America Needs a Strong Manufacturing Sector
The U.S. must again become the leader in the global manufacturing industry and cannot simply sit idly by as a nation of consumers. However, in order to do this we must crate an environment that is conducive to economic growth. Reducing taxes, limiting regulation, and lowering government spending are all measure we can take now to make sure America continues to be the leader in the global marketplace. By doing the things necessary to help businesses grow and prosper we will also be creating jobs. America was built upon the hard work and innovation during our Industrial Revolution and we must continue to value the manufacturing sector of our economy and refuse to cede that control to China and other developing nations.
Radical Shifts Take Hold in U.S. Manufacturing
America’s industrial base is undergoing its most radical restructuring in decades as manufacturers rethink their businesses in the wake of the recession.
The latest moves are accelerating the U.S. manufacturing economy’s longer-term decline, as well as its shift away from heavy sectors, such as automobiles and basic chemicals, toward higher-tech products like super-fast computer chips. In some cases, as with auto makers, companies are shrinking to adjust to diminished U.S. demand or investing in smaller, more efficient facilities. In others, companies such as chemical makers are relocating labor-intensive operations to countries where workers are cheaper.
Overall, U.S. industrial capacity declined by an estimated 1% in 2009, the largest year-to-year decrease on record, while goods-producing businesses shed more than 2.3 million jobs. Read more at online.wsj.com
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America’s only hope is to let go of its over-romanticized notions of the Industrial Revolution and embrace new technologies, which to a large degree it appears business is already doing.
There are a number of innovations taking place in the business world right now, many of which have been discussed right here on Amplify. For example, there are companies in California and elsewhere that are working very hard to harness solar energy, including one company that has developed a prototype for using solar panels in roadways - an idea which, incidentally, if implemented on America’s highways would very nearly supply electricity to the entire planet.
These are the kinds of business innovations and ideas that the U.S. should back, not the outmoded heavy industries of the Industrial Revolution. That was then, this is now, as they say.
1 month agoTo an extent that’s true Eric, but if we are ever invaded, what is the plan, lure the enemy to the road and electrocute them? Even if we’re never invaded (despite the inevitability of this as seen throught the history of the world), does it make sense to buy our equipment from China to defend our interests from them? We could have a huge surplus of energy by just allowing all of our manufacturing plants to continue closing.
1 month ago