Not one day goes by that I am not THANKFUL/GRATEFUL to live is this country. I really encourage all of you to support your small businesses. They make up 65% of ALL jobs in America. Yeah it might be convienent to pull up to a Walmart,get everything you need "under one roof". But isn't there somewhere else, that sells that?  PLEASE!!  We need your support more now than ever! Your local hareware store for some nuts. A small grocery store for that milk. That way your aren't feeding CORPRATE America. You are feeding AMERICA. That would be US!
Thank you!
Jenifer

I do agree with ya yamamama... Having worked in the US auto industry I have first hand experience. There is a song by Jame McMurtry called "We can't Make it here Anymore." I urge everyone to listen to it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbWRfBZY-ng#

I did. Sad and true!

Thanks Yamamama, for reminding us of who we are and where all that we have comes from, the small busines world. I live in a small town in the west central mountains of Idaho where there are no big chain stores! The only franchise stores are Les Schwab Tires, Rite Aid, Sub Way, Napa Auto Parts, Radio Shack and two Idaho based grocery stores. People that live here buy local and support the small, home grown businesses. We may have to go to the big city now-and-then, but that has become a way of life. The economy struggles because we are a service community for summer and winter recreation. Some would call it back-woods, isolated, boring. We call it "Paradise" (McCall, ID).

"I will not be forced to learn a foreign language to accomodate illegals in MY country!"

I was on camp crew on the Chicken Complex in Warren Idaho(12 year round residents) for 39 days!. That fire burned 102,000 acres. Spent a week in McCall after that! I call it Paradise also! Went back to Warren two years after the fire and picked corral and morrell mushrooms for DAYS!!! Elk and Morrell mushroom meatballs, morrells and ANYTHING! I tie flies and love to fly fish up there! Ever watch the movie "Pieces of Eight"? It is about the Gold Rush there in Warren. One of my most favorite movies. About Polly Bemis's life. (The Bemis Wilderness) Hope to get back up there again before my time is up! Would love to do it on my bike!

Yamamama being a small business myself it seems the big fish will eat the little fish everytime. I'm a member in good standking with the BBB and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, ...I try to attend as many small business meeting as I can with the Chamber. Hey will the Government bail out us little fish???????

Keep Kicking

The Night Dragon

We wrote Obama and asked where our bail out was( in business with my little sister)! Surprise, never got a response! LOL

I shop at the local ACE hardware whenever possible. Back when I worked for myself fulltime I went to Walmart and then Lowe's one day when ACE was closed and I had a person picking up their aircraft sooner than expected. I needed a multiplug for an extension chord so we could put multiple lights inside the fuselage to work. There were several different variants on the shelf at both places. All were made in China at the Walmart. I wanted American made. At Lowe's, all variants but one was made in China. One was made in the Phillipines. I bought the Philipine variant thinking at least it wasn't Chinese. We make very little here anymore unless it can be made in such a manner that produces huge profit margins.
My wife has been a Nail Technician for 18 years. Over the last 6 years she's struggled to make it work because of the competition from chain Nail Shops that do inferior work, and charge much less, as you leave the checkout at walmart and such places. She has a few dedicated customers who appreciate her work and the fact that she converses with them in English and not from behind a sterile mask. Occaisionally she gets people in that want her services for special occaisions because they cannot get that kind of craftsmanship from the chain type nail techs with their dremels and surgical masks. You should see their faces when they hear it will take a full hour to correct their nails and put on a new set and hand sculpt the contour and paint or airbrush the desired design, AND it will cost more than $25 dollars.
The problem is not the cheap alternatives to American Made Products. The problem is the "gotta have it now for nothing" mentality of the spoiled masses of young Americans who have never had to fight for their quality of life, let alone their life itself, and are quite happy with the plastic "Made in R.O.C.", "enough to get-by" status of everything in their life. I want an AMERICAN made multiplug and CAN"T EVEN FIND ONE!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing can grow into a monopoly without people willing to by their product.....

Way to go! It takes a few more minutes while shopping, but it is worth it to look at the label!

You go Babe(DEFCON)!!!!! One would think that people would prefer "AMERICAN" nails. Some do,....some go for the Cheapo/Quickie route.....not realizing that the finished product is what matters and American hands profit.
I know that my craftsmanship is far better.

My husband and I learned that is really difficult to entice people to shop local if it means even paying one dollar extra for local service with a smile. We finally gave up and closed our shipping business a year ago September because there was no way to compete with UPS and FedEx Kinkos. People traveled farther to save paying a little more. No one thinks about keeping your neighbor in business so they in return can spend their money keeping some other local business in the black. It is short sightedness that we are beginning to pay for right now!

As a Small Family owned Shop I find it hard to keep my bills paid sometimes but when my customers need something and come to us with a problem we always come thru for them and Thats What Its About Cause
WE ARE AMERICANS

When I worked for the Government I was a Quality Assurance Rep (the customer) at Lockheed Martin Fort Worth. In the early years of the F-16 contract quite a bit was made and assembled in house, and Lockheed would purchase big ticket items like the engine, radar, electronics, fire control....etc. from suppliers. Then the word that started it all was "outsource". Lockheed started buying parts, that use to be made in house, from outside suppliers cheaper. Some of the wire harnesses were made in Mexico, and we had hell with them at first. Bottom line here the Big Industries of America (aerospace, auto, electronics...etc) know they can get cheaper parts from other countries. Money saved means more money in the pockets of CEO's of these industries. Problem is they gave up quality for the money saved. Like DEFCON said American industries have this we want it NOW screw the quality we are behind on delivery mentality.
Just think about this.....the same suppliers making low bidder get's the contract for Military buys is the same supplier making parts for the commercial aircraft industry. Just think about that your next trip over the ocean to Hawaii.
I'm sure in this site community there will be someone that would like to challenge my statements I just made. I would say to them.....I haven't even spilled the beans on the good stuff.
OK I'm getting off this soap box now

The Night Dragon

same all over ,not just in america .

As I mentioned earlier, we absolutely must support our local, homegrown, local businesses and to do that we have to say no to the chains and franchises that squeeze out those who make the back bone of what is still American. I remember when the Canadian government estimated what road signs, food packaging, and other product info would cost to be produced in English and French (for Quebec). I do not remember any such discussion at the public level about the cost for Spanish in this country. It just has happened! Why? Because we have allowed it to happen without publicizing how such changes would effect the small business community. Enough of my soap-box. I will always support local businesses and want to see the day when, again, I do not have to 'press 1 for English'.

amen rdcnslr!

    Even Serving in the Army that pisses me off.  I dont care if you can speak English and dont good for you but im talking about the ones that dont even try to learn it.  

Why the hell should I have to press 1 for ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!