Many of economic problems these days revolve around the export of US manufacturing jobs. I’ve known this since I’ve been an adult and often wondered what it would take to reverse the trend. This very informative and apolitical documentary not only frames and defines the size of the problem, it proposes solutions. It shows in very understandable terms and human stories the role of US manufacturers play in our local and national economies and great challenges they face.
It presents the problem and shows solutions using the stories of a welding shop in Upstate New York, a home-based jewelry maker in Connecticut, and several other larger corporations. It also shows in easily understood terms and stories how the problem can be solved when business, local government, entrepreneurs and consumers can work together to keep manufacturing in the US.
It never resorts to name calling. It never hurls political invectives or bromides, it just lays out the causes:
1. Anti-competitive regulatory and tax environments.
2. Disparate labor costs - although it shows automation is an effective method for increasing worker productivity.
3. Involvement by government in business which allows them to lower their price below what the market would otherwise demand for those resources.
4. Short-sighted business and financial planning of publicly held corporations to meet investor expectations.
The one aspect it didn’t directly mention was the effect of unions on labor costs. But it did show that manufacturing is doing well in open-shop states like Georgia.
It then identified the entities (business owners, investors, governments, entrepreneurs and consumers) who must play a role to solve the problem. Again, I wish more would have been done to show what unions can do to help, but it was still very informative and enlightening.
I want to show this to my family and friends. Local and national politicians, small and large business owners ought to watch it too. They should watch it because it shows working solutions to this problem. It was inspiring and gave me confidence the problem of jobs going overseas can be solved.
If you teach economics either as a public, private or home schooler, this documentary will be a great addition to your curriculum. If you want to understand the real challenges with manufacturing without the political invective and posturing, this documentary is a must see for you too. I highly recommend it!
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