[XBob]

188 - "Until 1990, I was in the Steel foundry and machining business. The japs destroyed us by innovations that I cannot even begin to list."

You are/were correct - our steel industry died, deservedly, in the 80's. I know, I was buying hundreds of thousands of tons in the 80's.

However, you probably got out, due to a lack of a job, due to the new much smaller, more efficient US plants being built, using new and better technology in the 90's.

Visit Pennsyvania, and you will see that the sky is now blue (instead of dull grey) and the ancient, hulking giants along the rivers of western pennsylvania are lying dead and dormant.

[Cold Heat]

It is true that we were old tech and pretty dirty.

EPA would have downed the plant eventually, but the competition that got us was the Japanese.

We made stainless, bronze and brass castings and had modernized with some vacuum molding tech etc.

We even made bombs occasionally but most of the work was for Avondale Shipyard military contracts.

They found that the Japs made it cheaper and better. And the fact that they owned us lock stock and barrel did not help. The costs for gas and electricity were just too high. Plus the EPA mandated dust filter upgrades were smokin the bottom line.

My retirement fund has change hands a few times, but is now owned by Northrup.

BTW, I am still spitting up sand and crud and I left there in 1990.