Calaveras County - Congressman John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek), former Lieutenant Governor and member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited last week’s meeting of the California Transportation Commission to rally support for a bill designed to guarantee more transportation products are produced in America.

The meeting took place in Murphys last Thursday, and Garamendi said he was glad to return home to what is his native county.

Garamendi said the “Buses, Rail Cars, Ferryboats: Make it in America Act of 2010” will eliminate certain waivers and obligate federal funding for capital public transportation projects only if they use homegrown manufactured goods like steel and iron.

“Whether they realize it or not, every transportation agency represented in this room is on the frontlines of one of the most important battles of the 21st century,” said Garamendi. “With your procurement decisions, you decide whether America will thrive in the decades ahead or if we’ll witness a slow decline.”

Garamendi referred to the “Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge boondoggle” as an example “of American jobs thrown away with the help of public money.” He said the project has been marred in delays and cost overruns caused by shoddy steel manufacturing from China.

“Can countries with atrocious labor and environmental standards sometimes produce goods a little bit cheaper than American workers? Sure, but that’s a shallow way of looking at our economy,” said Garamendi. “As we saw with the Bay Bridge, sometimes you get what you pay for. Even more importantly, supply chains matter. American workers pay American taxes and spend money at local businesses. With increased demand, these businesses expand and hire new workers, creating even more local demand along with tax revenues that can then be used in additional infrastructure. This cycle of growth and prosperity must be our nation’s priority in the years ahead.”

Currently, well over 12 percent of California workers are struggling to find employment. Garamendi said approximately 12,000 to 20,000 American jobs are offshored every month.

“With the local, state, and federal tax dollars you receive, you need to Make it in America to save the America we love,” said Garamendi. “If we don’t Make it in America, we won’t make it in America. Manufacturing matters.”

The bill was introduced in July and will be discussed by Congress later this year.

Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.