Not again. Please don’t tell me Buy American is getting up a head of steam. Boomers that lived in the Rust Belt when Toyota and Honda were streaming in from California recall the animosity it caused in union towns. Japanese toys had already killed the U.S. toy business, soon to follow the U.S. softgoods left for cheaper labor in Mexico, Taiwan, and similar places. While the union parking lots were filling up with American cars, the rest of the world made a decision to buy elsewhere.

That’s what happens in a global economy.

Now some genius added a “Buy American” stipulation to the Obama stimulus package (that sounds dirty doesn’t it? I got a package you can stimulate.)

The House of Representatives passed an 819 billion dollar version of the economic stimulus package Wednesday that contains a “Buy American” provision generally barring the purchase of foreign iron and steel for any stimulus-funded infrastructure project.

Buy American Iron and Steel only. As if the iron and steel mills can just throw some coal back on the burners and start pumping iron. Hello? That ship has sunk.

This puts us on the path of rewarding inefficient manufacturers.  Just like the Bank Bailout rewarded inefficient lenders. It puts on the path of investing in smokestacks, fer chrissakes.

Since 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, American workers would be the first to suffer as ‘Buy American’ provisions trigger retaliation by other countries — that is, ‘Buy German,’ ‘Buy Chinese,’ and so on,” said Chris Braddock of the US Chamber of Commerce.

The unions have just the opposite point of view: surprise. surprise. surprise.

It’s time for economic patriots to stand up in our country. We need to ensure that our laws are aggressively implemented to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used to put Americans back to work and help renew our economy,” said Leo Gerard, head of the United Steelworkers union, which supports the “Buy America” campaign.

Just as America is a melting pot of people we have become a melting pot of products. Toyotas, BMW’s, Hondas, Chevrolets, Fords, are a confluence of parts made in the U.S. and overseas. Some are assembled here. Some are assembled elsewhere.

Baby-boomer Magazine says Boomers could lead the resurggence of the economy if we all adopted a Buy American attitude.

Baby Boomers presently buy over 40% of the products and services in the United States. There is no question that Baby Boomers purchases have a great deal of impact on our US economy and in our time of recession the buying power of Baby Boomers is increasing considerably since Baby Boomers in general have been less impacted than other demographic groups.

That’s just silly.

Does this mean we only fly on American made planes? Only stay in American owned hotels that employ American staff on American soil?  We don’t drink French wine? We can’t buy a Wii? Boomers won’t use Canadian drugs? We have to smoke domestic pot? domestic cigars? OMG: Cruise ships! Hasta la Vista, baby. No more Chanel, Gucci, Nike, Adidas?

Well that’s just silly.