When Business Becomes History – Why Industry is Leaving Connecticut

The Treehouse Letter ^ | 2/05/16 | MyLinh Shattan

[grayhog]

"Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal."

It's an interesting idea to ponder. President Lincoln is praised universally today, across the aisle, and around the world, but what of Samuel Colt? Who is Samuel Colt?

...The region reminds me of New York's former boomtowns like Kingston and Binghamton, and Connecticut's Waterbury and Hartford. These once vibrant communities and buildings were gutted by the twin blades of time and politicians, their facades decaying and cadaverous, lining streets and throughways like architectural tombstones. Where is everyone?

Kingston and Binghamton were home to IBM and Singer Link. Connecticut played a key role in the industrial age with factories and textiles, the pioneers of industry in the New World. Waterbury was the hub of the brass industry and clockmaking.

The old IBM succumbs to the desktop computer. The manufacture of guns, mortars, and weapons for the revolution, for the Union, for the country, based in Springfield Mass, capitulated to progress, and more recently to politics. Hartford's where Samuel Colt set up his factory, invented the revolver, and built an empire.

The iconic blue dome off Interstate 91 in Hartford is not a church after all. It is the symbol of a bygone era: Samuel Colt built this dome atop his armory with a rearing horse on a gold sphere, known as the "Rampant Colt." Colt's firearms played pivotal roles throughout U.S. history. Colt's Single Action Army Revolver became known as the "Gun that won the west," its Browning Automatic Rifle was the standard for WWI and WWII, and the M16 was the service rifle into the 1990s. It's the same weapon I qualified on as a cadet and officer.

[#1CTYankee]

I see you know much of the (former) Connecticut economy. Since you don't currently reside here how is it you know so much?

I trained as an inspector at Hamilton Standard back in 79" eventually becoming a leadman and and then First article inspector for all customer end units.

In the early 90's all the machining was vended out and the machinist's were let go.

I am currently a contractor working at UTC Aerospace as a Quality Engineer.

The brain drain is unbelievable, all the experienced people are gone and the quality of the engineering is pathetic.

Nearly every blueprint have multiple errors as such if you followed it, you couldn't even build it.

Now onto Malloy and the Democratically controlled Legislator.

Spend, spend and borrow is all they do, of course this is followed by tax, tax and tax some more.

So what do they do? blame the economy, "we have to raise taxes because revenues are down"
Gee, I wonder why?

Rant off.

[#1CTYankee]

bttt