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A question about manufacturing
December 19, 2007

If you’ve listened to any of the presidential debates, you’ve heard the candidates discuss everything from immigration to taxes.

The one issue that no one seems to be talking about is manufacturing in the United States.

Actor John Ratzenberger, known for his role as Cliff, the know-it-all letter carrier on the TV show “Cheers,” has been appearing in town hall meetings around the country urging voters to ask presidential candidates tough questions about their policies regarding manufacturing.

Ratzenberger, who hosts a show on the Travel Channel spotlighting American-made products, told the Associated Press that politicians need to be move beyond the free trade debate and be held accountable for not enforcing trade laws already on the books.

Ratzenberger’s town hall meetings are sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a non-partisan, non-profit partnership built to strengthen manufacturing in the United States In addition to urging the U.S. government to hold its trading partners accountable for unfair trade practices, the group says it’s critical to preserve national and homeland security by ensuring that we are independently able to produce goods necessary for our national defense.

In six short years, the AAM points out, the United States has lost more than three million manufacturing jobs. The group notes that 40 years ago manufacturing accounted for roughly 53 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Today manufacturing accounts for less than 12 percent of the GDP.

All too often we hear that the U.S. has become a service economy and there is little or no manufacturing done here. The figures show that it is not true. Today manufacturing directly employs nearly 14 million Americans and creates an additional eight million jobs in other sectors.

Ratzenberger, meanwhile, says the manufacturing issue isn’t getting enough attention from presidential candidates. “Eventually this will become a big issue,” Ratzenberger told the AP. “If it’s not in this election, by the next election it may be too late.”

Posted by Jack Keough on December 19, 2007 | Comments (2)