Service industry killing America
Tweet
Eric Thieleman
Last Friday, I traveled into Wells Hall to see Michael Moore’s new “documentary,” “Capitalism: A Love Story.”
Although the movie had positives and negatives in its own right, I was more interested in the subject of America’s industry, which seemed a minor detail.
Moore is a documentary version of a “shock jock,” and is in the business to get people to both champion his views and criticize them; however, besides disagreeing with his motives on most issues, I have no problem with him. In fact, I would say I agree with many of his conclusions, such as the one stating corporate America has a very influential role in American government and that leads to many of our nation’s problems.
Moore believes this corporate takeover has come at the greatest cost of American jobs and negatively affecting the poor. Although that might be true, it should not be the primary concern of the problem. That concern is the lack of industry we have been left with.
Moore often focuses on General Motors Co. in Flint in this new film, as well as in his first film “Roger and Me.” I, having been to Flint on numerous occasions, understand Flint is very poor and its citizens have no jobs, but what about the industry?
I am not talking about General Motors itself. What about the smaller businesses employing fewer than 100 people who are intertwined with GM?
Those industries are the ones suffering, not GM. GM has been absorbed into the government, and, for all intents and purposes, has been bailed out of its hardships. However, the small suppliers to GM and companies supplying those suppliers have been given the proverbial middle finger and told to float or sink.
Perhaps I am biased on this because of the fact both of my parents work for small suppliers to corporations such as Lear Corp. and Federal Mogul Corp., but do I not raise a point? My parents are both in management in their respective companies, so I have come to understand the money and logic aspect of the problem over the usual sob story about how hard the assembly line worker has worked to just get fired.
Frankly, that is business. No matter what industry you work in, if you are dispensable, then you will be dispensed of if necessary. Although I feel for those who are unemployed, on many occasions it is their own doing. The trick is to make yourself indispensable. Unless you are willing to do that, you can be sure of your fate in hard times.
I have observed the struggle for employers to pay health care costs, foreign nations being allowed to destroy our industry, as well as the costs of resources sky rocketing. This is not an ailment that government handouts can cure — nor is there any such ailment. It’s a process of doing things that must change.
American industry, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions in my columns, is at war not just with industry abroad but with America itself.
People need to understand just how critical these times are. We are moving into a new era in America, one which will see not just some, but all industrial jobs vanish from our shores while more and more McDonald’s and Starbucks are popping up.
The service industry is invading America, and we are allowing it to happen. To be sure, if this invader had a nation and an ideology, we would have a problem with it.
Instead of forcing the employers of a small supplier to pay an astronomical price for health insurance of their employees, why don’t we weaken the influence multinational corporations have on our government? Instead of allowing more than 90 percent of items in Wal-Mart come from China and other foreign nations, why don’t we bite the bullet and force those items to be made in America?
If you want jobs and money in the economy, you need to grow industry in America.
When we accept that free trade and foreign goods is not the be-all, end-all, we can allow America to show the industrial power it showed throughout the first half of the 20th century, especially in World War II. It is time to start making things in America for Americans and let foreign nations profit off their own people. We must take America back from its corporate handlers and give it to Americans.
Eric Thieleman is a State News guest columnist and a political science senior. Reach him at thielem4@msu.edu.
Commentary
Add your $0.02, go to the comment form or follow the comment feed
Patrick Henry
(10/08/09 9:21am)Report
Excellent article and an accurate diagnosis of our current economic woes. Unfortunately there is a cadre of self-interested know-nothings who seem to think an entire country can be erected and run on white collar jobs with all the “dirty” manual labor outsourced to illegal aliens and low-wage earners in totalitarian countries overseas. Each chance they get they call “radical” mild protectionist ideas like this “xenophobia” or “isolationism.” Perhaps when white collar jobs like editorial writing or newspaper editing or teaching are finally outsourced these people start noticing that outsourcing is not a smart way to run a real country. Until then, it’s just too easy to buy the cheap Chinese junk at WalMart.
Barbara Toncheff
(10/08/09 9:37am)Report
I could not agree more! It is so refreshing to see a young man worried more about this great nation’s sovereignty than “cheap” prices on imported goods. I am a buy American activest featured in the national media. I sent an email to him with further explanation regarding this heart felt topic. Bravo Eric!
Tom W
(10/08/09 10:05am)Report
I like the underlying theme of this column, but disagree with much of what was written.
First, why would the title of your column attack the service industry when you dedicate only 2 sentences to the idea without any further analysis or development?
The the service sector is not the problem. At best it is a symptom of the problem
The problem is an american ideology that we have to consume lots of stuff and we need it dirt cheap. The only way to accomplish that is to make all the “stuff” abroad.
Until we provide incentives for companies to manufacture at home, and until we return to the “buy american” mindset, we will continue to lose those jobs overseas.
Second, auto Parts suppliers have gotten lots of direct and indirect government aid. They were extended low-interest government credit when credit was not available so they could meet payroll and keep production going. Not to mention the fact that saving chrysler & GM kept virtually all suppliers in business.
I appreciate your perspective eric, but to me this column comes off as little more than a rant
J-Money
(10/08/09 12:59pm)Report
Building industry in the USA sounds like a nice idea, but we have to ask why it left in the first place. Sadly, people in the industrial sector often feel entitled to large salaries for repetitive work, work that can be done by anyone.
Secondly, the government and current administration really don’t care. Cap and Trade, or really what it is, Cap and Tax. Carbon caps on emissions is only a further insensitive to move factories overseas to avoid such draconian laws.
Sol Bilderberg
(10/08/09 10:03pm)Report
NAFTA and GATT were the kiss of death that killed our manufacturing bases. Consequently, these trade agreements also killed our unions, our middle class, and is finally affecting our purchasing power. While we strengthen China and bankrupt our country by engaging in preemptive wars and Wall Street Bailouts, the citizens must become more engaged at the local level to nip the blatant corruption in the bud, before it spreads to the state and federal levels. We still have not reached that critical mass of unrepresented, underserved, and disenfranchised citizens who will revolt against the elite top 5% who have more wealth than the remaining 95%. The Revolution is IMMINENT!
SB.
Geoff Tate
(10/09/09 7:54am)Report
I used to think that only
America’s way, way was right.
But now the holy dollar rules everybody’s lives.
Gotta make a million doesn’t matter who dies.
To Sol the Idiot
(10/10/09 12:15am)Report
“he elite top 5% who have more wealth than the remaining 95%”
Yes, and the top 5% pay over 65% of the federal taxes in this country. That’s it, piss us off and see what happens when we decide to no longer produce for you peasants. How can the remaining “95%” revolt when their food is provided by our sacrifice??
Sparty
(10/13/09 9:13am)Report
Please take some economics. I dont mean that in an offensive way so please dont take it that way. It’s just that virtually every argument made in this column flies in the face of sound economic policy and would be economically devastating to America. I know it feels good and like it should make sense to rail against foreign imports and the decline of industry and that tariffs or other protectionist measures should work but, they dont -*they’re what created the Great Depression.*
Competitive Advantage is a reality. fighting against it wont help so you may as well try and make it work for you.
MaximumBob
(10/14/09 2:54pm)Report
Sparty,
Right on!
I’ve worked as a manager in union facilities and work in the automotive supply. I was never happier than when we finally said goodbye to overpriced ($48/hour, after benefits) UAW labor.
Only after the union/UAW entitlement mindset is gone, will such jobs return to America. A few companies are already planning for that eventuality, but without union labor.