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Motion Expressing the Sense of Council of Allegheny County, expressing the support of Council for the recent "Buy American" program presented by John Ratzenberger and the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
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WHEREAS, on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, actor John Ratzenberger made a presentation at the Heinz History Center in cooperation with the Alliance for American Manufacturing; and
WHEREAS, in the course of this presentation, Mr. Ratzenberger discussed the competitive disadvantage that products produced in the United States are sometimes placed at, particularly in relation to goods produced in foreign countries that subsidize their industries and that have significantly lower wage standards than the United States; and
WHEREAS, the program also discussed safety issues with goods produced in some foreign countries, as has been demonstrated most recently by massive recalls of toys produced in China, but also related to clothing and kitchen supplies; and
WHEREAS, production facilities in many other countries are not subject to the same environmental regulations as those in the United States, and thus often pollute at disproportionately high rates; and
WHEREAS, the presentation encouraged all Americans to buy goods produced domestically wherever possible as a means of protecting public safety, preserving the environment, and ensuring the American workers' ability to compete fairly and on a level playing field with foreign workers;
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED that the Council hereby expresses its support for the recent "Buy American" program presented by John Ratzenberger and the Alliance for American Manufacturing, and adds its voice in encouraging the residents of the County to buy American-made products whenever possible.