To get an idea about how far back this has been a problem, just go back and watch the movie It's a Wonderful Life again. At one point in the movie, George Bailey (James Stewart) points out that half the town of Bedford Falls has been out of work since the tool & die factory closed -- and that movie was set in the mid-1940s!
The 9/11 angle is really bizarre, though. Does anyone really believe that the sale of knives has declined in the last few years simply because nobody is allowed to carry them on airplanes??
I too sincerely doubt it, based on the increase in my purchases of Swiss Army pocket knives for the very same reason.
<]B^)
I agree that there are towns that have close to single employers, etc. But we simply are a mobile society now. People drive for hours sometimes to get to a job, because others are willing to do so. The simple fact is that in this economy, you must be at least somewhat mobile. If not, yes, you will have trouble keeping a job. And if you do, you will be a captive of the company, like the old mill towns. I just think that is a relic from a by-gone age.