There is another side to this, too. I find it difficult to impossible, to find the goods I wish to purchase, here in Wyoming, so I rarely buy local. When I do buy, I have gotten to the point where I look for a foreign label, for cotton clothes, becasue as near as I can tell, most affordable American-made clothing is polyester/nylon, etc.

I do buy only from companies which I know support their workers, such as Marketplace India, which markets goods from women's work collectives, with the better share of the profit going right back to the women business owners. Also, from DEVA which is in N. Dakota and is a green company; makes beautiful cotton clothes. There are a couple of hemp clothing manufacturer's whom I've purchsed from, also.

If we want to spend it here, they've got to make it here. I am sorry to hear about Dexter!

Carol and Alice, thanks for the links!

kat