A Disturbing Change In US Culture

Sort of agree here. But remember that advanced countries like the USA and Germany still have large manufacturing sectors. Actually the problem raised in the OP is much more acute in the UK where manufacturing has all but disappeared. The OP over simplifies this into a folksy "ah, in the good old days" sigh, and it is very silly to want to have a lot more coal miners in America (or anywhere), but the point about apprenticeships and vocational qualifications is well made.

This idea that this is caused by liberals is just preposterous though. More ignorant whining by ********s who can't make their mind up whether we are running the Military Industrial Complex or bumming welfare. These are fascists uncomfortable with free market capitalism as expressed in America (ie stock market owned and run by big Corporates), uncomfortable with organized labour (do we liberals despise them or are we them?), uncomfortable with elections when they don't agree with the result, and disrespectful of the rule of law when the SCOTUS goes against them. The problem is that Mike is writing to a campaign whose base is made up of these scumbags.

The clincher in this argument is that the one nation that totally outperforms the USA Manufacturing sector is Germany, a country whose quality, innovation and reputation out trumps the USA in global markets seven days a week. A letter like Mike's to the Social and Christian Democrats who run Germany (ie: leftist, communist, Nazi liberals by the standards of the morons in today's Tea Party) would have everyone scratching their heads in confusion. Germany has massive levels of state funded vocational education. It's schools pump out Doctors of Engtineering alongside apprenticed electrical and mechanical engineers from Technical Schools. Germany's private companies, like BMW, Mercedes, Bosch, Siemens ... dominate world markets in their field. They do so based on the skills of a well trained workforce educated by the State. And huess what, those who invest in these type of things USING TAXAYERS MONEY AND HIGH LEVELS OF TAX, have six weeks holiday a year, high standards of living and no deficit problem. As the OP implied and as Germans can attest, "where there's muck, there's brass" as they say in Yorkshire.

 

This is a meaningless phrase and argument.

"Government workforce planning"....what is that? Republicans are blaming the government for not creating jobs. They are asking for some sort of planning of the workforce by the government. Especially when you consider that Republicans are currently unhappy about a situation where it is government and State payrolls that are falling in the USA with the private sector adding thousands of jobs as the US economy emerges from recession.

The old USSR fought the Nazis in alliance with the USA. Is that a great argument against countries joining alliances with the USA?

Your post here is simplistic drivel.

Especially as the OP Mike calls for the State to intervene to create apprenticeships. Is that not "government workforce planning"? I would say so.