Saturady Afternoon Rant - Shop Local - Frustration

    I know that my last blog was a bit on the discouraging side - I have continued to think about the issues at hand and the mountain that has to be climbed if Buy Local and Buy American Made can work. Fortunately I am head strong and determined to spread the word and educate the public on why it would be better to support local economies - it doesn't hurt that I have a little background in marketing. The problem lies in that the project is supposed to be a zero investment cause to see how far we can go with "word of mouth"   so I am still relying on the general public to spread the cause when the website goes up to track involvement.  It is still hard to believe that there are people who think that this is a bad idea - and I cannot get anyone to tell me WHY it is a bad idea. What is so terrible about bringing jobs back into this country? Why is it so wrong to believe that the American public should demand American products and buy those products from businesses that are locally owned?
  My heart is always saddened by the empty store fronts in my little town - W.A.J. Lewis along with L.M.Kidd and M.B.Kidd were the founders and original stockholders of the firm Lewis and Co. Older than the city of Ruston, La  itself the business was organized in Trenton, Louisiana, on the banks of the Ouachita River in 1865.The Business had the enviable record of 132 years of uninterrupted operation. There was probably no other firm in North Louisiana that had continiously served its customers for so long. When that store shut down it really showed me how bad it has gotten.  We also lost Stowe's - listed on the historical registar - it was a hospital in the civil war - It had been the longest operating bar in North Louisiana since the civil war and it shut it's doors as well.  
   One of the local hospitals is owned by a comapny in France - I mean can you believe that - when I go to the hospital - part of my money goes to France.
    We have to start looking at the products we buy and understand that if we buy it and it's foreign made that part of the money we spend is going overseas - and that is why there is less to go around over here in the US
     You probably can tell by the blog - I am just baffled and confused by all of this. And I am ashamed that it took a tragedy in my life to open my eyes and see what was happening. I have been and continue to be part of the problem.  My objective in all of this is to create a workable routine for the average American - to help keep some American dollars here in the USA and build stronger communities - as well as safer communities.
    I also will mention that I am concerned with the moral fiber of so many people I have run accross in my pursuit of a better America. Why is it hard to believe that someone would invest their time and energy into a good cause without expecting financial gain? Are people today so closed minded that they think there is an angle on eveything?  I was asked why do I care - I care because I have children and the economy in America today has driven people to suicide. I care because I buried a man who was at the end of his rope because he was about to lose everything.  I care because I want my children to have an opportunity to grow up in neighborhoods that are not run down and over run with crime because people cannot find jobs. 
     The bottom line is simple - there has to be a large movement towards supporting locally owned businesses - and those businesses need to move towards American made products and that will bring back JOBS.  People need to be educated how if they all work together they will not have to look to Washington to solve an obvious problem that we can solve ourselves.   The FREE website will have ideas and ways people can support their local economies - for example - buying your insurance from local agents and not online - costs the same amount of money and you have a local agent/friend who is licensed and educated in insurance to ensure you get what you need and someone to turn to in the event you have to use the insurance. Also - if you need something like wedding invitaions - why order online when you can go to the local print shop and tell them what you want and the price it was - I bet they can match it and you probably won't get better service than online. Local florist make the flowers you order from those 1-800 numbers - why not call the florist directly so a cut doesn't end up who knows where?   We just need to change our habits and think about where our money is going.
      I am honestly scared that I am the only one who cares enough to think this out and at least try to come up with some reasonable answers - I am looking at it from the eyes of an average American who doesn't have the time or energy to change so I am in the process of making this an easier transition for those who want to be involved.  As I continue down this road to fix the American economy - single handedly with a couple of teenage girls who thought this would be a good idea - I am running into road blocks that I am slowly getting past. With every road block I am learning more and more about how and when things started to spiral downward in our country - and I am taking the rational and simplest way to try to fix it.  It can't be done overnight - and I am going to pratice what I preach and adjust everything accordingly - so that we won't be asking the impossible of everyone else.  Thanks for reading : )
Amanda