Heading for a Hall: AAM goes to Denver
Posted by SCapozzola on August 19th, 2008Pre-Convention Forum to Highlight U.S. Jobs Lost to China
Town Hall Meeting Will Focus on Trade Agenda for Next President
Thursday, August 21 – 6:30 p.m. – Mile High Station, Denver, Colorado
DENVER – On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, a panel of trade experts, business and labor leaders, and elected officials will lead a discussion on the devastating impact the growing trade deficit with China is having on American jobs and manufacturing, and outline what the new president needs to do about it.
The U.S.-China trade imbalance has cost 2.3 million American jobs between 2001 and 2007, according to a report released last month by the Economic Policy Institute. Every state lost jobs, with Colorado shedding 33,800. These displaced workers lost an average of $8,146 in wages last year as they moved to lower-paying jobs. Nearly a third of the displaced workers had college degrees and more than 500,000 jobs were lost in high-tech advanced technology products.
The Alliance for American Manufacturing, which is sponsoring the town hall meeting, has called on presidential and congressional candidates to make strengthening manufacturing and holding China accountable top priorities in the fall campaign, and outline an agenda that includes getting China to honor its commitments on trade and stop illegal dumping, subsidies and currency manipulation.
WHAT: Keep It Made in America Town Hall Meeting. Learn why manufacturing is so important to good jobs and national security, and how China’s unfair trade practices are threatening the future of manufacturing. Free admission.
WHEN: August 21 – 5 p.m. dinner; 6:30 p.m. event
WHERE: Mile High Station
2027 West Lower Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado
WHO: Sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a nonpartisan partnership of leading U.S. manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. Panelists will include:
• Scott Paul, Executive Director, Alliance for American Manufacturing
• Mike Cerbo, Executive Director, Colorado AFL-CIO
• Dave Anderson, Director, Colorado Springs Manufacturing Task Force
• Chris Nevitt, Member, Denver City Council
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August 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
If you were really interested in saving American manufacturing, you’d be lobbying against ‘free trade’ because it isn’t about trade at all. Those agreements are investment agreements for the multinational corporations. The alleged goal was to create an integrated global economy but with a billion and a half people in COMMUNIST China and 1.2 billion people in India, America can’t compete and that’s just a fact of the numbers.
What the trade agreements are doing is creating cartels and the cartels are using labor arbitrage to drive down the standard of living. The importation of cheap labor is being used as a temporary band-aid but ultimately that’s a self-defeating strategy that won’t work either. The only thing that will work is protectionism. And anybody who doesn’t think America and the American way of life is worth protecting doesn’t deserve to live in America.
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
HELLO I JUST LISTENED TO 4 VERY INFORMED MEN ON C-SPAN ONE FROM AFL-CIO ANOTHER FROM YOUR ORANIZATION IN DENVER AND I’D LIKE TO KNOW HOW I CAN BECOME INVOLVED? IF EVERY AMERICAN THAT CARED ABOUT THE FABRIC OF AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN WAY LISTENED AND ABSORBED WHAT THESE 4 MEN HAD TO SAY, THEN WE’D HAVE OUR ARMY TO GET SOME THINGS CHANGED, I’VE BEEN WATCHING MY COUNTRY DISOLVE BEFORE MY EYE’S OVER THE PAST 8 YEARS AND THE 8 YRS OF HIS OLDMAN DIDNT HELP THINGS, MY POLITICAL OPINION DOESNT MATTER HERE CAUSE BOTH PARTIES ARE TO BLAME. WE ALL NEED TO GET IN THE FRAME OF MIND AS OUR FORETAFATHERS DID IN 1776 JUST IN CASE THIS NEXT ADMINISTRATION DECIDES TO SIT ON THIER HANDS WHILE THIS COUNTRY GETS IN OVER TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN, I’M STONE SICK AND TIRED OF WATCHING OUR DO NOTHING CONGRESS TAKE LONG VACATIONS AND VOTE FOR HIGHER PAY RAISES FOR THEMSELVES WHILE THEY SELL OFF THIS COUNTRY ONE PIECE AT A TIME AND WE ALL WILL WAKE UP ONE MORNING UNDER ANOTHER FLAG IF OUR FAT AND LAZY GREEDY AMERICAN CITIZENS DONT WAKE UP AND DEMAND PRODUCTS MADE IN AMERICA AND START BOYCOTTING COMPANYS THAT THIER JUNK, I GREW UP IN A TIME WHEN LEVIS WERE MADE IN USA ALMOST EVERYTHING WE PURCHASED SAID MADE IN USA AND NOW WALK THROUGH WAL-MART AND JUST TRY TO FIND SOMETHING MADE IN USA, I DID IT ONE DAY AND THERE IS NOTHING IN A BOX MADE IN THE USA IN THE WHOLE BIG ASS STORE, MY WAGES AS A MASTER PLUMBER HAVE PLUMETED TO ALMOST NOTHING CAUSE I CANT INSTALL AN AMERICAN MADE PRODUCT, IF YOU ALL GIVE ME THE RESOURCES AND THE ABILITY TO GO AROUND TO EVERY AMERICAN TOWN IN EVERY STATE TO GET THE WORD OUT TO OTHER AMERICANS WILLING TO GIVE UP A LITTLE TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON OUR FEET, EVERYTIME I NEED HELP WITH A PRODUCT I’VE GOT SOMEONE ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE THAT I CANT UNDERSTAND (INDIA) TAKE AMERICA ON LINE FOR EXAMPLE, THESE COMPANYS SHOULD HAVE THIER ASSES FINED OFF FOR OUTSOURCING AMERICAN JOBS, I’VE GOT TO MUCH TO SAY ON THIS ISSUE, WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE THERE ISNT AN AMERICA TO WAKE UP TO!
August 25th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Two years ago, I expressed how I felt about the offshoring of
American manufacturing and American jobs and what I had to
say has been widely published.
Read my letter to Lou Dobbs here:
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2006/082806LIQUORMAN.html
Read my commentary, OFFSHORE THIS! here:
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2006/092606LIQUORMAN.html
I am originally from NC, once the textile capital and probably
the furniture capital of the world. Now one of the biggest home
furnishings plants built in the mid 1960’s (Burlington Ind.) in
Reidsville, NC is reduced to a small operation making string!
They used to make drapery for much of the country. I lived
in Greensboro for many years and there were many factories making
fabric, clothes, etc. The companies all went bankrupt.
As I recall in the early 1960’s some sheets from China appeared
at JC Penneys and there was much talk about what that could do
to the industry. Among the people who worked for the textile
companies, there were warnings not to buy them because that
could devastate the industry. If workers could see and understand
this 50 years ago, how in the world did the great thinkers in our
government and the CEOs in all the manufacturing companies manage
to get us into such a mess. I can only believe it was greed and a
lot of stupidity.
There are many of us no longer willing to buy made in China goods.
The first thing that I look for, even in the grocery store, is MADE
IN USA on the label.
I am sick and tired of foreign goods, and things are still falling
apart every time I turn around.
Other than refusing to buy Chinese goods and yes, even Mexican made
products, what can we do? Screaming your head off will probably
never get the attention of the people who sold us down the river.
But, I still believe that one voice will be heard if it is loud
enough, and a large group of voices can make a difference. And the
internet may be a power that they never imagined.
I hope American manufacturers will realize that only big MADE IN USA
labels can be easily found and read. I have had to point out country of’
origin to many people in grocery stores. Some do not realize that
distributed by Walmart does not indicate where products originate. One
lady, that I met, thought everything labeled distributed by Walmart was
made in Arkansas! And she was mistaken about other distributors as well.
What many Americans need is to be educated about locating USA made
goods, and they need to learn to demand them. They need to stop
buying goods made in China - it will send a powerful message to the
companies that offshore and to anyone who imports!
August 26th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I, also, viewed the presentation on CSPAN. Someone briefly acknowledged the importance of education, and how everyone would like to see their children obtain a college education. As the wife of a retired public school educator, I have for years heard a lot of sad clucking about how underpaid school teachers are. I’ve yet to see action to remedy that situation. The foundation for higher education is established very early, at the toddler stage. That is when attention to a child’s development should be begun and nurtured, and tailored to the individual child. That requires a big investment. Universities should not be asked to guide the lower grades–it’s been tried and results in a frustrating waste of money. There should be congressional hearings on how best to approach this problem. Proper nutrition, incidentally, is required for the brain to work properly. I’ll end by pointing out that manufacturing depends on mathematics, and mathematical ability in an individual peaks at about age 20; that means that math ability should be spotted and nurtured in young children–by a teacher who also has mathematical skills.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hello People,
Education is important and rightfully so. But the American people aren’t eduated enough to save themselves from themselves. They are brainwashed by the lamestream media, and politicians who have their own interest in mind. They can’t think for themselves, so they’re lead by their nose like sheep to the slaughter, and vote time and time again for the same old do nothing non-representitives in Washington.
Right now WE have two of the most important bills siting in Washington. HR25 & S1025. THE FAIR TAX PLAN. (FTP)
The politicians are fearful of these, because the entire Congress will lose their Class Warfare Power over the American People, notwithstanding the material fact that the FTP would make “The United States Of America The Tax Haven Of The World”.
Politicians would rather allow the U.S. go down the crapper than lose their Power over the American people by a through the Tax Code of the IRS. (IRS = The Internal Racketeering Service ) Please put me in Jail, I need the health care.
The FTP would put China in check overnight. No longer would they be able to minipulate the value of their currency which is pegged the the American dollar, while bring 12 to 15 trillion American dollars of off-shore monies back into OUR ECONOMY, including untaxing every American Citizen up to the poverty line pertaining OUR “Basic Necessities Of Life” and eliminating the adverage embedded taxes of 22% in everthing we purchase. WE the consumer pay the Corporate Taxes, they just turm them in by factoring their tax cost into the price of the goods we buy.
This includes all of our American manufactered exports as well. Exports would explode with the removal of the 22% embedded taxes. Manufactering would explode in this Country because their would be NO Tax on Capial or Labor any longer. No tax compliance cost which totals up to trillions of wasted dollars which in turn could be better spent as investment for the American manufacturing community. land, buildings, etc.
The FTP would create JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, and the American economy would sore beyond belief in the shortest time than ever before.
The FAIR TAX BOOK, and FAIR TAX THE TRUTH ANSWERING THE CRITICS should be read by all. These publications have all the information, backed up by boilerplate research and stats, which sets forth the greatest idea ever for this Country to survive the “Economic Bullit” and/or “Economic Asteroid” aimed squarely at US, our children and grandchildren.
If this organization is what they say they are, then they should be out here in full force in support the FTP and not allow anyone to demagogue, twist, or outright lie about the FTP. If this organization, with all its labor support fails to do so, then this organization becomes a larger Phony than those in Congress.
Contact the People ( Americans For Fair Taxation fairtax,org) who invested their OWN money to develope the FTP and all those who support it, as average citizens and those politicians who co-sponsor the two aforementioned Bills HR25 & S1025. Read the books. There is no excuse not too.
The only two questions which have to be asked is—–What idiot would not want to keep every penny they earn and do away with the IRS tax code which punishes success? One answer, those who game the tax code for their own advantage. The second question ! Who are they? LOBBISTS ON K-STREET.
The replacement of the 22% embedded tax with a National 23% INCLUSIONARY Consumtion Tax ( built into the price of “all new goods and services” not added on at the point of final sale ) to fund our Treasury, Social Security, Medicare and everything else is the ticket to rock the World back on their heels. Hell, lets just make the Fair Tax 25% ! A quater on every dollar WE Spend and pay our taxes as WE Spend.
Chris Pedersen Nixa, Missouri