I try to be a “Made in the USA” kind of guy. When I say this, I’m talking about buying products manufactured in our country. Unfortunately, most of the smaller products I purchase nowadays, including shoes and clothing, are made in China. I wish things weren’t that way, but it is what it is.

The higher cost of manufacturing certain items, along with stringent environmental laws forced many US companies to fold or move overseas. Politicians, greedy investors, and unions had a lot to do with this as well.

From day one, I’ve been a Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge owner. My reasoning is that they’re still considered American namesakes, although Dodge is now owned by Stellantis, a multinational European corporation.

Friends and strangers have told me that some components in those three makes come from other out-of-country locales. Perhaps so, but the vehicle names are still synonymous with red, white, and blue. You’ll never find me owning an import because it isn’t in my genes to do so, although Japan, Korea, Germany, and other European nations produce some fine cars and trucks.

A while ago, I wrote about coming across an authentic American Indian Dreamcatcher in WalMart. At least that’s what the label said. In small letters, the back of this packaging was printed — Made In China. Alaska gift shops sell items supposedly crafted by local natives yet are manufactured in Taiwan, China, and elsewhere. Miniature totem poles are a good example.

I purchased a stout aluminum flagpole with an American flag one year ago. Both items were identified as being made in the USA. The 4 x 6-foot flag looked to be of medium quality, manufactured of polyester, and vibrant in color. I proudly raised it to the flagpole’s full height of 30 feet. An extra flag identical to it was purchased for $49.

Our city has extreme wind and sun that constantly tests the endurance of flags. Driving about town I see them in all states of deterioration. Some are so bad that there’s not much left where color is concerned. One can only assume those flag owners are out of state, or they’re inside the house and refuse to go out and inspect things until the temperature cools down.

Within 90 days, strong Havasu winds had my USA-made American flag tattered in several places. Taking it down and running up the other, this spare lasted approximately 60 days before it too looked like it’d been through a major battle. That was $100 worth of flags destroyed in a little over half a year. At this rate by the end of 12 months, I’d be out 200 bucks.

Searching for a cheaper alternative to American-made flags I found none. The highest quality ones made of polyester were hovering around the $100 range online, while medium quality was half that price. This might be okay for some but it’s a bit rich for my wallet.

Looking further, I came across a tool supply company on McCulloch Boulevard offering Chinese-made polyester flags “on-sale” for under $4. They were smaller at 3 x 6 feet and I believe made of cheaper polyethylene rather than their advertised polyester material. I doubt that my USA-manufactured flagpole would know or even care that a foreign-made flag was perched on top.

A friend of mine from Minnesota is totally against flying flags made in other countries. In “The Gopher State,” a state law prohibits stores from peddling Chinese-manufactured American flags. That’s why so many Minnesotans buy them here and smuggle their contraband back into their home state. I say that jokingly.

Calculating that if my cheap China flags were to last one month, I’d only be out $50 for a year’s supply, 12 were purchased. For the most part, they’ve stayed together for less than 30 days, with the latest surviving just under 3 weeks. This one was in 4 pieces before being permanently lowered. At this rate of survival, a dozen might not be quite enough.

When I look at an American flag flying in the breeze, the furthest thing on my mind is whether it’s made here or in Timbuktu. What I see is red, white, and blue, along with the stars and stripes belonging to the greatest country in the nation—a place that I was blessed to be born in.

I’ll go even further, by boldly stating that many foreign workers making US flags wished they lived here too!