By Gerald Sherman
Manufacturing made the United States one of the strongest, richest countries in the world but we dropped the ball. We have been outsourcing our products and services for several decades, and we wonder why we are having problems. Our middle class is disappearing,
We are having employment problems, and we have lost industry after industry. We have become an outsource nation, we consume but do not 
produce; our trade agreements with foreign nations have had a dire effect on our economy.
It is time that we strengthen our production of goods for the global market and the American consumer. We have the greatest colleges and universities, the best marketing, production, designing, technical and financial talent in this country. We must find ways to utilize these talents for ‘Made in America’ products. Labor and the politicians must change their ways, bite the bullet to start production once again.
Our government and private industry have to invest in various manufacturing industries so that we can be a competitive force at home and in the Global marketplace.
Our legislators must be on notice about what industry/manufacturing needs support. They gave Wall Street and the banks relief to keep them afloat. Why ignore the manufacturing resources that made this country great?
Labor unions have to re-evaluate their wage demands and adjust their perks in order for us to be competitive. We need special loans and tax deductions for companies manufacturing in the USA and a way to penalize those manufactures who outsource. Our global competitors have received tax relief from their respective governments to build factories, and received other financial benefits for their exports. We must meet competition by financing our manufacturers who employ American labor and do everything we can to help them compete in the global market.
The stimulus money has been used for some worthy things, such as weatherizing your home, extending unemployment benefits, rebates on appliances, health insurance to some, rebates on buying a home, getting a small business loan, money for college, and training for green jobs. But nothing allocated to encourage manufacturing and the jobs that follow.
According to http://www.recovery.gov, (11/05/2010, Source for Distributing and Reporting: US Treasury, Federal Agency Financial and Activity Reports), we have paid out $568 billion of $787 billion in stimulus money and about $219 billion dollars is still not paid out. We can use this money to help solve our unemployment situation and be competitive in the global market place by investing it into our manufacturing industry.
Another way to try to balance the trade deficit…why not make it mandatory for foreign manufacturers who sell their goods to us to outsource a percentage of their production to the USA? Some overseas automobile manufacturers are assembling and sourcing materials for their automobiles in our country thus helping the employment situation. If the auto industry can do it, other foreign industries can outsource some of their production to the United States.
Every problem becomes an opportunity if you find the solution. Let’s get the great brainpower in our country to start thinking out of the box and solve this unemployment puzzle. How good would we feel when we start seeing the, ‘Made in America Label’ again? How about encouraging our consumers to buy American, and have American makers become more proactive in advertising, public relations and marketing, “Made in America” products.
Gerald J. Sherman, Sherman & Perlman LLC, Integrated Marketing is a Boca Raton based author, marketing consultant and public relations person has written several books and articles on these subjects. http://www.shermanperlman.com