It’s impossible to turn on the TV, pick up the paper or go online without seeing some news story about the deteriorating US economy or the vanishing middle class. This is, however, far from the truth. At C. Marshall Fabrication Machinery Inc., we know the manufacturing industry and the middle class is as strong as ever. We’re just going through a brief period of change.
Last month, President Obama gave a speech in Galesburg, Illinois. He declared, “What we need isn’t a three-month plan, or even a three-year plan, but a long-term American strategy, based on steady, persistent effort, to reverse the forces that have conspired against the middle class for decades.”
Yes, we must make the middle class stronger. The way to accomplish this is to prop up the manufacturing industry once again. You see, America rose to prominence through manufacturing. It was the backbone of the American economy. Not only did manufacturing help citizens become part of the middle class, it helped put their children through college. Millions of those jobs have vanished, leaving a gigantic hole in America’s heart. Are we broken? Not quite.
In the article, “Obama’s Speech Is a Confession of Impotence,” Megan McArdle of Bloomberg writes,
The problem in America is not that we suddenly lost our manufacturing mojo. In fact, we’re still very good at it. […]But our manufacturing employment is down by one-third, because production is highly automated in most industries. Even small metalworking operations now use computer-aided design and robots as much as they do grizzled machinists.
The manufacturing industry is far from impotent. Although McArdle asks, “Are machinists vanishing?” we must not take it to heart. Again, we’re just going through a period of change. When all is said and done, we’re still strong! Computers and robots will never be able to replace the human heart.
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Henry Ford once said, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” Hmm…
An uplifting quote of perseverance, wouldn’t you say? Nowadays, it seems like everything is going against the economy. It feels stuck, whether it is due to falling wages, the disappearance of the middle class, an overabundance of McJobs, etc. This is, for lack of a better word, depressing. Ford’s quote reminds us that we always have a backbone. We must use it, because we’re always taking off against the wind.
In a way, we must be more like metalworking machinery. Imagine modeling our lives after these beautiful pieces of machinery…like the plate roll. We must be fully hydraulic and heavy-duty, with no need for proprietary replacement parts. Or we can be like angle rolls, hydraulic motors attached directly to each of our planetary drives, eliminating loss of torque. What do you think?
At C Marshall Fabrication Machinery, Inc., we know the manufacturing industry and the middle class is as strong as ever. We’re just going through a brief period of change. After all, we have over 30 years of experience and know what we’re talking about! The metal fabrication industry helps pump America’s blood. We will help you find the right machine!
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-24/obama-s-speech-is-a-confession-of-impotence.html