Thursday, January 11, 2007
A Short Rant On A Changing America
Yesterday, I made joint sales calls with a decent guy from one of our Indiana facilities. About my age, and well educated, we did alot of observing & discussing. The main topic was a Good Job. 30yrs ago, Manufacturing was king. A good job meant you worked in the office of an established manufacturer, or were part of the strong union in the shop. As materials and products(cheap!) started coming in from other countries, the cushy days in Mfg. were ending. Yesterday, we drove past shuttered plants that employed thousands, then we went past the building project that is creating the largest medical campus in West Michigan. They are now the largest employer in kent county at about 8500 people. There are, and will be good jobs in the future, but they won't be the same ones they used to be!
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5 comments:
Things change. It's a good a good thing, but it can be hard to get used to especially as you get older.
-Megan
There's something that I find so very sad about empty factories. It just reminds me of lost jobs and lost hopes and dreams. Corny, I know.
s*-Not corny, you have felt what I have seen. I have experienced good customers and friends losing their jobs until I am almost numb to it. People that are not young enough to "start over", yet not old enough to retire. No one in Michigan ever thought we would be last in the USA in any catagory regarding jobs or employment-but we are.
i agree BD. i used to live in new hampshire and about amile from the Zodiac Shoe Factory. an ACTUAL shoe factory. do we even have anyof those here in america anymore? anyway, a small room right off the factory was a factory outlet. a REAL factory outlet. they were still warm in the boxes...so sad...it's closed now, of course.
Americans are slowly realizing that a four year college education in a field that actually has demand for whatever product or service they perform is essential. No longer will a GED or HS diploma take care of a family.
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