USA buy USA: FAA - A Long, Long Way To Run

Oscar Hammerstein II was not referring to the FAA, but to a note on the musical scale in his lyrics for the Sound of Music song, "Do-Ra-Mi," but he might as well have been talking about the FAA. After the antics of Congress this past week, the FAA does have a "long, long way to run."

After finally coming up with a weak debt ceiling deal, Congress adjourned for a five-week summer recess without extending funding for the FAA, causing the furlough of 4,000 FAA employees, increasing potential safety issues, impacting approximately 70,000 additional contract jobs and their associated suppliers and other local businesses, and resulting in the loss of about 1 billion dollars to the federal government in uncollected airline taxes.

Why? Because some of them, namely conservative Republicans, are more concerned about their own agenda: namely, destroying unions, starting with the unions for public employees, and doing away with federal subsidies to airlines for maintaining service to and from certain regional airports in the Essential Air Service (EAS) program - targeted airports located primarily in areas represented by Democrats. In other words, funding for the FAA, just like raising the debt ceiling, has been politicized with no concern for consequences to our country. All this caused by people who are supposedly looking out for the USA, and who say they're concerned about saving and creating U.S. jobs and reducing the federal deficit.

Subsequently, the President and Congressional leaders were able to get a quick, basic agreement signed to temporarily extend funding for the FAA until Congress reconvenes, meaning we'll have to relive this issue, plus more cost-cutting "negotiations" in the very near future.

What can citizens like you and me do? Two big things: (1) Educate ourselves about candidates for public office - even those who are running for local office (local elections not only impact us locally, but also launch political careers) - what they say and do, what they believe or don't believe, and who contributes to their campaigns, and vote in every election for the candidates who we believe are the most motivated by a desire to serve, have good ideas and ideals, are qualified to do the job, and will get positive results, and (2) support American businesses who create and maintain jobs in the USA by using the services and buying the goods and products of those businesses and promoting those businesses to your family and friends. In these two ways, we as individuals can effect change for the good of our country.
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We create and keep U.S. jobs when we demand, promote, and buy Made in USA goods and products.

Ed. Note: Last week, I recommended Made in USA cereal bars. Two that I omitted:

· Annie's Organic Granola Bars - Product of USA by Annie's, Berkeley, CA

            (http://www.annies.com)
      ·         Nature's Path Granola Bars - Product of USA by Nature's Path Foods, Blaine, WA
            ( http://www.naturespath.com/)

Like to eat a "power" bar before or after your run, walk, or workout? Here are some recommended "Made in USA" power/nutrition bars, and some not recommended, outsourced ones made by so-called "American" companies. Please feel free to post your own research to this blog!

This week's recommended products:

· Eating Right Nutrition Bar - Product of USA by Lucerne Foods, Inc.,

Pleasanton, CA

           ( http://www.lucernefoods.com/)

      ·         Kind and Kind Plus Fruit and Nut Bars - Product of Kind Healthy Snacks,
            New York, NY
           (http://www.kindsnacks.com/)

NOT Recommended (made elsewhere):\

· Clif