Buy American
PatriotAmy
03-25-2009, 12:51 PM
If you know anyone (especially anyone that lives in Michigan) in the market for a vehicle, please pass this on to them and encourage them to Buy American!!
I am writing this because I am saddened by the current state of the economy in Michigan and the future we are leaving for our children here. I am also upset with the number of people ignoring the fall of the U.S. auto industry and only pointing blame for the actions they are being forced to take – as if its collapse doesn’t affect them. Well, I have news for you. If you live around here, it does affect you!! We’ve had family and friends lose their jobs recently – almost everyone has. If we wake up, there is a chance to save our future here.
Top Reasons to Buy an American Car Today:
1. Our History
The southeastern Michigan region has depended on the auto industry as its central hub for over 100 years. It has provided our area with countless opportunities for growth and prosperity over many generations. It also was critical in defining the middle class for our country. Without the auto industry, this area has little to depend on. 7 of the top 10 businesses in Michigan are auto-related. In 2000, one out of every three people in the state of Michigan had a job dependent on the auto industry. By 2007, that number was down to one in four. The number must be far worse today. Let’s respect the hard work of our families and buy the products of the companies that gave us the lives we have here in Michigan.
2. Our Future
The population of the United States has increased over 7% since 2000. The population of Michigan has only risen 1.3% in that same time frame – and has actually decreased the past two years. The people and jobs are fleeing and we need to think about the future generations when we are making decisions. If our children are lucky enough to find jobs here, will they even want to stay? They should be given the same opportunities we were – we cannot ignore the future generations. This is a beautiful area and we are letting it crumble. Home values are down 40% in the metro Detroit suburbs and 80% in the city itself. The average home in Detroit sold for $7500 in December, 2008. With numbers like these already upon us, what does the future hold?
3. Quality and Fuel Economy
The U.S. automakers make great products! My husband and I have driven only American cars for the past 16 years. Among them are a Dodge Neon (80,000 miles), Jeep Cherokee (140,000 miles) and a Ford Escort (100,000 miles). When we sold all of them, they were still running great. We currently drive a Chrysler Pacifica and a Dodge Grand Caravan. We have been proud of our vehicles and have found them to be very dependable and have very high quality. The foreign automakers have halos. They are believed to produce superior vehicles with higher quality and better fuel economy. This may have been the case at a point in time (15-20 years ago), but review the data yourself. The gap has closed. Compare the quality of head-to-head competitors at the following location (note the brand with the highest dependability – measured for 3 years in service reliability – is Buick!):
http://www.jdpower.com/autos
Fuel economy numbers are also available for head-to-head competitors at:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
The data is out there. You can review specifications, test drives and more. And, if a ½ star rating deficit does exist, just think about the thousands of dollars less you’re paying for an American car. You may site that your foreign car has a higher resale value. This is only because the demand for your car is higher (more people buy them). Note that this is a very selfish, short-sighted view. You are overpaying in the first place, shipping the profits to Japan, and losing far more money in the equity of your home and other investments in the US while you get your couple thousand dollars back in resale value. Wouldn’t it have been better to support America in the first place and avoid this scenario?
4. Jobs
One of the most obvious and visible impacts of the fall of the auto industry is employment. The job loss in Michigan is staggering:
· Assembly and parts manufacturing accounted for nearly 7 percent of total Michigan payroll jobs in 2000, but was down to near 4 percent in 2008.
· About a THIRD of the state's employment was concentrated in the motor vehicle sector eight years ago, but that dropped to 26.5 percent in 2007 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
· Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing in 2000 accounted for $35.8 billion of the state's gross domestic product in current dollars—about 10.6 percent. It dropped to around 6.8 percent (or $25.4 billion) in 2005, the most recent year available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
· Michigan has had nine consecutive years of increased unemployment, the longest stretch on record. The January 2009 unemployment rate in Michigan was 11.6% (the highest in the country). The city of Detroit currently has an unemployment rate of 22%. You can research a ton of economic information about Michigan at the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth website (it includes historical data and forecasts, that you can customize with specific parameters):
http://www.milmi.org/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=94
· Michigan has lost about half its lucrative auto sector jobs that paid an average $72,505 salary in 2006. A small portion of the loss has been made up with education and health services jobs, but those paid an average of only $38,543.
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 -- 97,800
2001 -- 92,500
2002 -- 85,600
2003 -- 78,800
2004 -- 74,100
2005 -- 67,600
2006 -- 60,400
2007 -- 57,800
2008 -- 47,800
Jan 2009 -- 26,700
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 --227,000
2001 -- 203,000
2002 -- 191,700
2003 -- 177,800
2004 -- 169,800
2005 -- 158,700
2006 -- 146,400
2007 -- 130,400
2008 -- 111,100
Jan 2009 -- 80,100
TOTAL Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 -- 898,400
2001 -- 823,100
2002 -- 763,500
2003 -- 719,700
2004 -- 700,700
2005 -- 680,000
2006 -- 650,800
2007 -- 620,100
2008 -- 575,300
Jan 2009 -- 484,300
These 400,000 lost jobs are striking – Michigan’s population is 10 million.
5. What really is American?
Some people claim that a foreign automaker car that is built in the U.S. is more “American” than a U.S. automaker car built in Canada/Mexico. This is definitely not the case. The final assembly location of a vehicle is a small part of the entire process of designing and building it. Let’s look at Honda, for example. Its headquarters is in Japan – with the bulk of its workforce (designing, engineering, testing, part manufacturing, etc.) as well. All of the Japanese automakers combined employ 100,000 Americans. There are 5 MILLION autoworkers in Japan. That’s a whopping 2% of their workforce located here. Toyota sells twice as many cars in the US as they do back in Japan. Honda sells four times as many here as they do in Japan. However, the profits of every car sale go to Japan. The small number of people employed at an assembly plant in the U.S. barely put a dent in their finances – and they were given huge tax breaks to bring their products here in the first place. What is American is to support a company and people that are your neighbors – supporting America the most you can.
6. Pride
Whatever happened to American pride? Shouldn’t we stand behind our country and buy its products because they’re great? If we aren’t looking out for the U.S., I guarantee you no one else is. Please buy American and proudly drive American!!!!
We need to realize that we are becoming a nation of CONSUMERS, that don’t PRODUCE anything. How long can an economy survive like that? We are making selfish, short-sighted, ignorant decisions as a country – and it needs to stop!!!
I am writing this because I am saddened by the current state of the economy in Michigan and the future we are leaving for our children here. I am also upset with the number of people ignoring the fall of the U.S. auto industry and only pointing blame for the actions they are being forced to take – as if its collapse doesn’t affect them. Well, I have news for you. If you live around here, it does affect you!! We’ve had family and friends lose their jobs recently – almost everyone has. If we wake up, there is a chance to save our future here.
Top Reasons to Buy an American Car Today:
1. Our History
The southeastern Michigan region has depended on the auto industry as its central hub for over 100 years. It has provided our area with countless opportunities for growth and prosperity over many generations. It also was critical in defining the middle class for our country. Without the auto industry, this area has little to depend on. 7 of the top 10 businesses in Michigan are auto-related. In 2000, one out of every three people in the state of Michigan had a job dependent on the auto industry. By 2007, that number was down to one in four. The number must be far worse today. Let’s respect the hard work of our families and buy the products of the companies that gave us the lives we have here in Michigan.
2. Our Future
The population of the United States has increased over 7% since 2000. The population of Michigan has only risen 1.3% in that same time frame – and has actually decreased the past two years. The people and jobs are fleeing and we need to think about the future generations when we are making decisions. If our children are lucky enough to find jobs here, will they even want to stay? They should be given the same opportunities we were – we cannot ignore the future generations. This is a beautiful area and we are letting it crumble. Home values are down 40% in the metro Detroit suburbs and 80% in the city itself. The average home in Detroit sold for $7500 in December, 2008. With numbers like these already upon us, what does the future hold?
3. Quality and Fuel Economy
The U.S. automakers make great products! My husband and I have driven only American cars for the past 16 years. Among them are a Dodge Neon (80,000 miles), Jeep Cherokee (140,000 miles) and a Ford Escort (100,000 miles). When we sold all of them, they were still running great. We currently drive a Chrysler Pacifica and a Dodge Grand Caravan. We have been proud of our vehicles and have found them to be very dependable and have very high quality. The foreign automakers have halos. They are believed to produce superior vehicles with higher quality and better fuel economy. This may have been the case at a point in time (15-20 years ago), but review the data yourself. The gap has closed. Compare the quality of head-to-head competitors at the following location (note the brand with the highest dependability – measured for 3 years in service reliability – is Buick!):
http://www.jdpower.com/autos
Fuel economy numbers are also available for head-to-head competitors at:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
The data is out there. You can review specifications, test drives and more. And, if a ½ star rating deficit does exist, just think about the thousands of dollars less you’re paying for an American car. You may site that your foreign car has a higher resale value. This is only because the demand for your car is higher (more people buy them). Note that this is a very selfish, short-sighted view. You are overpaying in the first place, shipping the profits to Japan, and losing far more money in the equity of your home and other investments in the US while you get your couple thousand dollars back in resale value. Wouldn’t it have been better to support America in the first place and avoid this scenario?
4. Jobs
One of the most obvious and visible impacts of the fall of the auto industry is employment. The job loss in Michigan is staggering:
· Assembly and parts manufacturing accounted for nearly 7 percent of total Michigan payroll jobs in 2000, but was down to near 4 percent in 2008.
· About a THIRD of the state's employment was concentrated in the motor vehicle sector eight years ago, but that dropped to 26.5 percent in 2007 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
· Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing in 2000 accounted for $35.8 billion of the state's gross domestic product in current dollars—about 10.6 percent. It dropped to around 6.8 percent (or $25.4 billion) in 2005, the most recent year available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
· Michigan has had nine consecutive years of increased unemployment, the longest stretch on record. The January 2009 unemployment rate in Michigan was 11.6% (the highest in the country). The city of Detroit currently has an unemployment rate of 22%. You can research a ton of economic information about Michigan at the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth website (it includes historical data and forecasts, that you can customize with specific parameters):
http://www.milmi.org/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=94
· Michigan has lost about half its lucrative auto sector jobs that paid an average $72,505 salary in 2006. A small portion of the loss has been made up with education and health services jobs, but those paid an average of only $38,543.
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 -- 97,800
2001 -- 92,500
2002 -- 85,600
2003 -- 78,800
2004 -- 74,100
2005 -- 67,600
2006 -- 60,400
2007 -- 57,800
2008 -- 47,800
Jan 2009 -- 26,700
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 --227,000
2001 -- 203,000
2002 -- 191,700
2003 -- 177,800
2004 -- 169,800
2005 -- 158,700
2006 -- 146,400
2007 -- 130,400
2008 -- 111,100
Jan 2009 -- 80,100
TOTAL Manufacturing jobs in Michigan:
2000 -- 898,400
2001 -- 823,100
2002 -- 763,500
2003 -- 719,700
2004 -- 700,700
2005 -- 680,000
2006 -- 650,800
2007 -- 620,100
2008 -- 575,300
Jan 2009 -- 484,300
These 400,000 lost jobs are striking – Michigan’s population is 10 million.
5. What really is American?
Some people claim that a foreign automaker car that is built in the U.S. is more “American” than a U.S. automaker car built in Canada/Mexico. This is definitely not the case. The final assembly location of a vehicle is a small part of the entire process of designing and building it. Let’s look at Honda, for example. Its headquarters is in Japan – with the bulk of its workforce (designing, engineering, testing, part manufacturing, etc.) as well. All of the Japanese automakers combined employ 100,000 Americans. There are 5 MILLION autoworkers in Japan. That’s a whopping 2% of their workforce located here. Toyota sells twice as many cars in the US as they do back in Japan. Honda sells four times as many here as they do in Japan. However, the profits of every car sale go to Japan. The small number of people employed at an assembly plant in the U.S. barely put a dent in their finances – and they were given huge tax breaks to bring their products here in the first place. What is American is to support a company and people that are your neighbors – supporting America the most you can.
6. Pride
Whatever happened to American pride? Shouldn’t we stand behind our country and buy its products because they’re great? If we aren’t looking out for the U.S., I guarantee you no one else is. Please buy American and proudly drive American!!!!
We need to realize that we are becoming a nation of CONSUMERS, that don’t PRODUCE anything. How long can an economy survive like that? We are making selfish, short-sighted, ignorant decisions as a country – and it needs to stop!!!
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