Contrary to the statements made recently in letters published in The Public Speaking, I believe that the majority of Americans prefer to purchase products that are made in America and are willing to pay more for them.

However, our Washington lawmakers have decided that the United States will have a free market. Manufacturers, rather than lose that business, establish manufacturing facilities in a cheap-labor country or contract a foreign manufacturer to produce the item. The foreign product is shipped into the United States with little or no tariff requirements.

Some of our leaders stated that our purchases of foreign products far exceeded our exports, and that was due to the strong appetite of United States consumers for foreign products. How can that be? The U.S. consumer had no voice in this decision. However, let us be open-minded. Maybe we are reluctant to pay a higher price for a U.S.-manufactured product. For example, we want to buy a piece of clothing, a small electrical appliance, I need a wallet, and my wife wants a new purse. We have thoroughly searched and discovered that all are foreign made. It’s not a case of paying a little more. There is no U.S. product available. We give up and purchase the products we need, realizing that most come from one Asian country.

We almost forgot, we do need a new wireless phone, with no doubt in our mind that the telephone will be U.S.-made. Wrong again. Out of approximately 10 brands on the shelves, one was made in Mexico and the rest in China.

A.J. Keckeissen

West End