Are We Too Late?

A hot phrase among the economists  and analysts who analyze the Rust Belt is "post-industrial."

This implies we have reached a tipping point at which advanced economies will dramatically reduce manufacturing activity and jobs (although output may not drop as far)  and will focus on service, health care, research and etc.

When NAFTA was passed we were told the displaced manufacturing workers would soon enough be moved to high value service jobs (apparently this meant pushing shopping carts around the parking lot of Wal-Mart).

Does the post-industrial mind set dominate Washington, guaranteeing policy hurting the Rust Belt?

Are Donald Trump's policies to bring back manufacturing jobs just a fantasy? Will Hillary Clinton's new found populism make a difference?

Can every Rust Belt city be like Pittsburgh?

Does anyone outside the Rust Belt really care?

Brexit, Trade Policy and Jobs

The chattering classes are all atwitter about the Brexit vote and the potential damage to globalization.

To date globalization has been good for:
1) rich people
2) bureaucrats
3) workers in developing countries

To date globalization has been bad for:
1) existing middle classes (U.S. and Britain for example)
2) blue collar workers in developed countries


The elites (politicians, economists, really rich people) are still determined to create the new world order, but are now even admitting, timidly, that maybe there are some victims.

Which is why we are faced with Brexit and Donald Trump.

Forbes List of 15 Fastest Growing U.S. Cities

http://www2.forbes.com/business/the-fastest-growing-u-s-cities-the-latest-numbers

Number of Rust Belt cities on the list?

"0"

Upcoming Topics

Urban Policy in the Rust Belt

Infrastructure Policy in the Rust Belt

Construction Workforce in the Rust Belt

Manufacturing Workforce in the Rust Belt

Mama Don't let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Manufacturing Workers? 

Rust Belt Cities - Single Party Government

Will Air Conditioning Destroy the Rust Belt?

Trade Policy - Selling Out the Rust Belt?

.... and many more

Toledo tries......

http://www.toledoblade.com/Featured-Editorial-Home/2016/05/08/Progressive-and-possible.html

(c) 2016 The Blade Company

The Down Side of Manufacturing in the U.S.

From Forbes, (c) 2016

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2016/05/10/why-u-s-manufacturing-workers-are-on-food-stamps-and-medicaid

Decades of efforts to depress blue collar wages have paid off, for the 1% anyway.

We will address this in detail in the near future.

Everybody Loves Flint

Suddenly everybody loves Flint.

People who cannot find Flint on a map love Flint.

People who would never think of spending time in Flint (or in Michigan) love Flint.

People who support economic policies that damage the rust belt love Flint – especially when there are tv cameras in the area.

People who are opposed to fixing and improving infrastructure love Flint infrastructure.

The orgy of Flint-loving is hypocrisy on steroids, but then we are all hypocrites about something.