We must decide how the economy moves

As consumers, we have better choices.
Middle-class Americans are the largest consumer of products retailing under $1,500.
Retailers and manufacturers need us just as much as we need them. That does not mean we have to take what they have. There are websites that list "Made in USA" consumer products including Re-Employ America. Visit these websites and make a list of manufacturers of the products that you would use in the next month or so. Go to your favorite retailer and ask if they carry those brands and products. If they tell you no, ask them "Why? These products are "Made in USA" and I'm looking for "Made in USA" products." You can even go to their website customer service page and ask the same thing. Contact your favorite product manufacturer and ask them what products are "Made in USA", and ask where you can buy these.

The number of Americans who are employed by "Made in USA" consumer products is almost immeasurable. Something as seamingly simple as a cotton t-shirt will take thousands of Americans to produce. From seed processing to finished product in your dresser drawer, think of all of the jobs directly and indirectly kept and created from farmers to packagers. The next time you're at a department store getting home, school or work supplies, look at the label and if that item was not "Made in USA" consider the number of Americans who could have been employed had the American based manufacturer not moved its production outside of the U.S.

Since 1994 at least one third of all unemployed and under-employed Americans can attribute their lost income to manufacturing jobs going offshore. Another one third can contribute their lost income due to the loss of of residual and peripheral jobs lost because of the loss of manufacturing income. The last third from the financial sector can trace those job losses to the recession in 2007, the housing crash in 2008 and lost manufacturing. There was an estimated 30 million under-employed and unemployed Americans in the United States as of April 2012. These men and women do not earn enough to pay taxes, instead, most are utilizing social service programs such as food stamps, TANF, housing subsidies and medical services to survive.

The national median household income in 2010 was almost $49,500 for the year. If one third of those unemployed were now working and each had an effective tax rate of 15%, $74 billion dollars would be going into the the U.S. Treasury; this does not include corporate taxes not being paid in the U.S. If those estimated 10 million Americans were working, the total financial contribution to the U.S. economy would be almost $750 billion per year.

So please keep this in mind: When its "Made in USA" Americans work. When Americans work the economy grows. Grow the economy and buy "Made in USA"; the job you save may be yours.

As voters, we decide who represents us.
From City Council members to the President of the United States, they need our vote to occupy the office of which they want. They have a legal obligation to represent all of the people within their district without exception.
We have a legal right to demand that they represent us, not just those who pay for their election or re-election campaigns.
Demand that they provide both sides of any argument. At every opportunity, you must ask them "What have you done or what will you do to improve the economy and help Americans become employed?". Do not allow them to give you rhetoric, empty words, half truths or party canon; demand specific answers and then question those answers.
They will do absolutely everything they can to try to convince you that the circumstances are too complicated for the average person to understand. They will give you half truths, skewed facts and even out of context quotes to prove this. Correct them with facts from recognized reliable sources, including government agencies. Facts will confuse and/or irritate them because they cannot provide a rebuttal to reality.

This is not a Republican or Democrat issue; this is an American issue that affects all Americans no matter our party affiliation.
Neither party has seriously addressed the lack of income. Has Congress realized it cannot pay the bills because there are not enough employed middle-class Americans paying taxes?

With unemployment sitting at about 8%, the members of both houses and parties of Congress continue to use 12 million unemployed American households as tools to blame each other and bolster their re-election bids for November 2014.
These members of Congress just don't seem to understand the situation. For every American who is unemployed, there is an entire household affected by the loss of income. The 13 million unemployed Americans are those who are receiving unemployment insurance. That number does not include the 14 million to 15 million Americans who, after almost two years, did not find work and lost their unemployment insurance.

Our House and Senate Representatives are sitting in Washington D.C. pointing fingers and blaming each other. None of them are making a real and honest effort or taking any action on the employment and economic issues of the country. Ask your House and Senate representative what he or she has done to improve the economy. Tell them you don't want rhetoric. You do not want to hear about what the other party did or did not do.

Congress' blatant refusal to act with honor and integrity continues to keep our nation in economic devastation. Remind them that the President can't do his job when they don't do theirs. Remind them that if the President is doing nothing, it is a reflection of their inaction as well. It takes the legislative and executive branches to work together.

On November 4, 2014 we will be faced with another election. When we make our choices on our ballots, we will think hard about the inactions that have been taken since June 2007 by the members of Congress. On November 4, 2014, we will be deciding whether those who are asking us to consider renewing their employment contract for Congressional seats. Remind them, this is a job interview and that they must conduct themselves as though they are applying for the renewal of their employment contract. Remind them that in a job interview, they would not be allowed to tell a potential employer how the other person who wants the same job is not qualified. Tell your representative you want straight answers, not just empty words. Do not allow them to cloud the issues with blame and rhetoric.