POLLS - August 2004

AUGUST POLL

JULY RESULTS

Majority Believes Berry Still Meaningful

Last month, UniformMarket examined and questioned the relevancy of the Berry Amendment, a law which states, in part, that end items, components, and materials purchased with funds made available to the Department of Defense must be produced wholly in the United States. Given the condition of manufacturing in this country and the lifting of quotas come January, 2005, we wondered if provisions like Berry still made sense. So as an adjunct to the story, we decided to survey our readers. We asked, “Do you think the Berry Amendment and other similar legislation attempting to encourage a “Made in America” product are still meaningful?”

The response was an overwhelming yes. Berry was considered vital to a whopping 82% of those who responded, while a mere 18% believed it unnecessary. “It is much too little too late,” one respondent commented. “There are very few U.S. textile manufacturers left.” Another noted the hypocrisy of Berry . “Why should the government or the DOD be the only ones to be made in the USA ?,” he wondered. “We should follow the money offshore like everything else.” And another reader pointed out the loopholes in Berry : “Without proper inspections, we know that the average U.S. company will cheat,” said the respondent.