>Joel;
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>Two industries I have seen evaporate are the garment and consumer electronics. Who wants to work in the garment industry? Someone who needs a means of support! It is a difficult industry filled with many problems and issues. Manufacturing in general is cheaper if done in other countries.
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>I work for Toyota and ours was the first Japanese automobile manufacturing plant to find its way to North America. Soon we will be celebrating our twentieth anniversary. Our partner is General Motors and Toyota runs the plant. We now have several Toyota plants in North America manufacturing cars and trucks. General Motors sends vice presidents here to learn how to implement the Toyota Production System, and build quality automobiles and trucks. It has been of great benefit to General Motors (increased quality) and provides many people in North America with employment.
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>It is interesting how the Japanese took away our electronics manufacturing industry and yet Toyota saw value in manufacturing in North America.
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>I remember some UAW Red Necks from Detroit when they were on strike one year. They would not let a fellow striker park his Tacoma pick up near them. “ No Japanese trucks can park here”. We make the Tacoma by the way. You never know what you never know!
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>By the way ours is the largest employer in Alameda county, and we have never had a layoff. When American car manufacturers orders were down 16%, ours were up 5%, so we hired more people. Our local UAW and our company get along well and help each other. With such high manufacturing costs in California, power problems, doc strikes and increased orders, it is great to realize company and union work together for the benifit of employees and customers regardless of the problem.
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Hi Tom,

I appreciate your comments but its not only the "fault" of the low cost producer or "big business" or the rich, etc. At the end of the day the consumer (thats you and me) is also driving this market trend.

The consumer, of any product or service, is looking for best quality vs. price ratio/performance. If someone else can produce the same quality at a lower price then we go to that supplier. Whether that supplier is around the corner or around the world - its the same thinking.

The first to go was manufacturing, not just because big business wanted more profit but also because the consumer wanted it cheaper. Plus, we all wanted better returns on our investments eg. our pension funds. So big business profit was in our own self-interest on the one hand and to our detriment on the other. Its not really a clear cut situation. Its all very interelated and complicated - economically, politically, and socially.

In any case, IMO America's strength is not in its manufacturing or agriculture or in "things". Its strength is in its inventiveness, its "brain-power" if you will.

(Or maybe its late Friday night here and I've had a little too much wine :)