An excellent article that overviews America's economic

situation, historical, present and future via the automotive business:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101216/...conomy_special

Until such time as unions are held at bay and new manufacturing created in America...there will be no real recovery for a service/sell only America.

There are any number of future programs that could be funded by our government to create energy independence that involves millions of new manufacturing jobs. However, only us business people (especially those of us who cut their teeth in manufacturing) can see the path to progress. It will not get done because politicians simply do not have that acumen for enterprise. They only know politics....that which serves them and their party....hence blind to the opportunities to make this country what it once was.

As was stated in the article, I to am glad I came tgrough the cycle when I did.

Without business based leadership in Washington there will be no recovery. The unemployment rate we see is the new steady state of unemployment for a country with ever dwindling manufacturing. Most other countries are investing in manufacturing....we are not.

How about the space industry? Soon we will be hitching rides to space with the Russians. Did you know their center of gravity for space enterprise is in Star City , Russia? Our astronauts go there to be trained on their equipment. Their assessment is the computer systems are what we used in the 80's!!! They are not inter connected to the internet!! Yet we are abandoning another leadership role in the world. Relying on others to get us there....where ever that is. How pathetic an example is this. Yet it is only one. Where is the funding to keep us number one in space? Where will the jobs come from to replace the 1000's who will soon become unemployed in the space business....like the auto industry....the appliance industry...the machine tool industry...the electronics industry.

We make very little with no vision on the horizon to ever do so again. Without manufacturing, today may very well be the best we see for the future. I am glad I had my opportunity when we were number one.

btk