XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Thursday 24 February 2011

U.S. Government Gift Shops Import Patriotic Products -- from China... -

U.S. Government Gift Shops Import Patriotic Products -- from China... -




Tens of millions flock to the Smithsonian museums in Washington each year to see Americana -- everything from Abraham Lincoln's top hat to Archie Bunker's chair.
But one thing you'll have a hard time finding is something American in the gift shop.


Take the miniature sculptures of presidents sold at the National Museum of American History, located right on the Mall in the nation's capital.
From the busts of George Washington to Barack Obama, they were made in China.
Last month Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, was so outraged by the situation that he fired off a letter demanding that the museum sell products made in the USA. 
"It appears that a museum owned by the people of the United States, celebrating the history of the United States, cannot find companies in this country employing American workers that are able to manufacture statues of our founding fathers, or our current president," Sanders said in a letter to the museum.