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A Little ‘Buy American’ Goes a Long Way |
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Gee what a concept: When U.S. taxpayer money is spent on economic stimulus programs that channel the funds into U.S. jobs, America’s communities, workers and, yes, the nation benefit.
Case in point: a stimulus-funded bridge project in Hubbard County, Minn., whose construction is based on the “Buy America” provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. From the Alliance for American Manufacturing:
According to a Hubbard County engineer who is overseeing the project, domestically sourced inputs, including cement, plywood, and 55,000 pounds of reinforced steel, are being used because of the Buy America requirement.
Instead of using foreign inputs, which are less stimulative for job creation, domestic steel is being used to create 30-foot I-beams to support the bridge deck. Steel rebar is also used in the project. The local engineer also reports that the Buy America requirements are not burdensome and are not an impediment to the project. The project came in under budget with $600,000 allotted, but only $430,000 needed to complete the project. The bridge construction is moving quickly and is expected to be completed shortly.
Stimulus money spent on improving our nation’s infrastructure works. So does stimulus money spent for the “cash for clunkers” program. This from Adam Stein at Terrapass:
Let’s assume the new cars are driven nearly 20 percent more over the next 5 years, and that the average price of gasoline over the next five years is $3.50. Then we’re “only” saving 140 million gallons a year or roughly $500 million a year. The $3 billion program “pays for itself” in oil savings in 6 years. And most of that oil savings is money that would have left the country, so it is a (small) secondary stimulus.
The economic recovery package has created about 1.2 million jobs, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). More than $150 billion in stimulus money has been pumped into the economy so far, according to the White House, and the federal government is spending stimulus dollars slightly faster than originally expected, according to a government report issued Wednesday.
Plus, our taxpayer money is being monitored by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, with info online here.
So why’s the U.S. Chamber of Commerce against policies that help build America?
4 Comments
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While I can appreciate the value of investing in infrastructure and the benefit of the jobs they create, America is to great a nation to be protectionist.
We are now losing water treatment, infrastructure, and product sales to Canada. The Canadian provincial governments are retailiating against this “Buy America” provision pushed by the unions.
The unions are causing us good American jobs. Shameful!
Comment to GaryShapiro:
What’s so great about being laid off? The issue is FAIR trade and the realization has come to light, we need SOME manufacturing if our own nation is to remain healthy.
Of course the foreign and American owners of the factories in China and Mexico are going to squawk when anyone attempts to cut in on their racket, that’s quite understandable.
We had some Chinese made shoes that were being shipped recently and we found the invoice. They were being manufactured for fifty cents to five dollars a pair and were going to be resold in New York’s high fashion district for $250 to $500 a pair.
If you look at prices we haven’t really gained anything. A Maytag washer that was union made in Iowa or a Zenith TV that was made in Missouri or a Chevy Silverado that was made in Michigan with union labor isn’t one cent cheaper now that they are being produced in Mexico. All we did was lose our jobs.
Buying American, (when you can find it) does save jobs and keep American workers at work!
We have 5% of the population of the world and need exports to thrive. Exports create jobs. Blocking trade through Buy American is sheer insanity!
That’s exactly right! We need exports to create jobs. When we import virtually everything, there’s too great an imbalance. By buying American we can put pressure on our trading partners to create a system that’s more fair and equitable for everyone.
It’s a shame that Americans of wealth wouldn’t have enough patriotic pride they’d want to build a factory in their own town to benefit their community. Instead they drain a community until its dry and give nothing back. Everyone wants your paycheck today, but nobody wants to pay you.