The coming rust-belt recovery

 

Manufacturing will play a surprise lead role in the turnaround of the resilient U.S. economy

 

BARRIE MCKENNA

 

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

 

January 26, 2008 at 12:03 AM EST

 

WASHINGTON — The natural state of an economy is to grow. We work more, we earn more, we spend more and we produce more.  Occasionally, however, economies stall and go into recession. And, for a stretch, perhaps a few months, everything goes into retreat.

 

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080125.wcoessay0126/BNStory/specialComment/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail

^Let's hope this reflects the start of a new trend.

I don't think it's a good idea to hope that our manufacturing sector makes a major push.  The reason cities like Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus, Chicago, and Minneapolis weren't hurt like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit is because their economies were more diversified when manufacturing took its hit.

 

The Midwest needs to market itself as a great place for manufacturing, but also spread its collective reach into the job-growth fields of the future.  If that doesn't happen we'll simply be susceptible to these kinds of loses the next time the global/national economy changes.

I totally agree. I would hate for Cleveland to regress in this area.

The key is that the sort of manufacturing they are talking about isn't going to suddenly solve problems of the inner city and the like. The manufacturing Ohio can excel at should be heavy on engineers and a few skilled workers rather than lots of minimal skilled workers.

 

Diversity . . . that should be Ohio's focus. Cincinnati has always done that, Toledo seems to be heading that way. NE Ohio and Dayton were not so good at it.

I totally agree. I would hate for Cleveland to regress in this area.

 

I'm concerned Cleveland is going in that direction with its two largest non-governmental employers being in the health care industry (Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the University Hospitals Health System). I'd hate for Cleveland to become a "one industry town" again, especially when that industry is so dependent on petroleum for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. The way to balance that is to promote the growth of jobs in the delivery of renewable/alternative energy services, products and manufacturing. Fortunately, Cuyahoga County was just ranked #1 in the growth of such jobs in the state in the alternative energy field, but it's just not showing up yet on the jobs side. We need to make sure that it does.

Cleveland should really embrace clean energies in the form of wind energy and what not.  Cleveland is excellently positioned to capitalize on a couple different fields, but it needs to spread its focus.

No kidding. It really needs to start stepping up in this area. And I don't just mean a field of off-shore windmills. The whole city needs to start changing its mentality.

 

Unfortunately, people cling stubbornly to their wasteful habits. When will people ever learn (and I include myself in this)? Probably when a fucking penguin floats by on a block of melting ice.

VW will be announcing where they will be setting up a new US automotive assembly plant in the next couple months.  Do you wish they would not select Ohio because we already have too much Automotive Industry?  I don't agree that too much of a good thing is bad.  Look at California they have insane amounts of Defense Industry throughout and they've never had issues with it.  I'd rather have a company like VW set up a plant that uses the latest technology in Ohio.  It sounds like they're looking at the Carolinas unfortunately, unless this really is the company Strickland was talking about last year to set up a large new plant. 

  Anyways I totally concur with the article that things are very bright in the rust belt as the dollar diminishes. 

I would love for VW to set up shop in Ohio...I just think that we need to aggressively pursue other industries that will help to diversify our economy.  Too much of a good thing is bad when its the only good thing you have to fall back on.  Ohio as a whole has a great opportunity to embrace clean energy and move forward as a leader in this front.