US Steel Industry – Idiots in Action
Posted on 04. Jan, 2009 by Brad in Economy | Twitter: @bradhart |
The US steel industry has a plan all their own for saving the economy, Buy American. Not only is this a rehashed idea that simply doesn’t work for the consumer it is so tainted with self interest you would almost think the US steel industry was running for office themselves or getting ready to start a television ministry.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The ailing U.S. steel industry is pressing President-elect Barack Obama for a public works plan that could be worth $1 trillion over two years to boost flagging demand for U.S.-made steel, the New York Times reported in Friday’s editions.
Daniel DiMicco, chairman and chief executive of Nucor Corp, a giant steel maker, told the paper the industry was asking the incoming administration to “deal with the worst economic slowdown in our lifetime through a recovery program that has in every provision a ‘buy America’ clause.”
While I feel for the average worker in these industries and all industries it is time for America to come to terms with we are not a manufacturing economy any more. The manufacturing economy went out the door when we started to push college and value prices. As long as we tell our kids they are smart and send them off to college to get English and Music History degree we will never have enough trained people to operate a manufacturing economy. In order to get back to that homegrown manufacturing economy not only would you have to get rid of the value prices are good and everyone should own a TV and DVD player, but you have to get rid of Wal-mart and every other large discount retailer who cater to the mind set.
What I find really ridiculous is how these big American industries both in management and labor say buy American, but never do anything to actually affect where you shop. I have yet to see any industry stand up and support food labeling projects, picket outside a Wal-mart because they sell foreign made products that drive American made producers out of business. Industry big wigs fight against a living wage which would allow people to be more discriminative in their shopping. Labor unions make a big stink about politics, but never make a big stink about the fact Wal-Mart and McDonalds fight any attempt to organize their stores. They fail to support Buy American, so why should we believe take any Buy American advice they hand out seriously. If they give it, it through self interest that they give it, not national interests.
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