19 Iconic Products That America Doesn't Make Anymore

[The Straight Story]

19 Iconic Products That America Doesn't Make Anymore


GM is canceling the 84-year-old brand after winding down production over the past few years. Like other American automakers, it is restructuring and rebranding to compete with foreign companies.

Pontiac joins a long list of iconic products that aren't made anywhere in America.

Here are 19 Iconic Products That America Doesn't Make Anymore:

Rawlings baseballs

Last production date: 1969

Rawlings is the official supplier of baseballs to Major League Baseball. The St. Louis shop was founded in 1887 by George and Alfred Rawlings. In 1969 the brothers moved the baseball-manufacturing plant from Puerto Rico to Haiti and then later to Costa Rica.

Gerber baby food

Last production date: 1994

Gerber was founded in Michigan in 1927 by the owner of the Fremont Canning Company. The brand grew in popularity and in 1994 merged with Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company. Then in 2007, Gerber was bought by Switzerland's Nestle, the world's largest food company. Today the brand has more than 80% of the American baby food market and the largest supplier of baby products in the world.

Ever since the merger with Novartis, all Gerber products have been manufactured overseas.

Etch a Sketch

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/19-iconic-products-that-america-doesn't-make-anymore-535569.html

[Brickbat]

1. I recommend that everyone, in the course of one day, look at the "made in" label of everything they

put on, pick up, eat, drive and use during the day.

Hence my sig line.

[Kalyke]

3. You'd like me, then. I always read the label.

And, if it says USA, I buy it even if it's more expensive.

[Tansy_Gold]

4. K&R -- The OP and your post

Tansy Gold, compulsive label reader

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[hlthe2b]

5. Levis.....

haven't worn them since they moved to China... (symbolic, though, as I know the alternatives are all made overseas too)

[Brickbat]

11. There are union-made jeans to be had...

...and other clothes, too:

http://www.unionmadeclothing.com/

[hlthe2b]

17. I haven't bought clothes in quite a while, but that is helpful...

I long ago gave up on "stylish" and go with classics now.... Probably the last thing I bought was polar fleece, which is made by an American company still.

[Brickbat]

18. I almost never buy clothes anymore...mainly because so few are made here.

I've found, however, that doing a search for "union made" or "made in USA" on eBay can bring up some great buys that keep my conscience happy.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. American flags.

We don't make American flags anymore either.

Protect the Declaration of Independence. I think it's a metaphor about this country's principles, that the ink is disappearing.

[Rhythm]

24. Yes, we do...

Annin & Co. -- makers of the flag that the Apollo 11 astronauts planted on the moon -- is not only still in business, but is widely distributed across the country.

http://www.annin.com/index.asp

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. The last few I looked at closely were made in Korea and China.

[Rhythm]

33. Make no mistake... there are a lot of flags made overseas, but not by Annin

It's a point of pride with their company.
They don't supply big-box stores like MallWart, but rather do business with specialty retailers.

[reggie the dog]

7. holy shit!

i knew things were bad, but that is horrible... if there is ever a world war we have no means to produce even basic goods

[Greyhound]

10. Funny how that worked out, isn't it?

Even our oft-vaunted military can't fight for more than a couple weeks without being resupplied by foreign suppliers.

[reggie the dog]

12. that is just not good at all

we are so weak,

[HughBeaumont]

19. 90% of us are.

There's a certain bunch, however, that are doing just DANDY thanks to the practices listed in the article!!

[Selatius]

20. The idea is that free trade would prevent such a world war.

Because now everybody depends on everyone else for survival. Only a moron would start a world war in such a case. Would a moron ever come to power or seize power in a coup? Probably.

[Gin]

29. we had a bloodless coup and a moron for 8 years....he started 2

wars....drained the treasury..and his damage isn't done yet..

now he confessed to torture and nothing will happen to him...maybe we are the morons.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. This week the Girl Scouts decided to have their uniforms made in the U.S.A.

after it was discovered that they were taking bids from China.

[CakeGrrl]

9. Ever check out any product from Michael's (arts and craft store)?

Anything I've ever spot-checked at random was made in China or Taiwan.

[Blue_Tires]

13. Even when the Firebird was in production, it was assembled in Canada

Both the Camaro and Challenger are currently made there...

[Holly_Hobby]

14. I wonder how many of those countries have gov't health care n/t

[Divine Discontent]

15. list of American made products and websites I posted last yr. K&R, good thread, thanks!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6854970&mesg_id=6854970

[w8liftinglady]

23. thank you for posting that

[Divine Discontent]

30. hi w8liftinglady! yw, and thanks for all your posts, too. And, concerning American products, we can

make a difference if we start with ourselves and our own purchases. I was very pleasantly surprised at about 6 people in the Post Office today that all said they look for the American item, if available at stores. That was great to hear.

[Cassandra]

16. Schwinn Bicycles

I got a blue one for my 5th birthday.

[Selatius]

21. I find it funny we are now dependent on a totalitarian dictatorship known as China for our goods. nt

[lpbk2713]

22. Somewhat related ...

This past Sunday 60 Minutes had a piece that was a heart wrenching eye opener. It was about Newton, Iowa.
The Maytag plant had been there for years until it decided to move its operations to Mexico. Now the entire
town is slowly dying as a residual effect.

Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7004398n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

[MilesColtrane]

26. Yeah, but we still make enough shitty movies and weapons to demoralize and take over the world.

USA! USA!

[WCGreen]

27. How's about sense...

America stopped making sense in December of 2000...

[slackmaster]

28. They left out another important one

[Permanut]

31. Nike shoes

Nike had a factory in Saco Maine until the mid 80's, now all production is offshore. They pay an assembler in Vietnam eight cents to put together a soccer ball we can by for eighty bucks. This way, Phil Knight will eventually have "enough" money, right?

[pstokely]

32. Minivans are still made in Indiana

by a Japanese company though