The Hightower Report

VOTE FOR AMERICA WITH YOUR CONSUMER DOLLARS

Hey, it's the holiday season – time to go out there and do your part for our American economy by buying tons of cheap stuff made in China!

Wait – that doesn't make sense, does it? First, you'll notice most of those "cheap" goods from China aren't really cheap by the time they're on the shelves of Wal-Mart, Neiman Marcus, and other U.S. retailers. Yes, they're produced by cheap labor, but this savings is pocketed by the brand-name marketers who get their stuff made there.

Second, how does it help our economy to shift America's manufacturing to China? Notice that our middle-class jobs are disappearing and our country is falling deeper into debt, while China has the fastest-growing economy in the world and now owns a big chunk of our debt. Then there's the little matter of toxic products imported from China, including everything from food to toys.

Isn't there a better way to spend our consumer dollars? Yes: Buy products made in the USA this holiday season – and throughout the year! Do such products exist? Yes, again – though you won't find many at your local megamart. Your best bet is to try local stores and Internet shops, where you can find a cornucopia of U.S.-made goods.

For example, a website called ToysMadeinAmerica.com lists dozens of Internet locations for all sorts of gifts you can buy for the tykes on your list – dolls, dollhouses, wooden trains, space-age action toys, playscapes, puppets, puzzles, banjos, books, board games, tutus, marbles, pogo sticks, skateboards, Wiffle balls, play kitchens, and so much more, made right here by Americans. Also check out USMadeToys.com, ShopforAmerica.com, and MadeinUSA.org to point you in the right direction.

We are not powerless consumers. We're sovereign citizens who can send a potent message to corporate profiteers by voting with our dollars. So do it!

BUSH'S HOLLOW SUPPORT FOR VETERANS

Once again, George W. has done a little tap dance on the heads of American veterans.

On the Saturday morning before Veterans Day, Bush woke up, ate a big bowl of crispy cynicism for breakfast, then delivered a national radio address chastising Democrats in Congress for not passing a funding bill "they know our veterans need." This from a guy who has consistently shortchanged the budget for veterans programs, leading to such messes as the scandalous collapse of out-patient services at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

One reason the Democrats have not yet passed the funding bill is the White House objects to the fact it provides $3.7 billion more for veterans programs than Bush requested. For example, about half a million vets in need of medical treatment are presently caught in the Department of Veterans Affairs' backlog of cases, with delays for treatment now averaging six months – so Democrats have increased funding to ease these waiting times. Bush didn't mention this in his pouty radio diatribe.

Nor did the cynic-in-chief mention that because of his budget stinginess on health insurance for veterans, there has been a drastic increase in the number who have no coverage. Indeed, 1.8 million vets – plus another 3.8 million of their spouses and children – are now without insurance, adding up to about 12% of the total number of Americans who are without health-care protection – and many of these vets are in poor health.

In his radio message piously calling on Democrats to give their thanks to veterans, Bush avoided another shameful statistic from a new report on homelessness. The report revealed that, under Bush, the number of homeless veterans is up, now totaling a fourth of America's homeless people.

What kind of thanks is that? As John Kennedy – himself a war hero – put it, "We must never forget that the highest appreciation [for veterans] is not to utter words, but to live by them."