Made in the U.S.A.

I took a sampling of the country-of-origin for several gifts exchanged this Christmas. People always say that the United States doesn't produce anything anymore, but a glance at the list below refutes that.

France (2) - cologne and perfume

Bangladesh (1) - flannel pajamas

Vietnam (3) - mens wool dress pants; mens polyester dress pants; underwear

Mexico (1) - blue jeans

Pakistan (2) - white socks; dress socks

Honduras (2) - mens dress shirt; (different maker) mens dress shirt

Lesotho (1) - denim jeans (yes, Lesotho)

China (3) - flannel shirt; art sketch book; griddle

USA (5) - cologne; perfume; book; book; personal lube (say what?)

What? The USA produces more products than any other country on the list?! Yes, indeed. Granted, this is just an informal product listing, and most of the products listed above are clothing, but I thought it was interesting.

We will go to any corner of the planet to make products as cheaply as possible. It's a little bit disgusting, even if I, as an American, am the beneficiary of all of this outsourcing, in the form of cheaper prices of goods. In one example, my wife bought me a couple of dress shirts for less money than she paid for similar shirts over 20 years ago! Is that a success of capitalism? Globalization? Is it the same thing?