December 18, 2011

America Goes Back to the Factory

Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest


AP Photo

Is American manufacturing making a come-back? According to Joel Kotkin, that’s what the numbers indicate. Thanks largely to the rising cost of wages in China and the discovery of cheap natural gas everywhere from Texas to New York “the U.S. industrial base has been on a powerful upswing, with employment climbing steadily since 2009…In 2011 American manufacturing continued to expand, while Germany, Japan and Brazil all weakened in this vital sector.”

This growth isn’t limited to areas which have been traditionally known for manufacturing. The fossil fuel industry is making cities like San Antonio and Oklahoma City into manufacturing powerhouses. The same is true of Seattle where the aerospace industry is booming. But the comeback isn’t...

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Related Topics: economy

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