Re-Made in the USA: How We Can Restore Jobs, Retool Manufacturing, and Compete with the World Capa dura - 2011

America is in decline. Manufacturing jobs in the United States have fled for cheaper pastures, and the chances of a full recovery to our former glory are dim. The experts' belief that a service-based economy could sustain it has proven ill-advised, as Americans have experienced the ease with which these positions are terminated, only to be replaced with fewer and lower-paying jobs. China now funds much of federal government debt, and the nation now finds itself at China's mercy. And yet, isthere a silver lining on the doomsday cloud?

Re-Made in America outlines the very real obstaclesthat have been placed in America's path to recovery.Yet, it also spells out the weaknesses that could undo China and the strengths that could save the United States. Upon closer inspection, China's advantages are unethical at best and appear to be unsustainable as well. Their success relies on low labor costs, no environmental policing, low (or no) product and worker safety costs, and currency manipulation that values the yuan at 40 percent below its worth, among other disreputable means of getting ahead.

America, on the other hand, possesses a diverse and empowered workforce, greater entrepreneurial opportunities, and proximity to the most important customer base on the planet, which improves response time to customers' demands and lessens the huge environmental impact of oceanic cargo transport.

Re-Made in America lays out a blueprint to get the nation back on track. As citizens, consumers, and business owners, Americans can take a number of actions to revive the great industriousness on which this country was built:

Commit to buying American-made productsInfluence people to join you in this effort, and pressure retailers to follow suitUse your voice and your vote to encourage local, state, and federal governments to do what they can to attract and retain manufacturing jobsFocus business goals on the long-term payoff that comes from keeping jobs stateside rather than on short-term gains that might come from shipping operations abroad

Ultimately, America's fate is in its own hands. America's future is on the decline, but it doesn't have to be that way. Americans have a choice between doing nothing, and doing what they do best--rolling up their sleeves and working hard to fix it.