  
 Supporting American-Made Products and Services from American-Owned Companies 
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Many American consumers preoccupied with the current financial crisis might not notice Christmas is coming so soon, but it’s really almost right around the corner. A large percentage of those consumers are concerned about the safety of toys and other items coming from China, but many have tended to forget about the fiasco of Christmas past that was 2007.
Don’t be fooled. The problem with Chinese imports is still ongoing even if it no longer commands front page news courtesy of the recent financial crisis.
Back in July, I was called by a reporter for a Massachusetts newspaper who was doing a story on why buying American seems to be a non-issue because there apparently was little mention anymore of the dangers of buying Chinese toys and other items in the news. I told the reporter I hadn’t seen many headlines warning consumers of the dangers of unsafe imports lately either, but I would do a little research and get back to him.
I called him back the next day with some startling news (startling to him, not to me). In just the first two weeks in July, over 500,000 recalls had been announced, all of them originating from China, including:
No consumer wants operating any Chinese-made device to pose a safety hazard, and no parent wants their children to perform a death-defying act by simply playing with Chinese toys.
So again this year I am here to give American consumers more American choices so we can all live safely and our children can play safely, giving us all peace of mind. I would invite all concerned consumers to visit my American-made toys link here, but there are also a couple of toy websites I have become familiar with more-recently.
E-commerce website www.MadeInUSAForever.com offers American-made toys from toy airplanes, furniture, log cabin play sets, dolls, soccer balls and footballs (like the old Nerf brand but made in USA), wooden toys, puzzles, and a very neat mind-challenging toy called Fractiles (also available at www.fractiles.com).
You might also try the website www.GreatStuffForKids.com where you’ll find safe, non-toxic, American-made toys for all ages. Another good one is www.ToysAmerican.com.
The time is long past for us to stop sending China all of our American dollars while they send us all of their disposable and dangerous junk.
Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week" articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is now a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.
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