This story from ABC outlines how presidential candidates sell campaign merchandise made outside of the USA. ABC's headline states "Presidential Candidates Claim Ignorance About Foreign-Made Merchandise."
Only that is not really the case.
When confronted with foreign made t shirts two of the candidates, Herman "Muslims Are Suspicious" Cain and Newt "My Twitter Followers are Real and I Have a Girlfriend But You Don't Know Her She Lives in Canada" Gingrich, claimed they did not know how such evil merchandise came to be in their possession, citing a mistake in purchasing.
Ron Paul, however, gave precisely the correct response, saying "I was unaware of it.... but I wouldn't change it" further arguing that the market should determine the origin of the product.
ABC paints Paul though with the same brush as the other two, claiming they all "claim ignorance."
One can disagree with Paul's stance that the free market should govern which products succeed and which ones do not, but it is unfair not to recognize the courage in making a very anti-populist statement.
In short Paul's point is that protectionism does not work. This is especially true in the t shirt area. There have been (and I cannot go into details myself less I cross my "no foreign affairs discussions" policy) a host of trade acts in recent years which favor textile manufacturing in countries outside the US. Ostensibly these have been to develop these poorer nations, but one can assume the major US manufacturers who benefit from the market anomalies such conditions create have been pretty pleased as well.
I know because I am presently getting ready to order quite a bit of USGwaste.com merchandise. Over the past few weeks I have been buying stickers, silver rounds, magnets, various trinkets, and, of course, t shirts. I was hoping to buy shirts made at home in Nevada and have them printed here as well. That does not appear possible for supply reasons. I then wanted to buy American Apparel shirts, which are made in LA (likely by illegals, if you pay attention to internet message boards, which I do, because you obviously cannot rely on ABC News and company). But they are significantly more expensive than Hanes shirts made overseas.
I can order essentially the same shirt from Hanes that I can buy from American Apparel for $2 less. So the question then becomes, do my buyers want to pay $2 for "Made in the USA" labels?
They should buy what suits them best. Consumers want the best quality product at the best price. If the point of origin, or color of thread, or width of sleeves factor into their decision making, that is their choice. But the government should not be in the business of compelling consumers to buy one product over another, even if the motivation is patriotic. Such artificial intrusions into the market place are ultimately harmful to the free market which is the great equalizer of prices.
The reality is American products cost much more to manufacture than those made overseas, especially since our skewed trade policy permits certain textiles to be imported with limited customs liabilities. As such, if the Paul campaign decides foreign made t shirts are the best offer, then they are adhering to free market theology- a far more American tenet than the socialistic idea that government should make purchasing decisions on behalf of the people.
As for me and the t shirts USGwaste.com ultimately sells, well, you will see them on here soon enough. One thing I can promise you, the message will be pro-liberty and pro-American, even if they are made in North Korea.