Who, What, Why...

This being my first blog post, I thought I would get out of the way some needed explanation, in an attempt to setup the backbone for what I hope to accomplish.

Who am I?
- This is one of those questions that you would think would be incredible easy to answer, but in fact it is very difficult. I can create a list of facts like places I have lived: Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, and Illinois. Describe my educational background BA in Economics, with an array of science courses to fulfill Dental School Requirements that I once thought I wanted to pursue.  I can even name my goals of starting in an MBA program within the next year or owning my own company within the next 10. But each of these facts are simple a piece of what I believe and hope to do in life. Through living in each of these states and by experiencing a variety of communities,  I have been fortunate to see a spectrum of America and the effects that each of us can have on a community.

What is this Blog?
- My degree in Economics was originally meant to be my backup plan, as I was confident that I wanted to be a Dentist. However, in taking the required social science classes I developed a strong interest in business and how individuals interact and dictate the practices of a business. I have become a strong believer in the idea that every dollar spent is a vote that dictates a companies practices. If we all flock to the cheapest good sacrificing the quality of the good for the quantity of the goods, companies will do all they can to reduces their cost in an attempt to gain market share. While it is easy to focus solely and the money saved or the number of bags with which we are now leave the store, it is often more difficult to look at the cost of the decisions we made while in the store and the long term cost it may have on us as a community.

Why am I doing this?
- Recently I caught a segment on Good Morning America talking about the wonders and new popularity of Dollar Store shopping. In this segment the saving of a few cents were heralded while mentioning that these savings were obtained by the reduced number of employees at these stores. Here is the morning News  promoting the actions of cutting employment to save consumers a little money, while in other segments of the same show, reporters stating their shock at the continued economic slump and the inability of the economy to add jobs.
- I am a strong believer in buying American made products when possible as these products are the ones that will strengthen our economy and put money back into our communities. I encourage everyone who reads this to buy locally from local venders when possible, followed by buying American made products by American companies. Now I realize that not all goods can be manufactured domestically, but what I hope to do in this blog is to showcase products that are made in the USA. In doing so I will compare them to similarly priced foreign goods that they are often sitting on the same store shelf for a similar price. It is going to take all of us to get the economy back on track and we can each help by buying American! I encourage you to going me on this journey to be an Invisible Patriot!