Creating Jobs With Your Shopping Cart

Minnie Bee's Rant:    

     Supply side economics, for the most part, does not work.  Unless you're building a hot new sports complex, debuting a hot new celebrity, or designing the next new technological wonder, e.g., the iPhone, just because you build it doesn't mean they will come -  or buy it. 

     Demand however, works every time.  If demand for a product increases, then the manufacturer of that product responds by making more.  It is through demand for 'Made in USA" goods and products that you and I have the power to create jobs in the USA.

     How can we be American jobs creators?  We can create American jobs by demanding "Made in USA" goods and products.  We demand these goods and products by carefully choosing what we buy - reading labels and buying 'Made in USA products. 

      I ask you to take a minute to consider this when you are shopping for the Thanksgiving holiday this week:  If you replace just one or two foreign-made  products that you would normally buy with "Made in USA" or "Product of USA" or "Baked in USA" or "Cooked in USA," or "Packed in USA" products, you are helping to create demand for that product.  Demand for "Made in USA" products helps to maintain USA jobs; increased demand helps to create new USA jobs.  If we all replace one or two foreign-made products that we usually buy with "Made in USA" products, then we increase demand and become American jobs creators.

     To help you with your Thanksgiving holiday shopping for "Made in USA" goods and products, I am re-listing the "Made in USA" food and cooking products I have recommended this year, along with a few new ones.  We wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.   We'll be taking the holiday weekend off, and will return in two weeks with a new post.
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We create and keep U.S. jobs when we demand, promote, and buy Made in USA goods and products.

While you're doing your Thanksgiving Day shopping, please consider buying these products.  As always, check labels before buying, and feel free to post your own research to this blog. Remember, "distributed by" or "manufactured by" does not mean that it was made here, regardless of the company address. It must state that it was made in or a product of the USA!

This week's recommended products:

Beverages

·         Inko's 100% Natural White Iced Tea - Made in USA by Inko's White Iced Tea, New York, NY

Candy

       ·         Necco Wafers, Clark Bars, Mighty Malt Malted Milk Balls, Mary Janes, Canada Mints, Valentine Conversation Hearts and other candy products - Made in USA by New England Confectionery Co. (NECCO), Revere, MA

·         AmeriCandy - Made in USA by AmeriCandy Co., Inc., Louisville, KY

·         Bissinger's Candy - Made in USA by Bissinger's, St. Louis, MO

·         Hammond's Candies - Made in USA by Hammond's Candy Factory, Denver, CO

·         See's Candies - Made in USA by See's Candy Shops, Inc., Carson, CA

·         Stewart Candy - Made in USA by Stewart Candy Co., Waycross, GA

·         Sweet's Candy - Made in USA by Sweet Candy Co., Salt Lake City, UT

·         Wolfgang Candy - Made in USA by Wolfgang Candy Co., Inc., York, PA

·         Red Vines - Product of USA by American Licorice Co., Union City, CA

·         Mike & Ike, Hot Tamales - Made in USA by Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem, PA

Canned Vegetables

      ·         Margaret Holmes canned vegetables - Product of USA by McCall Farms, Effingham, SC

·         Del Monte canned vegetables (check labels!) - Packed fresh in USA by Del Monte Foods, San Francisco, CA

Cereal (Hot)

     ·         Safeway Instant Oatmeal - Made in USA by Safeway, Inc., Pleasanton, CA

·         Maypo Maple Oatmeal and Wheatena hot cereal - Made in USA by Homestat Farm, Ltd., Dublin, CA

·         Old Wessex Creamy Oat Bran, Irish-Style Oatmeal, and 5-Grain Cereal - Made in USA by Old Wessex, Inc., Providence, RI

·         Nature's Path Hot Oatmeal - Made in USA by Nature's Path Foods, Inc., Blaine, WA

Cereal Bars

      ·         Eating Right Oats & Peanut Butter Bars - Product of USA by Lucerne Foods, Pleasanton, CA

·         Safeway Variety Pack Chewy Granola Bars, Safeway Chewy Pretzel Bars - Product of USA by Lucerne Foods, Pleasanton, CA

·         Eviro Kidz Bars - Product of USA by Nature's Path Foods, Blaine, WA

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

·         Nature's Path Granola Bars - Product of USA by Nature's Path Foods, Blaine, WA

Cheese

·         Sargento's cheese - Product of USA - by Sargento Foods, Inc., Plymouth, WI

Coffee

·         New England Coffee - Made in USA by New England Tea and Coffee Co., Inc., Malden, MA

Condiments

·         Original Juan mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, salsa – Made in USA by Original Juan Specialty Foods, Kansas City, KS

Crackers

·         Pepperidge Farm (all crackers and crisps) - Made in USA by Pepperidge Farms, Inc., Norwalk, CT

·         Westminster Crackers - Made in USA by Westminster Cracker Co., Rutland, VT  

·         Ry-Krisp Crackers - Made in USA by Bremner Food Group, Princeton, KY

·         Breton crackers (all except Vinta and Breton Minis) - Made in USA by Dare Foods USA, Spartanburg, SC

·         Streit's matzo -  Product of USA by Aron Streit, Inc., New York, NY

 Dried Fruit

     ·         Craisins - Made in the USA by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., Lakeville-Middleboro, MA

Fruits and Vegetables

     ·         Fruits and vegetables that are "Product of USA," including "locally grown" fruits and vegetables (as they come into season.)

Fruit and Vegetable Wash

     ·         All Natural Veggie Wash Fruit and Vegetable Wash - Made in USA by Beaumont Products, Inc., Kennesaw, GA

Leftover Baggies and Wraps

·         Glad Press'n Seal - Made in USA by The Glad Products Co., Oakland, CA

Paper Products

·         Vanity Fair Premium Napkins -  Made in USA by Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, LP, Atlanta, GA

·         up & up paper plates, bowls - Made in USA by Target Corp, Minneapolis, MN

Power Bars

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

·         Kind and Kind Plus Fruit and Nut Bars - Product of Kind Healthy Snacks,

New York, NY

Snacks

·         popchips - Made in USA by popchips, San Francisco, CA

·         Pretzel Crisps - Made in USA by Snack Factory, Princeton, NJ

·         Goldfish, Baked Naturals, cracker chips - Baked in USA by Pepperidge Farm, Inc., Norwalk, CN

·         Stacy's Pita Chips - Made in USA by Stacy's Pita Chips, Dallas, TX

Soups

·         Nature's Promise "Naturals" soup - Product of USA by Foodhold USA, LLC, Landover, MD

·         Campbell's Chunky, Select Harvest, and Condensed soups (canned and microwaveable) - Cooked in USA by Campbell's Soup Co., Camden, NJ

·         Maruchan Ramen, Instant Lunch, and Yakisoba soups - Made in USA by Maruchan, Inc., Irvine, CA

·         Shore Lunch soup mix - Made in USA by Sportsman Recipes, Inc., Rome, GA

·         Kitchen Basics Vegetable, Chicken, Seafood, and Beef cooking stock - Product of USA by Kitchen Basics, Brecksville, OH

·         Streit's Matzo Ball and Soup mix, and Egg Drop soup mix - Product of USA by Aron Streit, Inc., New York, NY

·         Manischewitz Ball Soup, and Matzo Balls in Broth (canned in glass jars), and Matzo Ball and Soup mix - Product of USA by The Manischewitz Co., Secaucus, NJ

·         Annie Chun's soup bowls - Product of USA by Annie Chun, Inc., San Rafael, CA

·         Eating Right soup cups - Product of USA by Lucerne Foods, Inc., Pleasanton, CA

·         Dr. McDougall's soup cups - Product of USA by Dr. McDougall's Right Foods, San Francisco, CA

·         Safeway soup mix - Product of USA by Safeway, Inc., Pleasanton, CA

Syrup

·         locally-made syrups - Made in USA by farms in VT, NY and PA

·         Archer Farms Pure Maple Syrup - Product of USA and Canada by Target Brands, Inc., Minneapolis, MN

·         Wegman's Organic Maple Syrup - Product of USA and Canada by Wegman's Food Markets, Inc., Rochester, NY

Toaster Pastries

·         Nature's Path Toaster Pastries - Product of USA by Nature's Path Foods, Inc., Blaine, WA

·         Pantry Essentials Toaster Pastries - Product of USA by Lucerne Foods, Inc., Pleasanton, CA

Jobs For Vets

Minnie Bee's Rant:

     On the eve of Veterans Day, the Senate unanimously (95 - 0) passed a fragment of the American Jobs Act to put our unemployed military veterans back to work, and give training and employment counseling to returning veterans.  The House is expected to pass the bill this week.  More politics as usual?  Probably.  Senators were able to go home for the Veterans Day holiday telling their constituents that they passed legislation to put vets back to work.  Good for them.

     Now that a small portion of the American Jobs Act will soon be signed into law, will more of the AJA soon follow?  Don't hold your breath. Now that Veterans Day is over until next year, look for politics as usual in Washington.   In the meantime,  keep letting your congressional representatives know that you want the entire American Jobs Act passed.  Don't let up the pressure...occupy congressional email and phone lines.  We can prevail.
    

     We should prevail...so why don't we?  I could write more about this, but not now, because I'm just too frustrated and tired after busting my buns to get a really good, local candidate elected.  He didn't win.  Why?  Because (a) only 25% of the total registered voters showed up to vote, and (b) the opposition ran a third-party candidate at the last minute who had no platform, no issues, and no positions, but got 10% of the vote anyway.  A "spoiler" in political terms.

     So don't complain about the economy, taxes, or anything else if you don't pay attention and you don't show up.  We have the power to make our representatives do what we want to get the American Jobs Act passed, and anything else we want  to get our economy going.  We have the power. ***********************

We create, maintain and support U.S. jobs when we demand, promote and buy "Made in USA"
goods and products.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I'll be researching products you might be purchasing to go along with that turkey or ham.  Here are some results on "Made in USA" canned vegetables.  As always, check labels before buying, and feel free to post your own research to this blog.  Remember, "distributed by" or "manufactured by" does not mean that it was made here, regardless of the company address.  It must state that it was made in or a product of the USA!

This week's recommended products:

·         Margaret Holmes canned vegetables - Product of USA by McCall Farms, Effingham, SC

·         Del Monte canned vegetables (check labels!) - Packed fresh in USA by Del Monte Foods, San Francisco, CA

Blog Sources:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/senate-passes-bill-to-help-jobless-veterans/article_5b030587-f389-506a-8d99-50691e7a8828.html

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/10/news/economy/unemployed_veterans/

GOTV

Minnie Bee's Rant:

     If you've worked on a political campaign, then you know that G-O-T-V means "Get Out The Vote."  This Tuesday, November 8th, three states - Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia - are holding local legislative elections.  A fourth state, Louisiana, will hold legislative elections on November 19th.  These elections, because they are local, are projected to attract much lower voter turnout than national elections - as low as 20% of registered voters.  With this post, I am making an effort to "Get Out The Vote." 

      Why bother to vote?  Because voting in elections is one of the primary ways that shifting the balance of power can be accomplished.   Whether you are very rich or very poor, a Ph.D. or a high school dropout, well-connected or not connected, live in a mansion or one room, own your own company or are unemployed, you have one vote.  In local elections, your vote counts even more than in national elections because local issues affect your daily life much more than national issues do.  Local elections directly impact your community, your schools and libraries, your police and fire departments, your local economy, the value of your home, and your local taxes.  Moreover, in a local election, your  vote doesn't get formulated through an electoral college.  Voting in a local election is truly "one person, one vote."  It is truly shifting the balance.

     Two weeks ago, I wrote that shifting the balance is the primary message of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.   By voting, the 99% of us who have less of the money and less of the power can shift the balance.   By voting, we empower ourselves both as individuals and as a group.  By voting, we are greater than the 1%; we have the power. 

     Therefore, if you live in one of those three states - Mississippi, New Jersey, or Virginia - holding elections this Tuesday, November 8th, or in Louisiana, holding an election on November 19th, find out who your candidates are and what their backgrounds are; inform yourself on the local issues and where the candidates stand on those issues; look at the voting records of those candidates who are seeking re-election; find out where you vote and then vote on Election Day.  By exercising your right to vote, you put democracy into action, you make a difference; you empower yourself; you help to shift the balance; you determine your future and the future of your community; you are a patriot.  Vote!

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We create, maintain and support U.S. jobs when we demand, promote and buy "Made in USA" goods and products.

Whether you're deciding who to vote for, or working for a particular party or candidate, if you crave a snack, support U.S. jobs by having one that's "Made in USA" like the ones recommended below.  As always, check labels before buying, and feel free to post your own research to this blog.  Remember, "distributed by" or "manufactured by" does not mean that it was made here, regardless of the company address.  It must state that it was made in or a product of the USA!

 This week's recommended products:

·         popchips - Made in USA by popchips, San Francisco, CA

·         Pretzel Crisps - Made in USA by Snack Factory, Princeton, NJ

·         Goldfish - Baked in USA by Pepperidge Farm, Inc., Norwalk, CN

·         Stacy's Pita Chips - Made in USA by Stacy's Pita Chips, Dallas, TX