owner of a few Coach leather purses that were made in New York City, then that company label moved to China. Years ago I was the proud owner of a down parka made by the original Eddie Bauer company in Seattle, Washington. This company made and patented the expedition outerwear used by the team that climbed Mt. Everest. Then after Eddie Bauer retired in 1968 the company was sold and resold to several firms until just the brand name existed and most of the products were Made in China. The first color television I owned was made by the Andrea Radio Corp. in New York City. I bought that television in a department store on Long Island and 40 years later I still own the gorgeous wood cabinet, also made by Andrea in their Long Island City factory.  Andrea Radio Corporation was originally founded by Frank A.D. Andrea Sr. in 1934 and was a leader in radio production in the 1940s. The Company was know for the "Cadillac of televisions" in the 1950s and flew into space providing the astronaut audio system for the Mercury spacecraft in the early 1960s. 

Now, ABC News World News with Diane Sawyer has produced a series on Made in America that has highlighted their challenge to find a household of goods manufactured right here in America. I cannot begin to thank them enough for undertaking this effort. I urge everyone who shares this admiration for the Made in America label to visit the ABC News web site and check out the interactive map showing the locations of all of the companies they found.

Made in America

As part of our new series "Made in America," "World News with Diane Sawyer" took on the challenge of trying to fill three rooms in a home entirely with 100 percent American-made products. Economists say that if every one of us spent an extra $3.33 on U.S.-made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000 new jobs in this country. So we emptied out the living room, kitchen and bedroom of this Dallas home, and then filled it back up with American-made products. Take a virtual tour of the results and click on the red diamonds to see items up close and learn more about the products and companies that could be creating jobs right in your backyard. The prices of American-made goods vary widely. This is just one example of how you could furnish a home with American-goods. Click here to learn about companies that fit any budget and are manufacturing some, if not all, of their products in America.

The one point that the ABC News program has not addressed yet is the explanation about why our domestic department stores don't carry any products Made in America to sit along side all of the imported goods. It almost seems there is a conspiracy to deny their customers the choice about what they can buy. If they are afraid that some people would object to the higher prices for an American-made product then they are listening to the wrong advise because, I for one, would gladly pay a little extra if I could find what I wanted that was made at home by Americans.

It is still possible to find stuff Made in America by searching under that label on Google. Type in Made in America or Made in USA and there are dozens of places to visit. One of my favorite places is the web site MadeinUSAforever.com that carries a wide assortment of merchandise.