Human Events Magazine
December 2002
With the holiday season approaching, discriminating consumers who prefer to buy American products – from clothing to food to beverages – can offer friends and relatives a unique gift: the second edition of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism by Roger Simmermaker (Rivercross Publishing, Inc.).
Simmermaker has come up with a guidebook that lists brand-name companies in two general categories – foreign and American owned. The foreign-based companies are further listed by national origin.
In nearly every sector of the economy, Simmermaker offers a comprehensive list of products, goods or services that are by either foreign subsidiaries or American companies.
Other chapters explore trade statistics, problems with foreign investment, the new economy, and what the author says are myths about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. While many free-trade conservatives will take issue with some of Simmermaker’s claims, they still will find much of the book informative.
The author covers the distinction American owned and American made and foreign owned and foreign made. He explains why consumers should think twice before buying an American brand-name item that was made in China.