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 various 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. I see red, white, and blue, along with the stars and stripes belonging to the greatest country in the nation—a place that I’m blessed to be born in.

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

The Blame Game is alive and well in America. I’m watching in High Definition (HD) on television right now, as well as seeing via social media, blame being spread on the recent Helene hurricane disaster. So and So is blamed for not sending money—while John and Sally Doe didn’t help enough.

Simply speaking, those doing the complaining generally did nothing at all, yet pointed their fingers at others to try and escape any guilt. Some folks, however, are simply born to complain.

All of this reminds me of a joke someone pulled on a former boss years ago. My supervisor was always griping about this or that on a daily basis. One morning he came to work and found a box of Midol sitting on his desk. For those not up to speed on what Midol’s intended, look it up. In today’s bizarre world of folks not knowing whether they’re male or female, I suppose the use of this drug has reached a whole different plateau.

Don (not his real name) thought the joke was funny, and I believe he got the message. Today, the person initiating this ruse would probably be fired. Easily offended thin-skinned snowflakes would raise Cain and make sure it happened.

Getting back to the blame game. A man on Facebook was criticizing Billy Graham for not sending money to South Carolina. This individual was immediately corrected, with many quickly saying that Billy Graham was dead. Franklin Graham, Billy’s son, through Samaritan’s Purse, has been on the ground running with supplies and crews of volunteers, helping out even before Helene hit.

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to play The Blame Game, by stating to anyone who’d listen, that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis didn’t return her phone calls regarding help, and that Floridians would suffer when Hurricane Milton hit.

Why would he expect calls from her, when President Biden acknowledged that he’s in constant contact with governors from all affected states? The president even went on to praise Ron Desantis, by saying he was doing an excellent job.

Our president is still at the top where the chain of command is concerned, and he’s letting that be known, especially to his possible predecessor, Kamala Harris. Without a doubt, she’s trying to create a ruckus here strictly for political gain.

I try and tune out those people routinely bellyaching but it’s sometimes hard. In the back of my mind, I often think of Don and that box of Midol. It seems after this joke was pulled the man did chill and change for the better. Is it possible he started taking the pills and they worked?

That’s something I’ll never know, because sadly, my former co-worker is no longer here to answer that question.

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!

Forty years ago, the pastor of our church announced to the congregation that a staff member was on an “approved sabbatical.” Like me, other people noticed this man was absent, with some wondering what happened to him.

Claiming that the church employee was on prearranged leave was the preacher’s polite way of answering our question. This fellow never came back, making me think he didn’t intend to or was fired. I’m sure he wasn’t paid during his absence.

Doctors are oftentimes jokingly referred to as being on sabbatical, with golf courses undoubtedly being their mecca of choice. I only say this because a receptionist told me that’s where many of them go to unwind. It does seem the perfect place to get away from stress.

I didn’t know exactly what sabbatical meant back then, only recognizing that Sabbath is sometimes used to describe a religious period of rest. Sunday is a day of Sabbath for many Christians. The Jewish celebrate the Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. They call this, Shabbat. There is a big difference between Sabbath and sabbatical.

The Greek explanation for a sabbatical is: an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job. I found that interpretation to be quite interesting and open to further analysis. Generally speaking, those taking legitimate sabbaticals do so every few years. In this article, I use the word sabbatical as a politically correct way to describe employees stealing time.

Being observant, I like to watch folks at their places of employment, with some of them secretly or blatantly using electronic devices for nonwork purposes. I spot this activity all the time. Perhaps I’m just being an old fuddy-duddy and this is considered a new acceptable work ethic, but I don’t think so.

I recently saw an employee playing an online game in a somewhat secluded area at a big box store in town. I know this was the case because I walked up from behind and startled him with a question.

Driving around town, I constantly see construction workers standing about with their ears glued to phones. The other morning, a group of roofers were hard at work laying shingles, while one guy stood out like a sore thumb, trying to hide behind rolls of tarpaper while on his device.

During a recent and ongoing repaving project on Interstate 40, it wasn’t uncommon to see this practice. One fellow crouched behind an asphalt roller with a phone stuck to his ear—believing he was invisible to roaming eyes. I worked construction during my early years, with the only person needing to be on a phone—the foreman or superintendent.

A friend of mine managed large grocery stores for most of his lengthy career. Robert said that employees constantly using their cell phones during work hours was a definite problem. I suppose many of them saw this as being a power sabbatical of sorts much like power naps.

Studies show that employees spend an average of 2 – 3 hours each day on their electronic devices resulting in decreased productivity. It adds up quickly with wasted hours quickly turning into days. If you were to compile this misappropriated time over a year, the cost to employers would be substantial. One study shows it to be approximately 15 billion dollars annually.

Going back to the Greek explanation of sabbatical: an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job. Judging by that definition, and using data provided by workplace studies, without question, it can be said thousands of employees are taking unscheduled mini-sabbaticals over the course of a year. If they’re smokers or vapers, add extra to the amount of nonproductive time spent in the workplace.

It might be advantageous for those employees to ask their bosses if they can go on permanent sabbatical status, along with still collecting a paycheck. I mean, that’s basically what they’re already doing!