The guy sounds like a bitter ex-textile worker who does not know who it is who screwed him out of his job and is too lazy to find out.
I am not getting enjoyment out of the authors dispair, but he needs to understand that manufacturing "stuff" that can be made for less and of better quality elsewhere will be phased out of manufacture here in the states. Elizabeth Dole and George Bush have nothing to do with that. I have just placed an order for a pair of Raichle hiking boots from Austria that cost $395. The first pair I bought in 1975. I had to retire them last year because the leather finally dry rotted and hence the need for the new pair. Twenty eight years for a pair of work boots I wore every day is quality. Any american out of work shoe factory workers out there wanna bitch about losing their jobs to foreign competition? Make a decent product and do so for a fair wage which enables your employer and workforce to coexist without forcing one side or the other into extinction. Look at Southwest Airlines for a good start. Quality service, fair price, fair wages, highest utilization percentage in the world(double Northwest), and a workforce that gives a damn about their company.