Martin Crutsinger of the AP has filed a terrific story on the challenges facing American manufacturing workers.  You can read it here.   

As Crutsinger points out, America has lost 3.2 million manufacturing jobs since 2000.  The fact that these workers are real people who worry about their future—and the future of their children—often gets lost in the statistical analysis. 

Policymakers and reporters in Washington should follow Crutsinger’s example, spending more time talking with real people like Dawn Zimmer and less time worshiping guys like the 18th Century’s Adam Smith, whose ideas have been so distorted by the proponents of unfettered trade at any cost that sometimes it’s hard to know his original meaning.

As the story notes, some policymakers suggest that we simply “compensate” the losers without changing course. 

If it’s not enough that we’ve already lost one in six manufacturing jobs, what will it take to spur that change? 

A shortage of essential semiconductors because of a supply disruption in Asia? 

An erosion of America’s middle class? 

A dangerous dependency on other nations for armored-plated steel? 

AAM wants to make sure that America wakes up before it is too late.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 10:52 pm and is filed under Manufacturing in the U.S., Economic Security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.