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It's Independence Day! What better time is there to do something to help your country by buying American-made goods?

MSNBC: One mom's challenge: Buy only "Made in USA" for one week

When Joey Fortman was challenged to buy only American-made products for a week, she thought it would be easy to embrace the red, white and blue. But she wasn’t prepared for the shades of gray.

Leo Gerard: Romney’s Independence Day Advice: Buy Foreign

Americans naturally think the patriotic choice would be to buy American. But for Romney, capitalism trumps patriotism. Romney goes where the money is. He made big bucks as CEO of Bain Capital by investing in a series of companies that specialized in shipping American jobs off shore. For him, it’s fine to kill an American job as long as he can make a buck on it.

Americans must decide then. Do they pledge allegiance to money-grubbing? Or do they pledge allegiance to the United States of America? If it’s the United States, then on this Independence Day, demonstrate patriotic pride by deliberately buying American. Search for that “Made in USA” label. Pick the product that will create American jobs, the one that is an investment in an American company and the American economy.

Bring Jobs Home

The AFL-CIO has kicked off a ‘Bring Jobs Home' Campaign to support legislative actions to bring jobs home, including the Bring Jobs Home Act (see below).

In the past decade, 50,000 manufacturing sites closed and 6 million American jobs were lost because of outsourcing. Today, the AFL-CIO union movement launches the first of several nationwide Bring Jobs Home events, with an action near Master Lock's flagship factory in Milwaukee, Wis., which has been producing the iconic padlocks since 1921.

Click here to find out more information about this campaign, resources, actions, reports as well as local events that you can participate in: Bring Jobs Home – America Wants to Work!

The outsourcing of jobs has spread from manufacturing to services and other sectors of the economy, devastating working families and their communities. Working together with our allies, the Bring Jobs Home: America Wants to Work Campaign will use pending legislation in Congress to raise the public dialogue to make outsourcing a key factor in the upcoming elections this fall.

We will expose corporations, especially those that are laying off workers, and forcing strikes and lockouts over this issue. Beginning the last week of June through the second week of July, join us in actions focused on holding elected officials and candidates accountable for where they stand on the Bring Jobs Home Act. We will also focus on corporations, financial institutions and specific plants in communities that have felt the impact of outsourcing of American jobs.

Also you can text JOBS to 235246 to get info and action alerts to help bring America's jobs home.

The Bring Jobs Home Act

The Bring Jobs Home Act is legislation introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in the Senate (S. 2884) and by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) in the House (H.R. 5542). The bills, if passed, will eliminate tax breaks that allow companies to deduct expenses associated with moving operations overseas, while still encouraging them to assist displaced workers. It also would provide a tax credits to corporations that bring jobs back to the United States.

Made In America

The AFL-CIO blog has been running a series on Made In America: (not necessarily in this order because I felt that beer should be given first priority):

Made in America: Beer

Made in America: July 4 Shopping List, Fire up the Grill, Union Style

Made in America: For Dogs and Cats,

For a lengthy list of union-made beers, visit the Union Plus website.

Made in America: The Steinway Piano

Made in America: You Won't Believe It—Google's Nexus Q,

When we set out to highlight American-made products, services and jobs this week, we never thought Google would be among companies making the list. Yet today’s New York Times reports that the tech giant is creating its latest hot item, the Nexus Q wireless home media player, in the United States.

Made in America: Take a Union-Made Vacation

See Also

"BuyAmerican.com seeks to promote American manufactured products and services through the use of social networking."

How Americans Can Buy American: Supporting American-Made Products and Services from American-Owned Companies

BuyAmericanMart - an online site dedicated to promoting American-made products.

BuyDirectUSA.com Directory and Shop - Find USA Made Products.

I Only Buy American!

And for the Romney-supporting, offshoring-promoting, fair and balanced counter-opinion, here is FOX News: Why 'Buy American' Is a Dumb Idea

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