Saving jobs, one lightbulb at a time

The loss of 500 jobs is a blow to any community, but to one the size of Cozad, it can be devastating.

The Platte Valley town got the word it has been dreading for months, yes, the Tenneco plant, which manufactures shock absorbers and similar products, will close by the end of next year.

The company made the announcement this week, saying the production will be shifted to plants in Arkansas, Georgia -- and Mexico.

We don't put much stock in e-mails floating around the Internet, but a recent one, "One light bulb at a time," makes a good point.

The writer recalls visiting a hardware store to buy a hose attachment, only to read on the label that they were all made in China. She delayed her purchase until visiting another store, where similar products were produced in the USA.

She no longer buys her grandson's favorite chocolate bar, and switched toothpaste brands because their favorites were made in Mexico.

She was surprised to find a brand-name, higher-priced light bulb was manufactured in Mexico, while the equivalent plain-label, house-brand version was made in Ohio.

The writer found a similar situation with brand-name dryer sheets made in Canada, store brand sheets in the United States -- and performed just as well at half the price.

Reading labels is a good idea in general, whether it's for the nutritional value of food or the safe use of an electronic device. Maybe it's time to add the "Made In" information to the list of reasons.

It's true that many "foreign" products are manufactured here, and many seemingly American products come from overseas.

But if we all checked the label, and purchased accordingly, we can't help but wonder how much difference we could make in supporting American jobs.