Child Labor Laws/Creating Jobs With Your Shopping Cart, Pt. 2

Minnie Bee's Rant:

     For the next few weeks leading up to the New Year, I will be writing about how we can keep existing jobs, and create new jobs in the USA by how we shop.  Replacing foreign-made products that we usually put in our shopping cart with products "Made in USA" will create a greater demand for "Made in USA" products, thereby causing the manufacturers of those products to hire more employees.  The rising popularity of American-made products will also cause companies who make their products elsewhere to consider making more products here.

    That being said, I could not post my blog this week without commenting on Newt Gingrich's idea that the United States government should do away with our child labor laws.  These laws were originally put into place in this country because without them, employers abused the rights of child laborers, who were children of the poor.  Child laborers were paid low wages; they were not given breaks; they were not given benefits; they worked long hours in sub-standard conditions. 

     In many cases, this is how workers in developing countries are being treated today.  It's the reason that American multi-national corporations outsource their jobs to these countries.  Doing away with child labor laws might allow some corporations to bring more jobs back home...but at what price?  So they can fill jobs with children, pay them minimum wage, and not worry about benefits?  Doing away with child labor laws would put poorer children at risk for not continuing their education and for being abused.  Doing away with these laws would also have a negative impact on adults who are looking for work. Why hire an adult at a decent living wage for eight hours a day and pay for benefits, when you can hire two children at minimum wage for 12 hours a day with no benefits?  Doing away with child labor laws would strike a strong blow against American values and the American economy.  This idea shows the disconnect between Newt Gingrich and the realities of life in today's American middle and working classes.

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

Check out our shopping list below and replace one, two, or three of the foreign-made products you usually buy with one, two, or three of 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 (ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, salsa, BBQ sauces & marinades)

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

Cooking Oil

·         *California Olive Ranch Olive Oil - Product of California, USA by California Olive Ranch, Inc., Oroville, CA

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

Dips

·         *Sabra Hummus -Product of USA by Sabra Dipping Co., LLC, White Plains, 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

Meals/Frozen Dinners

·         *Annie's Skillet Meals - Made in USA by Annie's, Inc., Napa, 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, Soup Stocks & Soup Cups

·         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

Storage Bags and Wraps

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

·         *up & up storage bags - Made in USA by Target Corp., Minneapolis, MN

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

* = new recommendation