[snoringbear]

“Not surprising. When you take a great portion of the middle class and relegate them to low-paying service jobs by shipping manufacturing overseas, this is what you get.”

Yeah, you’re right. But, manufacturing companies must maintain cost and price competitiveness to stay in business. But, there is hope; should we (GOP) take back the senate during the midterms and then the presidency in 2016, perhaps we can open up drilling on public land, build the Keystone Pipeline, staff EPA with people with a brain, congress write some business friendly and growth enhancing tax laws, etc, etc. if this should happen then you would see manufacturing return to the US in droves. Hey, a guy can dream can’t he? :)

[Alberta's Child]

This article offers some interesting insight into the economic quandary American industries face. All of the comments everyone has made here about competition from foreign labor are good ones, but in this case we're discussing one of the few industries that still maintains a strong presence here in the U.S. and employs large numbers of working-class Americans. The products they make are increasingly unaffordable unless the buyers take on considerable debt.

This is the dilemma we're facing, and bringing industries back here to the U.S. isn't going to change that.

[Smokin' Joe]

Don’t staff the EPA, eliminate it. Let Interior cover what is needed on Federal Land, and let the States handle the rest.