Moving the Masses into Manufacturing

I don’t doubt that President Trump intends to coax the USA economy to provide a general prosperity, but I don’t think wishes make fishes. He doesn’t have the tools and resources he needs. At http://gordon-feil-history-observations.blogspot.ca/2017/01/filling-swamp.html I mentioned some of the problems in the mess he inherited.

I did not mention that there are close to 100 million Americans adults of working age that are not productively engaged in the provision or distribution of needed goods and services. Some jobs simply do not contribute to sustenance of the population. So, more than 40% of working age Americans are not contributing to what the country consumes. Who supports them?  Either their savings (unlikely), new debt, relatives and friends or the other somewhat less than 60% of the working age adults who are productively building or distributing what is worn, eaten, or used for such needs as shelter, transportation, health care or entertainment. 

How to get those people into a position where they can contribute…..that is Trump’s big challenge.  Turning them into hewers of wood and drawers of water is not the solution. He can talk about creating manufacturing jobs, but who wants to pay $100 for a T-shirt? I am being facetious of course, but making a point.

 

I that what is needed in the USA is the same as we need in Canada: a major and widespread upgrade in skills to provide what we can’t import cheaply. We can’t import plumbing services for example. How is a Chinese factory going to unplug your drain?