What some Americans are saying about buying American, the result of not buying American and the current state of the economy in America.
Growing up the son of an artificial Christmas tree manufacturer, I would help sell the artificial Christmas trees in my father’s retail showroom in my hometown in New Jersey. We would attract visitors from all over the United States. We were quite popular in the late eighties and early nineties. I was the sysop for the company’s BBS run from the company headquarters in New Jersey. The BBS would cover many different topics including information about products my family sold in their New Jersey Christmas store. Believe it or not there was online shopping back then. However, people were so intrigued by the thought of “physically” visiting a “Christmas store” that many dedicated their weekends to visiting New Jersey. They would spend time at our family business after finding us by dialing into our company BBS. They came from all over the United States to see us. It was really nice. We made lots of friends, some who I still talk to today.
We were in a small town in New Jersey, sandwiched between Staten Island and Jersey City. Most of the folks who came into the store were blue-collar workers. When they would visit, they would immediately ask to see the Christmas tree showroom to see all the beautiful artificial Christmas trees that were decked out with Christmas lights and decorations. With the showroom looking spectacular each year, they would always comment about how wonderful it was to know that our trees were “made in America”. Some people displayed their enthusiasm more ardently than others, but many expressed their patriotism and pride for our country when seeing our company’s American made products. Some of the flag-waving rhetoric included phrases like:
“Save America – Buy American and let’s keep jobs in America“
“Help America – Hire Americans“
“If more people bought American, there would be more jobs available in America. Isn’t that the problem?”
Well there is obviously some truth to the aforementioned grandiosity that echoed off the walls of that showroom. It always struck me to wonder why, when those same visitors when leaving our Christmas tree showroom, exited the parking lot in their Mercedes, Audis, Toyotas and a host of other internationally made cars. I remember one guy who sued our small company because as one of our staff members was tying down his trunk after loading a premium quality American made Christmas tree into his Lexus, he scratched the fender. He certainly did have a reason to be mad.
Anyway, were these people hypocrites? Perhaps acting out a persona that better put their conscious at ease? I don’t know. Many of those customers who came to the Christmas store, no longer work for the same companies they once worked for back then. I see them now and then. Those were companies who made products in America too.
Well now, it’s three years later and there is no longer a tree-making factory in New Jersey. There is no more Christmas store either. There is however, American pride if you know where to look for it.
Bill O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs are two guys who scrutinize both the Pin Heads and The Patriots. 
Tags: america, bbs, bill o'reilly, business, Christmas, christmas decorations, christmas store, economy, layoffs, lou dobbs, made in the usa, manufacturing, u.s.a, United States
