A Lancaster, S.C., textile mill closed in 2003. As in other towns dependent on this industry, hundreds of jobs were lost. Lou Krasky/ASSOCIATED PRESS Visit the Photo Place

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Energy, manufacturing: Bring 'em back home

Fixing the economy--a look at solutions and the candidates

Date published: 9/30/2008

WITH THE presi- dential campaign in full swing, both parties are promising to fix the economy, which is widely accepted as the greatest issue on voters' minds.

Rather than sort through the mountain of promises as to how this should be accomplished, I would offer two critical indicators of seriousness: Does the candidate advocate a full-court press to address the energy crisis and will he take serious steps to restore America's manufacturing sector?

Without addressing both issues, I would consign a presidential candidate's promises to fix the economy as so much hot air!

Solving America's energy crisis requires a strong commitment, sans lobbyists and special interests, using virtually all the means at our disposal. The U.S. sends almost $2 billion for imported oil and goods each day to nations that may not share our values. This is ludicrous, and must be changed.

First, we must accept that oil will be the primary energy source in the near term and aggressively drill for it, in an environmentally safe manner, wherever it may be found. Concurrently, we should encourage use of alternate forms of energy such as hydrogen, wind, solar, and nuclear, coupled with new conservation measures. Over time, their cost will decrease and our use of imported oil will decrease. These alternate forms should not emphasize corn-based ethanol production, which has increased consumer food costs and is a major source of ground-water pollution due to the increased need for fertilizers.

The second indicator, restoring America's manufacturing sector, is much more contentious as it requires that the whole notion of free trade be re-evaluated. In this century, Americans were promised that manufacturing jobs, long the path to middle-class status, were to be replaced by good-paying service industry positions, only to see those jobs outsourced.

One only needs to drive away from the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland metropolitan area to see what has occurred in the rest of America. Wage growth for families is essentially stagnant, while our trade deficit approaches new heights, mitigated only by increased exports of raw materials, foodstuffs, and selected manufactured products. Numerous categories of goods, most notably computers and electronics, are now manufactured exclusively overseas, placing our national security hostage to the good intentions of others.

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Date published: 9/30/2008