Let’s start a brand, outsource it overseas to places where the laws are non-existent, and governments are corrupt. We can use slave labor to build our product and maximize our profit. Out of sight, out of mind, right? We’ll hire some athletes to represent us, talk about the struggle, do fancy moves with our stuff, and promote it. We will spend a ton of money on marketing and tell people that it can’t be done here. “It’s impossible to manufacture anything in the USA,” we’ll say. We’ve already moved the factories and the knowledge. It’s too late. It’s still American because we thought about it in America, or we do final assembly here, or we’re just a couple of guys in a garage that came up with this idea (copy). We keep hearing that we’re a declining nation.

Not the case whatsoever. These are deceptive practices by companies trying to hide their greed. It has been the roadmap of companies in the past 30 years: gutting America, physically taking the factories to overseas locations, giving all IP to host nations, paying CEOs millions, and making shareholders richer. That is not capitalism. There is no value being added to our society, and we are not spreading democracy. The taxes that would otherwise have been used for roads, schools, and building better infrastructure are not being paid. Income disparity is at its peak, with an entire generation lost to high home values and lack of upward mobility. This experiment has failed, and the few got incredibly wealthy, while entire states became rust belts. Crime rose, and poverty is the norm. Why don’t they reverse the process just like they did 30 years ago? Pack it up and bring it back.

Yes, bring it back, just like you moved it out. It’s possible to manufacture in the USA, and we’re doing it. We pay living wages, treat our workers with respect and honor them. We pay taxes that go right into our own community. What you don’t see is the burden of these missing funds is just passed back to us. We take less profit, and that’s OK. We need to be self-sufficient again as a country. It’s not about isolationism, it’s about being able to take care of your own people. It’s about having pride in this great experiment we call America. We might not be perfect, but we strive to be better. We believe in fairness, we believe in freedom of speech. Things that are not practiced in other places.

I’ve been told that it’s like the kettle calling the pot black. If you ride a bike made overseas, then you’re just as guilty, and the companies should take their product manufacturing to the lowest-cost place. Shark Tank was all about this. Our own greed is killing us. I disagree. We must make a difference and show, even at the smallest level, that we can decide not to buy these products when alternatives that have better quality and use higher standards are available. You will pay more, but that’s part of breaking the addiction. Not voicing concerns to these companies and continuing to support them will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Some may not see it, but this is a fight for survival. It’s a fight for our future generations and our way of life. Freedom changes in a heartbeat, and I’ve already witnessed it once. You may think it is what it is, but you still have a choice. The choice to vote with your wallet and support USA manufacturing.

Thank you for reading.

Ali