I have written a blog on this subject before. I feel that it needs to be done again. In my estimation, this country has been on the wrong path for years. Lately things seem to go nowhere but to the worse.
When I was a lad, my father worked in the textile industry. He started out running a wool comb. Became a fixer. That was what they called the men that repaired machinery in the mills. Was promoted to overseer. When I was ten years old, he was transferred to another facility in Rhode Island as superintendent.
In those days, little Rhode Island was an industrial powerhouse. Textiles were still thriving. There were companies like Brown and Sharp. There were four active naval bases. There was work at all skill levels for those that wanted to work.
By the time I was in my early twenties and starting out in the world, those who we elected to preserve and protect our country and our states decided that America was too good to need manufacturing any more. What America needed was for everyone to have a college education and work in a nice clean service economy.
As always, when politicians try to turn our world in an Eden redux, things go astray. The unions started challenging companies that couldn't afford the challenge. They either closed or left the country. Foreign manufacturers, particularly Japan, started manufacturing quality automobiles and machine tools. They sold well in America. Textiles moved to the South and ultimately left the country. Our politicians let this happen.
What they either didn't understand, or didn't care about, is that a service economy is not sustainable. No new wealth is created and good jobs disappear for the low end employees. My father was not an educated man. But with the opportunity to work in the mills at a low level, he could learn the next higher job and move up in the system. He was ambitious and did just that. That is until his job disappeared and went to Mexico or India or China.
If we want our country back we have to get our manufacturing base back. That is already happening in the automotive industry. We're creating new wealth in those areas where we pump oil or gas. The cure for cheap foreign labor is automation. And we are good at technology.
We have the means to get the powerhouse America back. The people will have to be the impelling force to achieve this. The politicians are to much in love with the status quo as it supports their power over us. We, the people, need to take control and take back our country.
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