Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Third Quarter in America

There have been a lot of discussions about Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler commercial, "Halftime in America" having had political overtones. I definitely disagree that any political message was intended. The point was that American manufacturing can and should come back to an energetic and vibrant status. Our past interest in short-term profits led to sending many jobs and capabilities overseas so that our corporate revenue statements looked good. It's time to take a longer term point of view. Forget those quarterly reports and rebuild our technical capabilities. Encourage college students to take technical courses and majors again by telling them that American manufacturing can and will grow so that they'll have good jobs. When you shop, look for that Made In U.S.A. label and give it priority over products from other countries. Encourage those who start small American manufacturing businesses. Start being proud of the things we can make instead of seeking dollars regardless of the source. If this sounds too much like patriotic cheerleading, that's too bad...It is OK to be patriotic and proud of your own team. Try it; you might like it.