Will Made In The US Rescue the American Economy and Real Estate

Is it a global brand?

Right now, the US economy has very little traction and appears to be headed in the wrong direction.  Although a minor recovery has occurred, many leading economic indicators show the economy is losing steam again.  With a European debt crisis looming and continued instability in the Middle East, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing dimmer and dimmer.  The leadership seems to have no good answer and the Federal Reserve has used up its arsenal with little to show for it.  Economic progress is waning, consumer spending is lackluster, unemployment remains stubbornly high, wages are stagnant, small businesses are still struggling, the US debt is out of control, housing is in a protracted slump, and the gap between the rich and the poor is continuing to widen.  Overall, the outlook is pretty dismal for the American economy.  So where can the average person find hope for a better future.  The best hope might be to acknowledge that the idea of a pure service based economy in America as perpetuated by top leaders is fraught with problems and premature by several decades.  America's best hope may lie in exporting quality manufactured goods to emerging economies.  One interesting tidbit from an article I read for this class talked about how many Chinese consumers, for instance, see the Made in USA logo as a good thing.  Herein may lie the answer - job creation through a resurgence in American manufacturing.

America needs jobs desperately and it needs jobs that pay better than minimum wage.  Wal-Mart and other retail jobs are not the answer.  The answer lies in manufacturing jobs and construction jobs.  Let's ramp up and start exporting high quality American goods to consumers around the globe.  Couple a resurgence in American manufacturing with real US support for small business and the economy might take flight.  Give more perks and money to large business in the US and watch while they continue to sock it away and continue to pay out large bonuses to top leaders without increasing hiring or salaries for the average worker.

May 2011: US - 9.1%; TX - 8.0%

If unemployment is the problem, manufacturing might be the solution.  The focus for now must be on job creation and then on long-term issues such as health care and debt reduction.  Debt reduction and health care are long-term issues with solutions but they are not the priority. The #1 priority - in fact, the only legitimate priority - is job creation.  Let's find ways to encourage and incentivize businesses that manufacture goods to fill the empty industrial space around the country and make Made in the USA the next big trend.  The first step is to answer these questions: What goods does America already manufacture on a competitive basis?  What other goods could America create on a competitive basis?  Some example of products might include: wind turbines, nuclear reactors, high quality fashion goods, solar panels, high tech merchandise, semi-conductors, medical instruments and devices, airplanes, electric cars, basic commodities, locomotive engines, data storage devices, and everyday goods such as high quality shoes and furniture

Whatever happens next in our economy, it's time to think big, forget the status quo, and envision an economy that is a healthy blend of manufacturing and service sector jobs.  This will provide options for a broad spectrum of workers and options are a good thing.  There is reason to be hopeful but there is also serious cause for alarm. Nothing will come easy in the US again.  If we want growth, we will have to work for it and earn it.  We can't wait around on the government to provide the answer, and the government must partner with the American people and American business to make positive things happen in our economy.   One such positive would be a resurgence in American industrial manufacturing.