"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
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"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
. ..
snipsnipsnip

I'm just ranting...actually, over 80% of what I make today are new products
exploiting a niche that I hope is too small to attract competition and the
technology is proprietary. I just anticipate the other shoe dropping and I get
screwed somehow. I've abandoned those products that are made in Spain and China
but I still can produce if the demand swings and they become profitable. Ohio
increased the minimum wage by more than 25% last year and bumped it again this
year. I had to separate some low end employees that their skill level couldn't
justify the bump. (porters and cleaners) I have hired more people at a much
higher skill and wage level but I feel terrible that the jobless rate in
Cleveland skyrocketed due to the State's wage bump. Crime rates paralleled it
too with the added thousands to the street. I used to be able to afford a few
"charity" jobs for the neighborhood riff-raff.

You're right, the Dollar is over valued but until the Chinese cut the Yuan loose
from the Dollar completely, they have a competitive advantage so I will stay out
of those product lines or buy the products from them.

Getting back to the original post, I see less and less people being involved in
manufacturing in the US and those people will have higher and higher skill
levels. The days of good factory jobs for the masses are gone for a while. I
don't understand how the economy works with less and less actual wealth
creation...it can't be a good thing.