I don’t know about you, but reading about 260 “displaced” factory workers in a time when unemployment is supposedly improving, really makes me mad. These are local folks who work hard for a wage that requires a second income if they want their kids to go to college – or simply to survive, if they head single-parent homes. As a country, America is a consumer nation, importing more goods than we export. What we export are services and technology. All very good things. But what the nation was founded on – hard work and tradition – is getting lost in the new economy.
The reason the mill workers mentioned above are facing layoffs is because of the cheap import of steel. Their employer has been lobbying against inequity for awhile, to remain nominal in cost and continue employing its workers. But it’s just plain less expensive to import so many products. In a time when the mill was lobbying to reduce imports of steel so they could remain competitive, the imports increased exponentially. Now we see men and women who were looking forward to retiring in five years, needing to find new jobs. We see a stalwart of the American industry closing down yet another factory. We see young kids who know the value of hard work entering the field only to exit again.
It’s a tough economy. And yes, United States Flag Stores does import some of their products. You can clearly see on the item description pages, the Country of Origin. It’s there for every flag so you know exactly what you are buying when you place your order. We carry some imported flags for those of you who may prefer something about them – the price, the material, your homeland (because America is the great Melting Pot!). And every customer is important; every customer is why we are in business; every customer has his or her own story. But if you do a search of all of our products, and plug in “America” for Country of Origin on our US Flag search page, you will see over 550 United States flags made right here in America – more than all other countries combined. We have thousands of US-made International flags site-wide, again far more than any other country of origin. Because we love our country. And we know you do, too. Thank you to all our loyal customers who support this American company by buying American flags.
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