Nothing Made in America
Some years ago, my ex and I made an effort to buy things made in America. It was a challenge. Getting the best price was impossible, and getting adequate quality was a major part of the difficulty.

Now it's flat out impossible. I'm not talking about price or quality. I'm talking about availability of anything.

I just got back from buying a new pen. My choices for gel/rollerball were Korea or Japan, which was a welcome change of pace, because in other recent expeditions I haven't been able to find anything made anywhere other than China. There were some ballpoints, available in bulk, made in Mexico, but I don't care for ballpoints.

The last thing Mo and I were able to find that was made in America was a baby gate to keep the dogs out of the upstairs. It's a big ugly chunk of plastic that does nothing to inspire pride in American design or manufacturing, but I guess I shouldn't have such high expectations out of a baby gate. The alternatives (not made in America) were no better.

Is it sensible to hope for a resurgence of American manufacturing? Perhaps the global economy makes that ideal obsolete. Perhaps a future in which Americans excel at design, invention, at pioneering technology and other creative efforts, and in which the manufacturing of goods is delegated to other parts of the world is perfectly reasonable. If we are entering an era of peace, global prosperity, and the balance between the start-up and conglomerate, perhaps "Made in America" is not just archaic, but completely beside the point.