Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Apr 19, 2008, at 12:32 PM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> I've heard that before, Gene.  When the hand is called, it turns out  
> that all
> and sundry things are called manufacturing.  That's why morrgages,  
> insurance
> policies, warranties, and the like  are now called 'products'.   
> Change the
> definition to tangible goods, and you see that we make nearly  
> nothing in this
> country.

> Here in this sleepy burg of 40,000 people,

Are you referring to Bristol, TN/VA? Could it be that business owners  
found other places in America where they could get a better deal from  
the local and state government? Any other factors?

I'm Googling for stats and finding this:

The Face Of American Manufacturing

The United States is the world's most productive country, but the  
global landscape has changed dramatically in recent years and even  
more changes are on the way.

By David Blanchard
June 1, 2007 -- It should surprise nobody to learn that the number of  
U.S. workers employed in manufacturing has been on the decline over  
the past decade, with annual employment dropping from 17 million in  
1997 to just over 14 million in 2006. Those are the hard, fast numbers  
that the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)  
compiles, and for some industry observers, those are the only numbers  
that are relevant to a discussion of the future of manufacturing in  
the United States.

http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=14159

The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths of 2006

See Executive Summary

10. American manufacturing is obsolete
Media myth: All the manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas, and  
the only ones left are in the almost empty plants of the Big Three  
automakers.

Truth: American auto manufacturing is alive and well, with Honda and  
Toyota opening new plants in the United States. The Associated Press  
explained on May 28 that Honda’s new 1,500-job plant slated for the  
Midwest is just one part of a “$1.18 billion global expansion,” and  
should boost North American “production capacity from 1.4 million to  
1.6 million vehicles a year.”

http://www.businessandmedia.org/specialreports/2006/topmediamyths/mediamyths.asp



WHY FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WORK
FOR AMERICA’S MANUFACTURERS

The NAM doesn’t want U.S. manufacturers to pay high import duties when  
exporting
their products.  We want them to sell to other markets duty-free.  We  
want  zero tariffs –
the elimination of foreign import duties on U.S. products.

And that’s what we get when the United States negotiates Free Trade  
Agreements
(FTAs) with other countries.  Once the FTA is fully implemented our  
free trade partner
eliminates its import duties on American-made manufactured goods.

http://nam.org/s_nam/bin.asp?CID=5&DID=238230&DOC=FILE.PDF


03.25.2008 China Cheats, Pennsylvania Workers Lose
15,640 Pennsylvania jobs lost per year as a result of China’s illegal  
trade practices
WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2008—A new analysis by the Alliance for  
American Manufacturing (AAM) found that the U.S. trade deficit with  
China has taken a surprising toll on Pennsylvania workers.  Annual job  
losses in Pennsylvania due to Read More » »
01.30.2008 Jobs Matter in the Super Tuesday States: 1.5 million  
manufacturing jobs lost in past seven years
Washington, DC. January 28, 2008. A new analysis by the Alliance for  
American Manufacturing (AAM) on the 24 states holding caucuses or  
primaries on February 5th found that:
-The 24 states have lost approximately 1,568,600 manufacturing jobs in  
the past seven years. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
-These 24 states have lost Read More » »
http://www.americanmanufacturing.org/newscenter/pressreleases

1 April 2007

Lies and statistics: Raw job numbers steady; productivity soars

By Michael Bond

The decline of manufacturing in the U.S. is indisputable ... sort of.

Indeed, some statistics bear this assertion out. Manufacturing as a  
percentage of the U.S. economy-the largest economy in the world-has  
gone from over 25% in 1950 to around 12% today.

These numbers, however, are quite misleading because they do not  
adjust for the relative price of manufactured goods.

The price of manufactured goods in this period went down over 50%,  
relative to non-manufactured output. When manufacturing translates in  
real terms, its share of gross domestic product (GDP) has remained  
about the same as in 1950.

Real manufacturing output has kept pace with the general economy since  
1950. It has shown no long-term decrease.

While it is true the U.S. has lost manufacturing jobs since 1980, the  
number of employees in manufacturing is around the same now as in 1950.

Even the decline in manufacturing employment since 1980 is partially  
suspect given many jobs originally done in house have been outsourced  
domestically. One can think of accounting, legal, secretarial, and  
other white-collar type employment.

Assuming the current figure of 14 million jobs is correct,  
manufacturing has declined from around 30% of total employment in 1950  
to around 10% now.

Since real manufacturing output has not changed since 1950, it must be  
around five times larger today since the real economy is that much  
bigger. Therefore, what we have is the same number of manufacturing  
employees producing around five times as much per worker.



http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?Section=ViewPoint1&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=60814

________________________________________

Thus far, it seems to me that perspective matters a great deal. Jobs  
are the perspective that most of us relate to. Balance of trade and  
trade deficit get our attention. And, as James notes, what exactly  
qualifies as manufacturing? Certainly, within any manufacturing  
business, there are a percentage of workers other than production.

It is a less simple condition than we, and certainly the presidential  
candidates, think it is.