May I have the American-made envelope, please!

I always assumed that envelopes, spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper and Elmer's Glue-All were quintessential American-made items. Reality struck me a couple of weeks ago when I needed to buy a box of No. 10 business size envelopes.

A stroll down the seasonal back-to-school aisle of my local ShopRite revealed spiral notebooks, marble notebooks and loose-leaf paper from India, while just about every other pencil, pen, eraser, binder and bottle of Elmer's glue was "made in China." That's where the box of envelopes came from too. When I saw that tiny print on the bottom of the box I promptly threw it back on the shelf. I left the aisle without my box of envelopes, but with enough disgust to fill my shopping cart. It got me thinking -- as a country are we that far gone that we can no longer produce a sheet of paper or a bottle of glue?

Part of the problem facing this country today is the evaporation of its manufacturing base. That's where supermarkets can come in. Surely with its hundreds of stores, ShopRite can demand its private label spiral notebooks be manufactured in the U.S.A. It could even be highlighted in ads as an example of how patriotic the chain is, and it is something other chains could capitalize on too. If retailers want to carry both domestic and imported product, design a special shelf tag to put next to the American version -- perhaps something in red, white and blue stating "American made: By purchasing this product you are helping a fellow American keep their job."

And where are the environmentalists? Surely shipping a container load of notebooks from India leaves a greater carbon footprint than cutting down a factory-farmed tree out West. And where is the paper coming from for these imported notebooks? I wouldn't be surprised if it was from some clear-cut rainforest.

I'm happy to report that I did finally find a box of American-made envelopes -- at Kmart of all places. I got a box of Mead envelopes that were manufactured in Dayton, Ohio. Kmart's private label envelopes were American made too. I may have paid a few more cents for my box of envelopes, but hopefully I'm doing my part to keep someone in Dayton, Ohio gainfully employed and off the unemployment and welfare roles. I'm sure that's great news for the Dayton Kroger store too.