The Flag Law
While the twice impeached and indicted former President awaits trial, my Congressman here in Ohio is up to something much, much, more important. He’s out there, backing a law to require American flags used by the Federal government to be – wait for it – MADE IN AMERICA. And even though Troy Balderson is a right-wing Republican, on the face of it this seems like a remarkably sound idea. Of course, it’s the symbol of our country. When the US Government buys and flies it; the flag should be made in the USA.
So that got me to thinking: why wouldn’t the government buy “made in USA” American flags? That means the United States; not Usa, Japan; or the thirty-seven places in the world called “America”, and not in America. Maybe, like shoes and computer chips, flags just aren’t made in the US today. Ask the folks who used to work for US Shoe down in Cincinnati. Or maybe the cost is prohibitively expensive, so much so that the national debt would balloon from All-American flags. Or…maybe there’s some nefarious “woke” plot to buy Chinese or Russian or Burundian made American flags!!!!
Strange Bedfellows
My personal rule is this: when I find myself in agreement with Balderson, and Elise Stefanik, and worst of all, Ted Cruz; I better start questioning what’s going on. So, I looked into the “flag” situation. Here’s what I learned.
According to the Flag Manufacturers of America Association (FMofAA), 94% of American flags sold are MADE IN AMERICA (ours). Moreover, the FMofAA notes that the Department of Defense buy 100% made in America flags. The rest of the government buy flags that are at least one-half made in America. (Yeah, I don’t quite know how that works, stars from Korea, stripes from Decatur). But, since 94% of the US flags sold in the US are made in the US, then I figure that while the government could find 50-50 flags; there more likely to buy good, old, Made in America flags, statistically speaking.
In fact, it seems that my good Congressman from Zanesville (he was a car dealer there) is pulling a fast one here. Like the time I had to pay extra for a rearview mirror on my first Jeep (it wasn’t standard equipment, neither was the back seat, and I never did get a radio). You see, they are implying a problem: “Woke Democrat (sic) Government buys foreign American flags”. It’s like we need a LAW, on the books, part of the United States Code, to make sure some “Democrat” Postmaster or ATF agent or GSA bureaucrat (Government Services Administration, they have 8,600 buildings, all with flags) isn’t out buying cheap, knock-off, foreign made flags. But if they were, then the FMofAA would be raising (flag-pole joke) Hell about it, wouldn’t they?
Ain’t Broke
When you get right down to it, the USA FLAG LAW is doing what Republican politicians seem to do best: fixing a problem that ain’t a problem. It’s like a law proposed here in Ohio to ban trans-gendered girls athletes in high school. There are only six, a whole hand and a finger, playing in Ohio high school sports anyway. So we need to write a law banning those six?
So why is Cruz and Stefanik and Balderson all “up” about this “horrific problem”, even though the FMofAA statistics come from their own Congressional newsletter? Because it’s easy.
They can say they support their “Law”, without ever having to explain that it fixes a problem that ain’t broke. Just like it’s easy for Republican state legislators to “save” high school girls’ sports by telling six kids (out of 400,000 playing in Ohio) that they can’t play. Those Republican legislators, and the Congressmen and Senators on the “USA Flag Bill” are “playing” the voters. They’re “standing up” for America, American jobs, and American pride. And there doing so without paying a price.
Easy Way Out
Flags are easy. Computer chips, almost all made in Taiwan, are harder. President Biden got the Chips Act passed, and in this next decade computer chip plants will open all over the United States. That will create jobs, and ensure that we control a supply of this foundation product for America’s economy. Now that’s a real problem, with a real fix, that required a real political price. And while Joe Biden will remind us in the next election that he got this done, it’s so much more than just a checkmark in the culture wars. And it doesn’t hurt anyone.
Chips were hard. Flags are easy. But what they’re doing to those six girls should be a crime.
