How Will The Election Affect You?
In approximately one year, the nation will choose its next president. This new president will have a significant impact on the future of American manufacturing and welding.
International trade treaties and tariffs, domestic tax programs, educational funding initiatives and transportation projects are just a few of the many ways in which the federal government impacts the manufacturing economy.
In one way or another, these broad policy decisions will have an impact on the every day lives of nearly everyone involved in the welding industry.
Needless to say, nearly all of the seemingly countless candidates for president will claim that their policies and agendas will do the most to benefit American welders and manufacturing companies. How they propose to accomplish those goals is where they begin to differ.
It’s not for us at Miller to tell you which candidate will best look out for the welding industry — that is for you to decide. The best way to arrive at a decision is by educating yourself on the issues and through honest discussion and debate.
What are your thoughts about this election’s issues and candidates? Do you believe the election could have a significant impact on the manufacturing economy? Does it make more sense to raise taxes to further fund technical education, or should the government let the market determine its own course? Please share your thoughts on this or any of the other issues as they relate to welding and manufacturing.
Average (Not Rated)
November 18th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I would like to way in on this. In this country there is a fuzzy division in the party lines with respect to the American work force. It doesn’t seem to matter to the D’s or the R’s what the job is, the sentiment seems to OUTSOURCE!!! This, in my opinion, is a bad thing. Some jobs don’t get outsourced because of there nature, construction is one that can’t leave because of its nature, there is outsourcing of a different kind there, Illegal aliens… Enough said there as the battle of quality vs. economics is there, as it is with the jobs that go offshore. Since NAFTA has become the norm American workers mostly blue collar but some white collar jobs are being lost. I don’t want to make this an R vs. D forum because the politicians have all ready messed this up, so I won’t state my place in that column. When you go to vote do all of us a favor. Learn what each candidate really stands for in the arena of American jobs, look for the hidden agendas, they all have them. Vote for someone that says what the mean and means what they say. The candidate is hard to find but is out there. The most important thing to do is VOTE!! Vote for yourself and what YOU really need, if that means to vote for the other party then vote for the other party. If you are lucky enough to have the candidate that really stands for you. you have to vote that way… JUST VOTE. To date the illegals can’t vote for their favorite and nether can china. Vote OUR work back to OUR country.
Thank you for this chance.
HH (Manufacturing)
November 18th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Hi Again, I forgot something in my comments. I don’t know if this is the right place for it, but the elections seem to be a good a place as any.
The companies that outsource their manufacturing and services are the companies that are taking jobs away from Americans. Those companies may not have considered one basic yet very important fact. The candidates need to look at their special interest groups and weed out the outsource group. Oh yea that one thing. It doesn’t mater if it is wigets or gadgets, if you send them offshore or employ the easy cheap illigal worker, you are taking jobs and money from the American worker. Do this enough and the American worker you want to sell your product to won’t have the money to buy it.
BUY AMERICAN and EMPLOY the AMERICAN WORKER… Vote for this.
We as American workers represent the LARGEST SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP in the USA, VOTE FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER.
Thank you again HH
November 20th, 2007 at 7:25 am
HMmmmmmm Eye Spie with my Widdle Eye…..
Something about politicians and population and imports that don’t quite add up.
See in Straya (Australia for the non inbreds).. we have lost MUCH of our domestic production and engineering, not because of them over there….
But because we (collectively speaking) chose cheap, over home made.
Much like the person who complains that they keep getting involved with nutters… No sorry, it doesn’t work…
It’s not that they keep getting involved with nutters, it’s that they keep giving their number out to nutters…..
Same goes for the imports and loss of employment in the local sense.
Why by a locally made car for $30K, when you can get an import of similar quality for $15K….
We are all responsible….. and whether we buy a good sausage for $10 a kilo or a good sausage for $15 a kilo…
Well the people who made the cheaper sausage had to cut their costs and the cost of distribution to make a cheaper sausage…
Lots and lots and lots of little trimmings of costs, make up for one big reduction…. so we can get cheaper items… and loss of employment.
We are all responsible for our own little part in this “collective” process.
QED.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Back to the Sausage Makers… well non one can make the machines her for that price, so she imports them, no one can grow the meat for that price, so she imports them, she wants company cars and trucks… no one can make them here for that price, so she imports them…. etc., etc., etc…
Why - because people would all rather pay $10 a kilo, over similar sausage costing $15 a kilo……
We ALL play our part - everything we do, affects everyone and everything else… to one degree or another…. in obvious and subtle ways….
And yet we can squeal like stuck pigs all we want… but who are the people asking for a better product, for a cheaper price.. and who are the shareholders asking for maximum returns on their investments….
Shareholders, like customers, are all pushing for the maximum return for the minimum of outlays….
We are ALL responsible for our own individual decisions and actions in this process.
Nuff said.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:51 am
The only real bright spot for hope in all this is that some mfgr’s are finding that with the implementation of Lean Principles that it is actually cheaper to keep business here in the USA.
US companies need to quit running stuff that isn’t sold yet and the politicians need to quit spending money that isn’t there. BUDGET is not in the mindset of any of these cretons. When forced to tighten up a bit they instead cut back on the eductaion and welfare for children instead of letting go the Undersecretary of the VP of Secretaries to the Secretary. If there is no real need for a tax paid job, cut it!
November 27th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Illegal Aliens, Outsourcing to other Countries, and Astronomical Health Care Costs are ruining the U.S.A. Understandably, we are funding a war against extremists, similar in nature to the Nazi and Imperial extremists of WWII. Not so tolerable is the fact of lost jobs due to RUTHLESS GREED (outsourcing to other countries and illegal aliens) and health care costs that the unemployed cannot afford for their families. All the while fat cat CEO s get multi-million dollars bonuses, while their company lays off American Workers! Neither Republicans or Democrats will do anything because GREED RULES THE DAY AND THEY ARE ON THE TAKE!
May 6th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I am not old enough to vote but I wish I could. I have been paying attention to all of the debates and issues they have been discussing. My sister however, who is old enough to vote says that she will not participate in voting when the time comes. She has not really payed attention. It somewhat angers me that she who is old enough won’t vote, but I am not old enough but can’t. I want a say in who will be our president but I can’t. It’s unfair. For the canidates though. I won’t say who I like as one but I wish there were a couple more to choose from. I was hoping that some of the past canidates didn’t drop out, but they did, which makes it harder. All in all, hopefully when the election comes around, someone deserving,smart,caring, and not selfish will win and become our president. We need someone to take better care of our country….