[Steven W.]

and I don't understand the obsession is about it - frankly I'm glad I don't have to slave away in a steel mill for mere pennies on the dollar paid these days to white collar workers. I guess if you're brain-dead and without any worthwhile skill sets then I can see why Willie laments the loss of his job ROFLMAO!

[elbucko]

I guess if you're brain-dead and without any worthwhile skill sets then I can see why Willie laments the loss of his job ROFLMAO!

Whatever you do, be it brain surgeon, corporate attorney, rocket scientist, computer programmer, or, fill in blank: _________________, your skill can and will be learned by a willing intellect in an Asian country. You can take your "Let them eat cake" attitude and rub it in with a "ROFLMAO!", but your job is just as at risk as the ones you hold in contempt. The Asians will be the ones "ROFLMAO!" and you will be underemployed or unemployed.

[KPfromDerryNH]

frankly I'm glad I don't have to slave away in a steel mill for mere pennies on the dollar paid these days to white collar workers. I guess if you're brain-dead and without any worthwhile skill

This is part of the problem too..manufacturing jobs are not treated with respect and so our brightest kids don't aspire to them. Who reading this now can make a gear and would work hard to learn the math and how to operate the machines to do so? If you knew what a tool and die maker really did, I'm sure the words brain dead would never come to mind to describe such a person.

It's scary to think about the death of manufacturing in the US. Who is going to make the machines needed for medical or defense research? This industry is married to and vital to our country's ability to remain competitive in those areas. It shouldn't just be given away for profit for some company today.

How can a small US company remain afloat when competing with a foreign worker with far fewer government protections and a vastly smaller cost of living?