Do you remember the old TV commercial with the workers singing the tune "Look for the Union Label when you are buying a coat dress or blouse "(words by Paula Green, music by Malcolm Dodds). It started with just one voice and by the end of the commercial, the screen was full of workers singing the jingle. It was a catchy tune and easily got stuck in Bape Hoodie your head. But really, that song was so much more than just a commercial jingle. It was about American workers who put in a hard day's work and took great pride in the products they produced. That TV commercial was first broadcast in 1975 and at the time was just thought of as a catchy jingle. Who would have thought that 38 years later, looking for the Made In The USA label would be so hard? And so important?

Although that jingle was about purchasing clothing made by Union workers, it really can be applied to all American made goods. For years, I never really bothered to look at the label. I was not concerned where the product was made. Who has the time to worry about that? If I found what I wanted at a good price, I bought it. I never asked myself if it really mattered to buy American. After all, buying something made overseas can't really be hurting the economy, can it? It wasn't until ABC News broadcast their first Made In America series that I  Bapehoodie I began to realize just how few products are still produced here.

There is constant talk about the economy on the news and what we can do about it. To me, the answer is simple - we need jobs! The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that between 2000 and 2009, America lost 5.8 million manufacturing jobs overseas. Service jobs are good but manufacturing has always been the backbone of this country. The Alliance for American Manufacturing states "American manufacturers directly employ more than 11 million Americans and create 8 million additional jobs in other sectors. American families and communities depend on a strong manufacturing base to improve our quality of life."

Hearing that, it is not difficult to figure out what the problem is with our economy or how to fix it. We need good paying manufacturing jobs. The only way to get them is to create the demand for American made products. The good news is we as consumers do have the power to affect that change. Now I know it is not feasible to buy everything Made in America, but if each one of us makes the effort to spend just $64 on American made products each year we could create 200,000 jobs (ABC News Made in America). Not too shabby!

It's time to get the ball rolling America! We are making a good start. We are hearing more and more on the news about new companies popping up across the country. Small steps, but we are getting there. Make the pledge to look at the label when you make your next purchase. Together, we can bring "Made In The USA" back!