NASA allows China and other countries to sell NASA-logoed products around the world. Congress can pass legislation to require that these American iconic products are made in the USA.

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By Joel D. Joseph, Founder, Made in the USA Foundation

I just returned from George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas. Houston is the home of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA. At the Houston airport there is a store called "Space Corner" that sells NASA-logo gear, hats, T-shirts and other souvenirs. The problem is that all of the NASA gear sold at Houston Airport is made overseas, in China, Haiti, Honduras and Mexico.

The United States government created NASA, which has been a big success, landing on the moon in 1969 and launching another moon project in the near future. Our only significant space competitor is China.

All NASA gear should be made in the USA. I don't want a NASA souvenir that is made in China, and neither do the millions of tourists who walk through George Bush International Airport.

Congress can solve this problem easily by granting NASA a trademark on its name and logo and requiring that NASA license only American manufacturers to make its hats and T-shirts. A royalty would go to NASA to help pay for our space program.

National Parks

NASA is not the only target for souvenir importers. Every national park in the United States now sells imported sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats emblazoned with Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Shenandoah and many more. These names belong to the American people. National Parks are an American invention and we should be able to control where its iconic souvenirs are manufactured.

Congressman Steve Israel introduced two bills that I strongly support, "American Parks American Products Act" and "Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act." The "American Parks American Products Act" would require the National Park Service to only sell merchandise that is made in the United States, and the "Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act" would authorize Small Business Administration (SBA) loans that would assist businesses that want to re-shore manufacturing jobs.

"We need to do more to encourage American companies to move the production of their goods back to U.S. soil," said Congressman Israel. "If we want American manufacturing to thrive again, then we need to show that we believe in the significance of the 'Made in the USA' label. That is why I am introducing two bills that will require our National Parks to exclusively sell merchandise produced in America, and provide loans through the Small Business Administration to firms that want to bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas."

American Iconic Cities

Like our iconic national parks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other souvenirs with San Francisco, New York, New Orleans and Chicago printed on them are imported. Congress can grant every city and state the trademark rights to its own name. Then these jurisdictions can license local manufacturers to make products with their famous names on them and earn royalties as well. If this becomes law, we will no longer bear witness to New Orleans T-shirts that are made in Haiti and El Salvador. New Orleans needs the jobs, as do many other American cities. If San Francisco had the trademark on its name and you buy a T-shirt that proclaims, "I left my Heart in San Francisco," you can will be able to leave your dollars in San Francisco and not overseas.

T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts are easy to make domestically. We grow excellent cotton in the United States, including Supima, which is the finest cotton in the world. We spin Supima and other cotton into thread and then knit and weave them into fabrics in the United States. Cutting and sewing the fabric into hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts can easily be done in America with sewing machines and skilled labor. Dov Charney of American Apparel, and now Los Angeles Apparel, has proven that we can manufacture clothing at modest prices domestically. Charney manufactures his shirts in Los Angeles, paying his workers $15 an hour or more. Workers in the Southeast will do the same work for half as much.

Not every American can grow up to become an astronaut, but many can make NASA products in their hometown. Similarly, American sports franchises can require that Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers souvenirs are made in the United States. Americans can proudly make these iconic souvenirs in the United States. Football, baseball and basketball fans alike would prefer to buy their favorite team's shirts and hats when they are made in the United States.

Authors Website: http://www.calrecycles.com

Authors Bio:

CEO of California Association for Recycling All Trash, www.Calrecycles.com and CEO of Genuine-American Merchandise & Equipment, www.genuine-american.com, manufacturers of tennis equipment in the USA (Tennis Wellbow, Good Vibe vibration dampener and Mother Deuce: a children's book about tennis.www.genuine-american.com) Former Chairman, Made in the USA Foundation, economist and lawyer, author of 18 books and hundreds of articles.