Is There Still Quality And Pride In America?

  I love living in America,  and I'm proud to be an American. I'll tell you right now I will never apologize for loving my country,  and taking a certain pride in being an American. There are some things that trouble me  now here in America. I sometimes, have to ask my self  what has happened to making things with pride and quality in America? Here is what I mean, there was a time not too long ago when, if  you bought a car in America,  it was a top quality vehicle and it was made here. out of top grade materials and you didn't have to spend an arm and a leg to buy it either. Today it seems,  that even if you buy an  American made car often times it still doesn't measure up in terms of over all quality and value.  Henry Ford produced the first  model A Ford in June of 1903 at a total cost of 360 dollars. Ford,  is best known  for the model T Ford which he first produced on August 12, 1908 at a total cost of 575 dollars. He used to say, that his cars may break down but they will never break because he personally supervised the production of  his cars. He is the father of the mass production assembly line which  lowered the cost of a car so everyone could own one. I guess Ford really did have a better idea. Today if you buy a car it cost a lot more than 560 dollars and it isn't long before parts begin to wear out then you have to buy replacement parts which is not always easy if the car is made in Germany or Japan. People today often prefer foreign cars  because they last longer. As I see it car factories can't produce real cars of quality because in America you have to pay union contacts and the cost of  most union labor is at least twice as much as the cost to produce the same car in Germany or Japan. How ironic that the United states soundly defeated both Germany and Japan and we still have US troops in both countries and yet today both countries produce better basic cars often at a lower price than we can here in the US. All I know is,  my dad drove a 1961 Chevrolet Impala,  from 1961 to 1985 and in all that time he changed the brakes once a year and changed the tires every three years and got a tune up twice a year and changed the oil every four months and  it ran great. Those were the days! My grandmother used to have hand made furniture from the 1800's that you could still use today. Why? because there was a time in this country,  when made in America,  meant made to last. Sometimes, I think If  I see made in China, one more time on anything, I may become physically ill. People used to make things by hand,  and they knew the quality of their work would  also determine their reputation and thus determine how long  they stayed in business. Remember when Zenith used to say, the quality goes in,   before the the name goes on? Now too often it seems,  the name goes on, because nobody knows what's going on, and quality has got nothing to do with it.
  Another thing  that troubles me,  is this politically correct idea to call yourself by your ethnic heritage be fore you say American. I am of English decent but I don't call myself an English American. Don't get me wrong I think it's great to know ones own  heritage and I love studying history. I know we have African Americans and Irish Americans Jewish Americans and every other ethnicity you could name speaking just for myself  however,  what  ever else I am, I am an American,  first. I think being an American, is still,  one of the greatest privileges on earth. Is there still pride and quality in America? Yes, because all we have to do as Americans,  is put a little pride,  and quality,  in ourselves. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just, some words,  to think on.