Have you noticed what has been going on in this country lately? Many people have been losing their jobs as a result of the national deficit. The reason we have a deficit is because our country imports more than we export. When most people think of imported goods, they think of Japanese products. In fact, we are Japan's number one customer. We buy many electronic components from Japan. In return, we sell them food products.

Industry and textile states like Massachusetts are being hit hard by the national debt. You can't expect Congress to fix it all by themselves, you can help in little ways. You can buy an American product instead of a foreign one. Many people don't buy American products because they are too expensive or they think that an American product is unreliable. That assumption is not true. In the past four or five years, American products have come a long way (especially American automobiles).

I am not saying that I dislike the Japanese, in fact, I admire them for their successfulness in business and technology. As a matter of fact, I belong to Renshinkan, a style of Karate which originated on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan. But the amount of things made in Japan is ridiculous, but sad at the same time. It is also sad because it means that America is not number one anymore. n