My fellow American consumers,

My mother makes me wool socks. I have often hinted to her that she could buy socks at a local retailer that would be much less expensive and time consuming ( and perhaps even slightly more fashionable). She declines the opportunity to do so. My mother lives in the Chicago metropolitan area. Where does she get her wool? She gets her wool from her sheep.

She spins the wool, dies it and knits the socks. The name of the site is a tribute to her dedication to what may become a lost art in this country.

We are a group of concerned citizens, also known as a book club. We want to buy goods that are as American as my mother's socks. No foreign parts. No foreign labor. No profit going to a foreign company. We are willing to pay more to BUY AMERICAN.

We need help. First, we need to be able to identify goods made completely in the United States by U.S. Companies.

This may be harder than you think. A friend gave me a small American flag to celebrate the launch of this website. A picture of the flag is attached, it is Made in China. We need retailers to help us identify and find these goods. We need manufacturers to understand the value of keeping jobs in this country. We need to show them that there is an energetic willing customer base ready to buy such goods.

Please help us achieve our goals and join us in our journey.

Please sign our on-line petition, which we will present to major retailers asking for designated "Made in America" sections of their stores.

Please visit our links section for information on manufacturers making goods in this country from start to finish.

Please flip the packages over when you are in stores and learn who makes the goods you are buying. You may be very surprised to learn how little you buy that is made in America. When you have the chance, if one exists, buy American. In doing so, you are preserving a way of life that we should not give away, you are supporting American jobs that we should fight to keep and you are doing something to improve the economy.

Thank you in advance for your support.

A Simple Midwestern Book Club