FTC: Made In The USA Comments Concerning Joan Reinhart--P894219

4167 North Ameche Terrace
Beverly Hills, Florida 34465
July 25 1997

Secretary Donald Clark
Federal Trade Commission
6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Room 172
Washington, D.C.

Dear Secretary Clark:

I recently was told that the Federal Trade Commission has put out a draft proposal regarding the labeling of products "MADE IN AMERICA". It was explained to me that products that are "substantially" made in America would be entitled to bear a label saying “MADE IN AMERICA”. Secretary Clark, if that information is correct, shame on you and your commission. MADE IN AMERICA has always meant just that -- it was made in America. “Substantially” or “partially” or "some parts were" made in America does not mean MADE IN AMERICA. It means some other country, more than likely with a much lower standard of living, will do most of the work involved and a partially finished product will arrive here for a few final touches. Haven't enough of our people suffered from jobs being farmed out to other countries? Will you take away from the American people the right to seek out products that are produced, manufactured, assembled, built, constructed by workers here in the United States by essentially allowing corporations to lie? And make no mistake, lie it is. Either it is MADE IN AMERICA or it is not made in America. You can't have it both ways!

I with many of my friends, neighbors and family want very much to buy products that are made in the United States and look for labels that say MADE IN AMERICA. That has always stood for something in this country -- (although so many "so-called"American companies have sold out for the bottom line and forgotten in the process what made this country great / but that's another subject). I don't want big corporations to be able to fool me. I want products labeled properly so that if something is made somewhere else I can shop further to find the ones made in my country. Please sir, do not go forward with this proposal -- let MADE IN AMERICA continue to mean Made in the USA. Don't betray the American people with this calamitous plan.

Yours truly