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The Avoidable Destruction of an Iconic American Industry
americanthinker.com ^ | 11/7/2015 | Michael J. Mueller

Posted on 11/07/2015 9:14:44 AM PST by rktman

As a result of China’s flooding the world market with cheap, state-subsidized aluminum and our president’s irrational aversion to fossil fuels, a 127-year-old American industry is in danger of disappearing. This week, the two largest primary aluminum producers in the United States announced curtailment of aluminum production at key smelters across the country. Alcoa announced that it was halting smelting operations at its Intalco Works (583 employees) and Wenatchee plants (428 employees) in Washington state, its Massena West plant in New York (500 employees) and that it was curtailing alumina refining capacity at its Point Comfort facility in Texas. Century Aluminum announced that it was cutting its aluminum production by one-third at its Sebree, Kentucky plant resulting in a loss of 150 jobs.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Kentucky; US: New York; US: Texas; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: alcoa; aluminium; centuryaluminum; china; intalcoworks; kentucky; massenawest; newyork; obamarecession; obamataxhikes; outsourcing; pointcomfort; sebree; texas; unfreetrade; washington; wenatchee
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To: rktman

Manufacturing is leaving the country. It’s not coming back. Thank you, both parties.


21 posted on 11/07/2015 9:56:59 AM PST by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country)
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To: kiryandil
I would submit that the American government has a DUTY to maintain a viable domestic aluminum industry.

You might extend that line of thinking to hundreds of industries. I suppose the best solution is to nationalize everything.

22 posted on 11/07/2015 9:59:46 AM PST by Mr Ramsbotham (Sanders/Cruz in 2016!)
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To: rktman
Hmmmm. I was just pondering the continued push to build coal fired plants in China and the push to shut them down here in the states. Could there be some devious plot going on here? Kinda makes us a little more dependent on offshore sources. Yeah, that's a real smart move. Depend on someone or something that you have no control over. DOH! But then, isn't control oppressive?

China Underreporting Coal Consumption by Up to 17%
BY TOM PHILLIPS 11/4/15 AT 12:49 PM

http://www.newsweek.com/china-underreporting-coal-consumption-390711

23 posted on 11/07/2015 10:02:54 AM PST by kiryandil (Maya: "Liberalism Is What Smart Looks Like to Stupid People")
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To: Mr Ramsbotham
You might extend that line of thinking to hundreds of industries. I suppose the best solution is to nationalize everything.

LOL! On the face of it, arguing for a national security interest in the production of aluminum and steel would lead down the slope to "the nationalization of everything".

On the other hand, maybe we should promise the Chinese that during our war with them, we won't bomb the Chinese cargo ships bringing aluminum and steel for our war effort...

24 posted on 11/07/2015 10:12:04 AM PST by kiryandil (Maya: "Liberalism Is What Smart Looks Like to Stupid People")
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To: kiryandil

Yeah, I heard that the other day. I’m certain they’ll fall in to line once they all meet up in gay paree at the end of the month and the lyin’ king chastises them. /s


25 posted on 11/07/2015 10:13:37 AM PST by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?!)
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To: Eagles6

OIL.

New York Investigates Exxon / Mobil for failing to “warn” investors about possible risks from globull warming.

The BP Mocondo mess was made to order for obungo to regulate the industry out of existence.

We are being given permits with requirements that are impossible to meet and unnecessary and above reason. You simply can’t eliminate risk and that is what we are being pushed to do. All in the name of safety.

A risk free world is impossible to live in. Tell me how you can eliminate risk of a car wreck in your commute?

How? Don’t commute at all.

This is the world of federal regulations now.


26 posted on 11/07/2015 10:31:23 AM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: rktman

That is the way I view it. The slide of American industry that began in the Sixties is due to the effects of liberalism on industry, when the radicals began to gain power.

Over-legislation

Over-regulation

Over-litigation

Unions


27 posted on 11/07/2015 10:46:30 AM PST by rlmorel ("National success by the Democratic Party equals irretrievable ruin." Ulysses S. Grant)
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To: rktman

And taxes..


28 posted on 11/07/2015 10:57:34 AM PST by American Constitutionalist
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To: Eagles6

Gold ?

Petroleum production ?


29 posted on 11/07/2015 10:59:31 AM PST by American Constitutionalist
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To: rktman

And people are wondering why Boeing is chomping at the bit to move operations to china.


30 posted on 11/07/2015 11:09:42 AM PST by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: rktman

Wonder how many of those rules and regulations were bought and paid for by chinese “business” interests, and the very industries being “regulated” out of existence.

How the hell did we manufacure anything profitably before the chinese showed up to “save” us?

What I’m saying is the thing is deliberate, and the business sector, government, and foreign interests are all complicit.


31 posted on 11/07/2015 11:16:02 AM PST by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: rktman

Steel has mostly been shut down and now aluminum is being shuttered. A nation that does not produce basic metal feedstocks for its industry is a weak dependent to others.


32 posted on 11/07/2015 1:01:21 PM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: rktman
The primary factor at the heart of these curtailments is the declining price of primary aluminum.

The prices of all commodities have collapsed, not just aluminum.

33 posted on 11/07/2015 2:05:06 PM PST by Randy From Concrete
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

The Obama Recession


to go with

The Obama Tax Hikes

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

"Death to America!"


34 posted on 11/07/2015 6:27:56 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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