SmartenUp.org

The following is a list of companies confirmed by CNN that are exporting American jobs overseas.

If we continue to buy products or services from these companies we are a major part of the reason our country is in the state of economic disaster.  Please SmartenUp and stop buying from these companies.

3Com
3M

A
Aalfs Manufacturing
Aavid Thermal Technologies
ABC-NACO
Accenture
Access Electronics
Accuride Corporation
Accuride International
Adaptec
ADC
Adobe Systems
Advanced Energy Industries
Aetna
Affiliated Computer Services
AFS Technologies
A.G. Edwards
Agere Systems
Agilent Technologies
AIG
Alamo Rent A Car
Albany International Corp.
Albertson’s
Alcoa
Alcoa Fujikura
Allen Systems Group
Alliance Semiconductor
Allstate
Alpha Thought Global
Altria Group
Amazon.com
AMD
Americ Disc
American Dawn
American Express
American Greetings
American Household
American Management Systems
American Standard
American Uniform Company
AMETEK
AMI DODUCO
Amloid Corporation
Amphenol Corporation
Analog Devices
Anchor Glass Container
ANDA Networks
Anderson Electrical Products
Andrew Corporation
Anheuser-Busch
Angelica Corporation
Ansell Health Care
Ansell Protective Products
Anvil Knitwear
AOL
A.O. Smith
Apple
Applied Materials
Ark-Les Corporation
Arlee Home Fashions
Art Leather Manufacturing
Artex International
ArvinMeritor
Asco Power Technologies
Ashland
AstenJohnson
Asyst Technologies
Atchison Products, Inc.
A.T. Cross Company
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
A.T. Kearney
Augusta Sportswear
Authentic Fitness Corporation
Automatic Data Processing
Avanade
Avanex
Avaya
Avery Dennison
Azima Healthcare Services
Axiohm Transaction Solutions

B
Bank of America
Bank of New York
Bank One
Bard Access Systems
Barnes Group
Barth & Dreyfuss of California
Bassett Furniture
Bassler Electric Company
BBi Enterprises L.P.
Beacon Blankets
BearingPoint
Bear Stearns
BEA Systems
Bechtel
Becton Dickinson
BellSouth
Bentley Systems
Berdon LLP
Berne Apparel
Bernhardt Furniture
Best Buy
Bestt Liebco Corporation
Beverly Enterprises
Birdair, Inc.
BISSELL
Black & Decker
Blauer Manufacturing
Blue Cast Denim
Bobs Candies
Borden Chemical
Bourns
Bose Corporation
Bowater
BMC Software
Boeing
Braden Manufacturing
Briggs Industries
Brady Corporation
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol Tank & Welding Co.
Brocade
Brooks Automation
Brown Wooten Mills Inc.
Buck Forkardt, Inc.
Bumble Bee
Burle Industries
Burlington House Home Fashions
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway

C
Cadence Design Systems
Camfil Farr
Candle Corporation
Cains Pickles
Capital One
Cardinal Brands
Carrier
Carter’s
Caterpillar
C-COR.net
C&D Technologies
Cellpoint Systems
Cendant
Centis, Inc.
Cerner Corporation
Charles Schwab
ChevronTexaco
The Cherry Corporation
CIBER
Ciena
Cigna
Circuit City
Cirrus Logic
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Clear Pine Mouldings
Clorox
CNA
Coastcast Corp.
Coca-Cola
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Collins & Aikman
Collis, Inc.
Columbia House
Comcast Holdings
Comdial Corporation
Computer Associates
Computer Horizons
Computer Sciences Corporation
CompuServe
Concise Fabricators
Conectl Corporation
Conseco
Consolidated Metro
Continental Airlines
Convergys
Cooper Crouse-Hinds
Cooper Tire & Rubber
Cooper Tools
Cooper Wiring Devices
Copperweld
Cordis Corporation
Corning
Corning Cable Systems
Corning Frequency Control
Countrywide Financial
COVAD Communications
Covansys
Creo Americas
Cross Creek Apparel
Crouzet Corporation
Crown Holdings
CSX
Cummins
Cutler-Hammer
Cypress Semiconductor

D
Dana Corporation
Daniel Woodhead
Davis Wire Corp.
Daws Manufacturing
Dayton Superior
DeCrane Aircraft
Delco Remy
Dell Computer
DeLong Sportswear
Delphi
Delta Air Lines
Delta Apparel
Direct TV
Discover
DJ Orthopedics
Document Sciences Corporation
Dometic Corp.
Donaldson Company
Douglas Furniture of California
Dow Chemical
Dresser
Dun & Bradstreet
DuPont

E
Earthlink
Eastman Kodak
Eaton Corporation
Edco, Inc.
Editorial America
eFunds
Edscha
Ehlert Tool Company
Elbeco Inc.
Electroglas
Electronic Data Systems
Electronics for Imaging
Electro Technology
Eli Lilly
Elmer’s Products
E-Loan
EMC
Emerson Electric
Emerson Power Transmission
Emglo Products
Engel Machinery
En Pointe Technologies
Equifax
Ernst & Young
Essilor of America
Ethan Allen
Evenflo
Evergreen Wholesale Florist
Evolving Systems
Evy of California
Expedia
Extrasport
ExxonMobil

F
Fairfield Manufacturing
Fair Isaac
Fansteel Inc.
Farley’s & Sathers Candy Co.
Fasco Industries
Fawn Industries
Fayette Cotton Mill
FCI USA
Fedders Corporation
Federal Mogul
Federated Department Stores
Fellowes
Fender Musical Instruments
Fidelity Investments
Financial Techologies International
Findlay Industries
First American Title Insurance
First Data
First Index
Fisher Hamilton
Flowserve
Fluor
FMC Corporation
Fontaine International
Ford Motor
Foster Wheeler
Franklin Mint
Franklin Templeton
Freeborders
Frito Lay
Fruit of the Loom

G
Garan Manufacturing
Gateway
GE Capital
GE Medical Systems
Gemtron Corporation
General Binding Corporation
General Cable Corp.
General Electric
General Motors
Generation 2 Worldwide
Genesco
Georgia-Pacific
Gerber Childrenswear
GlobespanVirata
Goldman Sachs
Gold Toe Brands
Goodrich
Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Google
Graphic Controls
Greenpoint Mortgage
Greenwood Mills
Grote Industries
Grove U.S. LLC
Guardian Life Insurance
Guilford Mills
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

H
Haggar
Halliburton
Hamilton Beach/Procter-Silex
The Hartford Financial Services Group
Harper-Wyman Company
Hasbro Manufacturing Services
Hawk Corporation
Hawker Power Systems, Inc.
Haworth
Headstrong
HealthAxis
Hedstrom
Hein-Werner Corp.
Helen of Troy
Helsapenn Inc.
Hershey
Hewitt Associates
Hewlett-Packard
Hoffman Enclosures, Inc.
Hoffman/New Yorker
The Holmes Group
Home Depot
Honeywell
HSN
Hubbell Inc.
Humana
Hunter Sadler
Hutchinson Sealing Systems, Inc
HyperTech Solutions

I
IBM
iGate Corporation
Illinois Tool Works
IMI Cornelius
Imperial Home Decor Group
Indiana Knitwear Corp.
IndyMac Bancorp
Infogain
Ingersoll-Rand
Innodata Isogen
Innova Solutions
Insilco Technologies
Intel
InterMetro Industries
International Paper
Interroll Corporation
Intuit
Invacare
Iris Graphics, Inc.
Isola Laminate Systems
Iteris Holdings, Inc.
ITT Educational Services
ITT Industries

J
Jabil Circuit
Jacobs Engineering
Jacuzzi
Jakel, Inc.
JanSport
Jantzen Inc.
JDS Uniphase
Jockey International
John Crane
John Deere
Johns Manville
Johnson Controls
Johnson & Johnson
JPMorgan Chase
J.R. Simplot
Juniper Networks
Justin Brands

K
KANA Software
Kaiser Permanente
Kanbay
Kayby Mills of North Carolina
Keane
Kellogg
Kellwood
KEMET
KEMET Electronics
Kendall Healthcare
Kenexa
Kentucky Apparel
Kerr-McGee Chemical
KeyCorp
Key Industries
Key Safety Systems
Key Tronic Corp.
Kimberly-Clark
KLA-Tencor
Knight Textile Corp.
Kojo Worldwide Corporation
Kraft Foods
K2 Inc.
Kulicke and Soffa Industries
Kwikset

L
Lancer Partnership
Lander Company
LaCrosse Footwear
Lamb Technicon
Lau Industries
Lands’ End
Lawson Software
Layne Christensen
Leach International
Lear Corporation
Leech Tool & Die Works
Lehman Brothers
Leoni Wiring Systems
Levi Strauss
Leviton Manufacturing Co.
Lexmark International
Lexstar Technologies
Liebert Corporation
Lifescan
Lillian Vernon
Linksys
Linq Industrial Fabrics, Inc.
Lionbridge Technologies
Lionel
Littelfuse
LiveBridge
LNP Engineering Plastics
Lockheed Martin
Longaberger
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
Louisville Ladder Group LLC
Lowe’s
Lucent
Lund International
Lyall Alabama

M
Madill Corporation
Magma Design Automation
Magnequench
Magnetek
Maidenform
Mallinckrodt, Inc.
The Manitowoc Company
Manugistics
Marathon Oil
Maritz
Mars
Marshall Fields
Mattel
Master Lock
Materials Processing, Inc.
Maxim Integrated Products
Maxi Switch
Maxxim Medical
Maytag
McDATA Corporation
McKinsey & Company
MeadWestvaco
Mediacopy
Medtronic
Mellon Bank
Mentor Graphics Corp.
Meridian Automotive Systems
Merit Abrasive Products
Merrill Corporation
Merrill Lynch
Metasolv
MetLife
Micro Motion, Inc.
Microsoft
Midcom Inc.
Midwest Electric Products
Milacron
Modern Plastics Technics
Modine Manufacturing
Moen
Money’s Foods Us Inc.
Monona Wire Corp.
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motion Control Industries
Motor Coach Industries International
Motorola
Mrs. Allison’s Cookie Co.
Mulox

N
Nabco
Nabisco
NACCO Industries
National City Corporation
National Electric Carbon Products
National Life
National Semiconductor
NCR Corporation
neoIT
NETGEAR
Network Associates
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Window Furnishings
New World Pasta
New York Life Insurance
Nice Ball Bearings
Nike
Nordstrom
Northrop Grumman
Northwest Airlines
Nu Gro Technologies
Nu-kote International
NutraMax Products
Nypro Alabama

O
O’Bryan Brothers Inc.
Ocwen Financial
Office Depot
Ogden Manufacturing
Oglevee, Ltd
Ohio Art
Ohmite Manufacturing Co.
Old Forge Lamp & Shade
Omniglow Corporation
ON Semiconductor
Orbitz
Oracle
OshKosh B’Gosh
Otis Elevator
Outsource Partners International
Owens-Brigam Medical Co.
Owens Corning
Oxford Automotive
Oxford Industries

P
Pacific Precision Metals
Pak-Mor Manufacturing
palmOne
Parallax Power Components
Paramount Apparel
Parker-Hannifin
Parsons E&C
Paxar Corporation
Pearson Digital Learning
Peavey Electronics CorporationÊÊ
PeopleSoft
PepsiCo
Pericom Semiconductor
PerkinElmer
PerkinElmer Life Sciences, Inc.
Perot Systems
Pfaltzgraff
Pfizer
Phillips-Van Heusen
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Pitney Bowes
Plaid Clothing Company
Planar Systems
Plexus
Pliant Corporation
PL Industries
Polaroid
Polymer Sealing Solutions
Portal Software
Portex, Inc.
Portola Packaging
Port Townsend Paper Corp.
Power One
Pratt & Whitney
Price Pfister
priceline.com
Pridecraft Enterprises
Prime Tanning
Primus Telecom
Procter & Gamble
Progress Lighting
ProQuest
Providian Financial
Prudential Insurance

Q
Quaker Oats
Quadion Corporation
Quantegy
Quark
Qwest Communications

R
Radio Flyer
Radio Shack
Rainbow Technologies
Rawlings Sporting Goods
Rayovac
Raytheon Aircraft
RCG Information Technology
Red Kap
Regal-Beloit Corporation
Regal Rugs
Respiratory Support Products
Regence Group
R.G. Barry Corp.
Rich Products
River Holding Corp.
Robert Mitchell Co., Inc.
Rockwell Automations
Rockwell Collins
Rogers
Rohm & Haas
Ropak Northwest
RR Donnelley & Sons
Rugged Sportswear
Russell Corporation

S
S1 Corporation
S & B Engineers and Constructors
Sabre
Safeway
SAIC
Sallie Mae
Samsonite
Samuel-Whittar, Inc.
Sanford
Sanmina-SCI
Sapient
Sara Lee
Saturn Electronics & Engineering
SBC Communications
Schumacher Electric
Scientific Atlanta
Seal Glove Manufacturing
Seco Manufacturing Co.
SEI Investments
Sequa Corporation
Seton Company
Sheldahl Inc.
Shipping Systems, Inc.
Siebel Systems
Sierra Atlantic
Sights Denim Systems, Inc.
Signal Transformer
Signet Armorlite, Inc
Sikorsky
Silicon Graphics
Simula Automotive SafetyÊ
SITEL
Skyworks Solutions
SMC Networks
SML Labels
SNC Manufacturing CompanyÊ
SoftBrands
Sola Optical USA
Solectron
Sonoco Products Co.
Southwire Company
Sovereign Bancorp
Spectrum Control
Spicer Driveshaft Manufacturing
Springs Industries
Springs Window Fashions
Sprint
Sprint PCS
SPX Corporation
Square D
Standard Textile Co.
Stanley Furniture
Stanley Works
Stant Manufacturing
Starkist Seafood
State Farm Insurance
State Street
Steelcase
StorageTek
StrategicPoint Investment Advisors
Strattec Security Corp.
STS Apparel Corporation
Summitville Tiles
Sun Microsystems
Sunrise Medical
SunTrust Banks
Superior Uniform Group
Supra Telecom
Sure Fit
SurePrep
The Sutherland Group
Sweetheart Cup Co.
Swift Denim
Sykes Enterprises
Symbol Technologies
Synopsys
Synygy

T
Takata Retraint Systems
Target
Teccor Electronics
Techalloy Company, Inc.
Technotrim
Tecumseh
Tee Jays Manufacturing
Telcordia
Telect
Teleflex
TeleTech
Telex Communications
Tellabs
Tenneco Automotive
Teradyne
Texaco Exploration and Production
Texas Instruments
Textron
Thermal Industries
Therm-O-Disc, Inc.
Thomas & Betts
Thomasville Furniture
Thomas Saginaw Ball Screw Co.
Three G’s Manufacturing Co.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Time Warner
Tingley Rubber Corp.
The Timken Company
The Toro Company
Tomlinson Industries
Tower Automotive
Toys “R” Us
Trailmobile Trailer
Trans-Apparel Group
TransPro, Inc.
Trans Union
Travelocity
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Trend Technologies
TriMas Corp.
Trinity Industries
Triquint Semiconductor
TriVision Partners
Tropical Sportswear
TRW Automotive
Tumbleweed Communications
Tupperware
Tyco Electronics
Tyco International

U
UCAR Carbon Company
Underwriters Laboratories
UniFirst Corporation
Union Pacific Railroad
Unison Industries
Unisys
United Airlines
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
United Online
United Plastics Group
United States Ceramic Tile
United Technologies
Universal Lighting Technologies
USAA

V
Valence Technology
Valeo Climate Control
VA Software
Velvac
Vertiflex Products
Veritas
Verizon
VF Corporation
Viasystems
Vishay
Visteon
VITAL Sourcing

W
Wabash Alloys, L.L.C.
Wabash Technologies
Wachovia Bank
Walgreens
Walls Industries
Warnaco
Washington Group International
Washington Mutual
WebEx
WellChoice
Wellman Thermal Systems
Walls Industries
Werner Co.
West Corporation
Weavexx
Weiser Lock
West Point Stevens
Weyerhaeuser
Whirlpool
White Rodgers
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company
Winpak Films
Wolverine World Wide
Woodstock Wire Works
WorldCom
World Kitchen
Wyeth
Wyman-Gordon Forgings

X
Xerox
Xpectra Incorporated
Xpitax

Y
Yahoo!
Yarway Corporation
York International

Z
Zenith
ZettaWorks

Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

I’m the last one in the world that wants to scare you off of doing your holiday shopping online, but I want you to be careful and use your head.  You’ve heard it all before “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”.

We are all in the middle of the Holiday Shopping feeding frenzy and now more then probably ever before we are looking for bargains.  This also leaves us vulnerable to Internet Scams as we might let our guards down.

The FBI reported more than 275,000 complaints last year with reported losses of $265 million, and average loss of $931 per complaint.  Most complaints were non-delivered goods or payments and auction fraud.

• Bogus online classified ads and auctions: Criminals post products they don’t have, or, in some cases, use stolen credit card numbers to purchase merchandise they offer in auctions. In another scam, criminals may promise free delivery and provide customers with free “paid” shipping labels that are fake and won’t be honored by shippers.
  Tips: Don’t provide financial information directly to sellers, use a legitimate payment service like Paypal. Check each seller’s feedback ratings and proven track record.
• Phony gift cards: As with merchandise, be cautious about buying gift cards through classifieds or auctions.
  Tip: Buy directly from a merchant or authorized retailer. Counterfeit cards won’t be honored.
• Phishing: These time-tested scams arrive by e-mail or text message, directing recipients to follow a link or call a number to correct or update account information. Would-be victims are sent to fraudulent or spoofed websites that look legitimate and directed to provide their account information and personal details. 
  Tips: Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mail. Don’t click on e-mail links or download attachments from unknown senders.

Here are some more tips:

• Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.
  
• Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they actually match and will lead you to a legitimate site.
  
• Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify if the e-mail is genuine.
• Make sure the website is secure and it’s not a cloned website. If you want to deal with a business, go directly to their official website

The drip pan on the grill does not allow for adequate drainage, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. Link to Original Link to comments

The sleepwear fails to meet the federal children’s sleepwear flammability standard posing a risk of burn injury to children. Link to Original Link to comments

We beg you to SmartenUp.

The link at the bottom of this page points to a story from 2003 that discusses the 250,000 call center jobs that have been lost to India and the Philippines between 2001 and 2003. The story goes on to point out that there is always a steady stream of young recent college graduates in their 20s filling these positions.

Forrester Research estimated that 3.3 million service industry jobs, including call centers, and $136 billion in wages, will move to countries like India, Russia, China and the Philippines.

Some of the jobs they talk about losing to the overseas markets are presale queries, technical support, e-mail handling, online chat, travel and consumer services, and medical and legal transcriptions services.

Just last month, Dell Inc. said that in response to complaints it would no longer route tech support calls from some U.S. corporate computing customers to India, and instead handle them in the United States. Dell would not discuss the complaints, though callers are known to have been dissatisfied with agents’ inability – or lack of authority – to solve their problems.

As a hedge against such troubles, the Philippines has a Call Center Academy that focuses on teaching English proficiency, as well as American culture, call center technology and sales, telemarketing and customer service skills.

In the Philippines a call center agent’s starting pay is between $218 to $273 monthly.

I have posted this old story here so that we look back and see what was known by the government and the other powers that be many years ago and did nothing to protect us from the economical disaster we are suffering now. The recent events caused by our corrupt banking industry, Wall Street, and politicians are not the only reasons for the problems we suffer today in 2009.

As a people we need to SmartenUp and no longer continue to believe that our government and big business is on our side. If we don’t smarten up and do something about this immediately we are going to be in much worse trouble then we are today.

250,000 Call Center Jobs Drift Overseas

Well, the holiday shopping season is upon us and I want to put a few thoughts into your head, or maybe it’s a request, or maybe even a plea.  Buy from the little guys this holiday season.

Small business owners are trying to keep their businesses afloat, pay their bills and simply feed their family.  Millions of them are hanging on by a thread and if they go under they will be in the Welfare Line, The Bankruptcy Courts, Divorce Courts, and maybe even have to join the criminal element (to feed their families).  This is the kind of thing that happens in our society when things go from tough to impossible (for the masses).

You see, big business has and continues to do everything and anything they can to squash small business because they take away from their bottom line, from their million dollar bonuses, the millions of dollars that go to the Venture Capitalists, and the millions of dollars that all the other stock holders and other investors take out of the pie.  To them it is all about the bottom line, and how they can get richer off the backs of the consumer.

Do you ever think about how much your groceries would cost if we only had to pay the fair price for them?  Well if you don’t you should, for sake of your family, for the sake of our economy, and for the quality of your life and for our country’s future.

Think about this for a moment…  If you paid the fair price for an ear of corn you’d be paying about 11 cents a piece, or at the very most 14 cents a piece.  You see, at today’s 11/19/2009 prices the farmer is getting about 7 cents an ear on average.  Mark it up by 1.5 (150%) and you get 11 (rounded) or 14 if you mark it up 2.0 (200%).  Now, at a 2.0 markup the price should definitely cover marketing and distribution costs and give everybody a fair profit.  Except for maybe the farmer but that’s a whole other story.

So if we were paying 42 cents for 3 ears of corn instead the 3 (or sometimes 4) for a buck then we just cut our grocery bill by 58%.  That $2 to $3 gallon of milk just went down to 84 cents or $1.26.  Are you getting the picture?  So for the sake argument let’s even say the markup should be 3x we’d still be cutting our grocery bill by 37%.  So can you imagine if your expenses across the board dropped by anywhere from 37% to 58%?  How much better would the quality of your life be?  At 3 ears for a buck you paying close to a 5x markup, and remember that $50 tank of gas you just bought just went down to something in the neighborhood of $20 to $25

Now big business would argue that it’s the cost of doing business and it takes a 5x markup to bring that ear of corn to your table, but don’t believe that for a minute because when you consider the fact somebody like Steven Burd CEO of Safeway supermarkets made 97.29 million dollars over a recent 5 year period (19mil per year) you’d have to be pretty stupid (okay, uninformed) to believe anything big business has to say.  That 19 million dollars per year also doesn’t even include all the other executive compensations or the numerous other VCs and investors that skim their riches off the top too.  So where does all the profit come from that enables them to reap such rewards?  That’s right; it comes from over charging you and I the stupid (uniformed) consumer for their groceries and everything else we buy.

If they paid you $1,000,000.00 per year do you think you could run (with all your advisors) a company like Safeway?  I think with a little common sense decision making that you could, so the point is that these greedy overpaid CEOs are not worth the money they get paid like they want you to believe, and especially not at the expense of we the consumer.

So what does this all have to do with buying from the little guy or small business?  Remember, small business owners are just trying to feed their families, pay their bills, and give a other people jobs.  On the other hand the CEOs are getting filthy rich and buying 10 houses and cars, and passing down their millions to their kids so they can continue the tradition of being filthy rich at our expense.

I hope this gives you something to think about when you’re making your holiday purchases this year, and in the future.  There are millions of small businesses out there to choose from especially on the Internet.  Please consider buying from one of them instead of one that puts most of your money into the 11^th house the CEO wants to buy.

Jerry