Businesses could be fined as much as $625 for selling U.S. or Iowa flags made in other countries under legislation an eastern Iowa lawmaker plans to propose. “I personally don’t want my coffin draped in a Chinese-made flag when I pass away,” said Rep. Ray Zirkelbach, a Monticello Democrat and Iraq war veteran who will introduce the bill later this week. A draft copy of the proposal provided to The Des Moines Register shows that business owners or operators would face simple misdemeanor charges for violations. In addition to fines, people could face as much as 30 days in jail for selling a foreign-made flag. Iowa’s law would mirror one in Minnesota enacted less than a year ago. Minnesota’s fine is up to $1,000 and three months in jail. In 2006, Americans imported $5.3 million of foreign-made flags, most of which came from China, according to the Flag Manufacturers Association of America. Jane Carberry, an owner of A-D Flag Headquarters in Des Moines, said Zirkelbach’s proposal has already won her support. She said her business has been open since 1958 and has never sold a foreign-made flag. “Foreign-made flags can be produced quite a bit cheaper, so they can sell them cheaper,” Carberry said. “It’s hard to compete.”
YES!
Nationalism! Jingoism! Scapegoating!
These are the qualities that made America great.
If these guys want to pass a law that helps Americans, they should find creative and legal ways to fix the fissure that our jobs are leaking out of, instead of this transparent pandering flag bullshit.
I thought the American Flag represented the right to purchase cheap goods produced overseas by low-wage workers, as long as a US corporation can somehow profit from the transaction.
Another smokescreen.
Nice to see that lawmakers are busy with important issues. I think it’s time for another legislative raise! And maybe more benefits and vacation time while we’re at it! Write to your legislators now!
this is unconstitutional – states do not get to control imports and exports.
yeah but he’ll still be buried in a chinese made coffin……
Is it OK if the cloth, thread, sewing machine, and color dye are from China?
This parallels the post on Muslims wanting to ban images of Muhamed. Certain propagandists really want unthinking Americans to worship graven images, it stops political unrest when the sheep are gently grazing.
Their biggest disappointment is that we can’t have a superbowl everyday to put the electorate permanently asleep.
All they have to do is set up shop and use illegal aliens to make the flags when the farming season is over. Problem solved!
Interesting! This is going to be introduced by a Democrat, with paltry misdemeanor fines and jail time for business operators who violate the law, but I see a perfect opportunity for one-upmanship. I predict that a Republican will introduce a competing measure to make it a felony, or even a capital crime. Yes, death to treasonous, flag-importing violators!
Election years are great for this sort of grandstanding. Also look for some interesting ballot measures designed to appeal to a party’s base, designed primarily to increase voter turnout.
Nothing new here, this is already law in other states.
Yup, there it is, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3:
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
Sure sounds like it is outside the jurisdiction of Iowa. Makes for a good headline though.
# 8 wankhairil said
As well….don’t forget the immigrant Chinese (or Mexican, Asian) worker putting it all together!
Instead of doing this why not turn it around?
The US government ought to subsidize a USA flag manufacturer making CHINESE flags with USA materials and labour cheaper than what Chinese pay for them in China! This would save face for the US! That is how you do it! Of course this manufacture would make USA flags as well.
This of course will never happen but shows the difference in cultures as Chinese worry more about saving face then Americans.
A common complaint from Asian tourists about the US (and other countries) is any souvenir they want to buy is made in China and on top of that very expensive! If there were made in USA souvenirs available even if more expensive Asians would buy it!
The made in China USA souvenirs are bought by non-Asian tourists who don;t really give a damn where it was made. This is the difference between the two cultures.
This is so common sense. :/
Cheers
Leave it to the politicians to be totally negligent on things THAT REALLY matter and waste their time in crap like this.
Remember when the (mostly conservatives) were all hyped up about a constitutional flag burning amendment when virtually nobody was actually burning flags?
Does anyone else find it hilarious that the Flag Manufacturers Association of America even exists? Seriously…they need a trade association? Im glad to see governments continuing the tradition of wasting time and money on frivolous legislation.
#16 rhinodj – Oh yeah! That makes this even funnier and dumber yet!
ACWAI (Ack-why- Americans, the Collective Wisdom of Average Ignorance) 😉
Cheers
Wow ! With all the wisdom shown here, what could I possibly add but a …mooo ! (I’m not a sheeple)
How is this supposed to help the country, it wont solve the economy problems, seems like nationalism “force it in your face”. We are an economy based in trade , we preach capitalism. All we are doing is build a bubble around us, it not bullet proof and once it blows its going to be a pain in the A and face well deverve.
#19 Luis
I have been waiting so long for someone to say “we preach capitalism”! 🙂
That’s the major difference between the US and other trading countries. The US is too evangelical in forcing its views onto other countries – “We are here to ‘save’ you!”
Cheers
#18 DeLeMa
LOL! Mooo 😆
Two cows in a field chewing their cud.
The first cow asks the second cow “Aren’t you worried about mad cow disease?”
The second cow says “Nope not at all”
The first cow asks “Why on Earth not!?”
The second cow says “‘Cause I’m a duck”
Cheers
Seems like an opportunity to repeat my favorite aphorism about patriotism and professional patriots:
Folks ask me if I’m proud that I’m an American. I have to tell them I’m embarrassed to admit I’m from Earth.
“I personally don’t want my coffin draped in a Chinese-made flag when I pass away,” said Rep. Ray Zirkelbach,
Racist much?
Cracker please, this country was made from enslaving labor and religious cooks.
#15 – Remember when the (mostly conservatives) were all hyped up about a constitutional flag burning amendment when virtually nobody was actually burning flags?
That is a cyclical issue. It will rear its ugly head again.
Personally, I would never dream of burning an American flag in protest of anything.
On the other hand, if that amendment were ever to pass, I’d support ripping up flags and using them as fuses from Molotov cocktails to be lobbed at the Capitol Building.
#16 – Does anyone else find it hilarious that the Flag Manufacturers Association of America even exists?
Now that you mention it… Yes!
#18 – (I’m not a sheeple)
That’s what everybody says.
i agree that this is the most important issue facing america right now and that all other items on the legislative agenda must be set aside until our elected officials can settle this matter once and for all.
the more i think about it, the more silly it sounds that there might be something more important than the protecting the purity of the american flag.
conservatives clearly have their priorities straight.
#25 – Whoa there man… Watch what you are typing. These expensive new monitors are very sensitive to sarcasm. You nearly killed a dozen pixels there.
I actually like the idea. For too long big business has sold out our heritage to the lowest bidder.
At least we can make some guarantees to our citizens that SOMETHING is made in the USA.
The only thing we make anymore is atom bombs and fighter jets, and even now Boeing is outsourcing their plane construction to the Chinese Communists.
#27 Rick Cain
Correction: “…to the Chinese Capitalists.”
Cheers
#27 – At least we can make some guarantees to our citizens that SOMETHING is made in the USA.
If only it were something we needed or consumed frequently.
I’ve never bought a flag, but if I did, I imagine I’d buy a grand total of one (and a pole, I guess) in a lifetime.
I want to see things that matter made here. Not empty jingoistic symbols.