Americans need to start reading the label

Regarding Darrell Igelmund’s Feb. 4 letter, thanks for your insight as a 25-year-veteran of U.S. manufacturing [“Apple’s workers,” Opinion].

Thankfully, some foreign manufactures have built U.S. factories, thus keeping some money here and creating jobs here. Most, sadly, haven’t.

With the approximately 4-to-1 ratio of goods from China to U.S. versus U.S. to China, there is no “balance of trade.”American consumers need to read the label and start caring about American jobs, and not looking only at the cheapest price.

As long as we only seek out the lowest price (and most times get the lowest quality), we are sending the message to companies that we support having everything made overseas and we don’t care about American jobs or the quality of what we purchase. It’s no wonder China has excess money to loan the U.S. government —it is getting most of the retail money we spend.

I suggest that we all read the labels on the goods in our department, apparel, hardware and other stores. I think most people would be shocked at the huge percentage of products now “Made in China” and other overseas countries. Tell your retailer you want to see their “Made in USA” version of that product you want. (They probably don’t carry any.)

Please read the labels. Please buy “Made in USA,” if you can’t find a “Made in USA” version of what you are seeking — maybe you can live without it. Eventually the companies that have sent their manufacturing jobs overseas will get your message. Eventually we may have quality products and American manufacturing jobs (and all the related material-supplier jobs) once again.

— Paul Brenna, Issaquah