This post isn't going to be all about writing, although (fingers crossed) I am back in business with my new ACER laptop that replaced the thirteen month old HP that died a month out of warranty. Whew. Everything was saved! So I'm back working on all of my projects... the next Silver Sisters Mystery---Vanishing Act in Vegas, Welcome to Paradise-- a women's fiction revenge novel like Nine to Five meets the First Wives Club, and one that I'm still hoping to find just the right tile for. It's been through four already and I'm thinking about "A Matter of Fate" for number 5. This is women's fiction about the turns fate takes when an aspiring sixteen-year-old ballerina is kidnapped, raped and left for dead. The last title was "Death Takes a Curtain Call," but it's more than that. It's her life. If anyone has a suggestion for a title, I'd love to consider it.

Anyway, on to today's topic. I've been watching TV commercials about not patronizing stores like Walmart because they sell so many offshore imports. This post isn't about low wages and no benefits --- it is about the subject of the imports.

It is absolutely true that the majority of the merchandise is imported, but I got to thinking about it. Step back for a moment and look at what has happened to our manufacturing base, the thing that used to drive America.

If you shop in a department store, even the very high end ones, and check out the labels on clothing and other merchansise you will find very little made in America, and you're paying deparment store prices even though most chains have evolved to "no-service." Hooray Nordstroms and Saks, the customer service is still good for those of you who can afford to shop there.

Now let's go to the hardware store, or the office supply store, or shop for a new car. What do you see? An overwhelming percentage of imports. Let's face it, guys, this has become our way of life and it isn't restricted to one or two discount chains. It is everywhere. The office furniture and cubicles you spend your working life in, the food you buy. All of it.

Did you ever stop to consider that products manufactured in China, for example, from raw material like steel, no longer use U.S. steel. They use Chinese steel or raw materials from whatever country manufacturers the product in question. I was in commercial office furniture project sales and design for several years, and can tell you that a large percentage of your cubicles sold by U.S. companies are fabricated off shore and sent to the U.S. for assembly.

We need to take back some of our infrastructure. That doesn't necessarily mean anything radical and doesn't mean sanctions. It just means getting our economy back in balance with a distribution of intellectual and manufacturing bases. Think about it.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.morganstjames-author.com