Charlie Crystle Blog: Save Manufacturing

September 02, 2003

Save Manufacturing

Manufacturing does not have to die, but it will if we continue to allow the Free Traders to run the country. Trade is a good thing, but Free Trade is killing American manufacturing. Manufacturing is the backbone of this country, but the current trade policies are slanted against small and mid-sized companies.

I keep harping on this, but it's important. Health insurance is important, education is important, prescription drug issues are important--they are all very important. But if we lose all of our good jobs because we allow huge corporations to write our trade policies while our leadership stands by doing nothing, then how can we handle those other incredibly important issues?

Bush said yesterday that he's going to help, finally. But watch very closely. We need tough action today, not a year from now, and not just some minor currency manipulation. We need to completely revamp our trade policies to get this economy back on track. These guys just don't get it. But you can help them get it--please work with me to press this important issue. It's about economic justice, and it affects every one of us. We need to stand by our manufacturing businesses and the people who work there. Otherwise, we'll all end up serving burgers to Wal-Mart employees.

Posted by Charlie Crystle at September 2, 2003 12:42 PM | TrackBack

I read Karl Rove's article on Slate. This guy says that “American manufacturing is a victim of the globalist revolution that enormously benefits the United States in general.” I don’t say how that’s the same with what Charlie is saying here. If American manufacturing is suffering, how would that be beneficial to the US? Nonsense.

We should take action to pretect the manufacturing sector and jobs. I don't necessarily agree with the big stick part, I don’t see how big stick helped Charlie’s successful business. I’m fully with him on the “saving” part though. We can’t tell people not to buy Chinese shoes, Japanese cars, Nokia cell phones. But we want our own companies to know that we want them to stay: make it in the US!

Posted by: Savemanuf at September 3, 2003 12:36 AM

Bush is doomed Charlie, Karl Rove hears you, take a look at this from Slate:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2087849/
Message: President Bush cares.

"I want you to understand that I understand that Ohio manufacturers are hurting, that there's a problem with the manufacturing sector," the president told a union gathering in Ohio on Labor Day. "We've lost thousands of jobs in manufacturing."

The truth is we've lost more like thousands of thousands of job—2.57 million (nonseasonally adjusted) since December 2000, to be exact.

Posted by: Sam at September 2, 2003 08:29 PM