A society without a strong manufacturing base will not have the financial means to sustain communities and the livelihood of its members without a significant contribution from government, which is what we are clearly seeing today.
I was reading your (April 2011 First Up) article, and I couldn't help but think to myself how right-on you are with your assessment of the state of manufacturing in our country. I was raised as a "factory" kid. My father, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends all worked for a major automotive manufacturer in the area. We built our lives based on the premise that "the Plant" would always be there. There was no question in some people's minds that they would someday work at the place their grandfather and father worked. That dream was shattered when the plant closed, leaving thousands out of jobs and thousands more without a future. This tragedy could have been avoided, had our society been more focused on the value that manufacturing brings to our lives vs. the ideology that "my children will never work in a factory." The bottom line is just as you state -- there can only be so many executives and service employees. A society without a strong manufacturing base will not have the financial means to sustain communities and the livelihood of its members without a significant contribution from government, which is what we are clearly seeing today.
To read the full, original article click on this link: IndustryWeek : U.S. Must Regain Status as Innovators in Manufacturing
