Want to become USA Certified?

THX,
move over, there’s a new sheriff in town. Although THX does a fine job of
certifying whether an AV product achieves certain performance parameters, it
doesn’t tell you anything about where or how a product is made. Now
manufacturers have a new way to prove to their customers that their products
were really, truly, made in the USA.

To
qualify for Made in the USA certification, a manufacturer must submit to a complete
study by an independent team who will determine if “all
or virtually all of their core components manufactured or grown in the United
States of America. Additionally, 100% of their assembly must be verified
as conducted in the U.S. A.  (Also known as “substantial
transformation” according to the Buy American Act.”)

Manufacturers and service organizations can also apply for a
“Service in USA Certified” designation, which requires, “a business must
demonstrate that all labor is provided exclusively from within the United
States. From the Boardroom to the Mailroom, including everything from legal, to
accounting, to call centers, that business has utilized the talent and quality
of those living here in the United States.”

And who is this organization? According to their web page, MADE in USA CERTIFIED, Inc. operates
under its own authority as an independent, non-governmental, non-partisan
organization. Their website explains, “We believe that every American
wants to do their part in helping our country, and we give them a very simple
way of doing that.”  MADE in USA
CERTIFIED, Inc. is funded by the fees it charges manufacturers of the
products submitted for certification.

How do I feel about this? I think it’s BS. I firmly believe that
world trade is one of the most pro-peace and anti-war activities in which humans
can participate. Doing business internationally cements relationships with
other countries and makes it more difficult to pretend that foreigners are
fundamentally different from ourselves.

I’m also not convinced that “buying American” will solve any of
the problems its adherents claim it will. But here’s one last quote from Made
in USA Certified, “At MADE in USA
CERTIFIED we believe that deep down, there is a good American in every U.S. consumer so let’s show it…“

This last quote makes me see red. This concept of “good American” is nothing more than xenophobic
propaganda. But for people who want or feel they need to buy exclusively
USA-made goods, the MADE in USA
CERTIFIED program provides a new tool so they can make an informed isolationist
buying decision.