SPRINGFIELD —My 4-year-old daughter read her first complete sentence the other day.

But instead of feeling joy in her accomplishment, I couldn't help but feel a bit of unease for her future and our nation's.

The sentence she read is embossed on just about every toy she owns: "Made in China."

We're becoming a nation that doesn't make anything.

When I was growing up in Galesburg, the town made refrigerators, lawnmowers, outboard motors, steel buildings, microwave ovens and rubber hoses.

Now none of those things — or much of anything else — is made there.

When I shop — whether it be for an appliance or pair of shoes— I try to buy American.

It takes extra effort, but it still can be done.

I wear a pair of boots made in Redwing, Minn., Army-surplus dress shoes made in Belleville and sneakers made in Lawrenceville, Mass.

In case you think I do this solely out of patriotism, think again. Americans make things better than most people.

The dress shoes and boots will last decades (with a little help from the local cobbler.) The sneakers fit perfectly — the right size and width, unlike most foreign-made pairs.

But it is increasingly frustrating to try to buy American.

If you don't believe me, try this: When a salesperson comes up to you in a store and asks if she can help, ask for something "made in the USA" and then watch for the blank look.

I've done this in appliance stores and seen salesmen scurrying from refrigerator to refrigerator, stove to stove trying to figure out which one — if any — was American-made.

Judging by the reaction, not many people ask about where something is made.

And don't be fooled by brand names. I drive a Honda Pilot — made in Alabama. My wife drives a Chevrolet Impala that she was assured was "American-made." She later found out it was built in Canada.

Maybe the salesman meant "North American-made." Yeah, that's the ticket.

When I was a kid, toys were solid, dependable and came from places you'd heard of — wood blocks from Moline, marbles from Ottawa and Tonka trucks from Mound, Minn.

Now when I buy a plaything for one of my daughters, it's almost inevitably made overseas.

It makes me a bit sad and I can't help but wonder about their future — and our nation's.

Wealth is generated from sweat — digging coal from the ground, picking corn, turning raw steel into machines.

I want my girls to know hard work. But will there be work for them to know?

• SCOTT REEDER has been a Statehouse reporter more than 10 years. He can be reached through The Times by e-mailing lonnyc@mywebtimes.com.