Assignment
Though written over the year ago, when three candidates (Sanders/Clinton/Trump) were still legitimate contenders for the presidency, the topic in this week's article is current and a centerpiece of Pres. Trump's appeal to many voters. Can manufacturing (and coal production) be revived in the US? Trump says yes and believes he can do it. This article explores the causes for manufacturing's decline and posits that reductions in manufacturing employment are not exclusively (and perhaps not predominantly) due to globalization. Do you agree with these arguments and why/why not? How would you deal with the weak job prospects personal despair confronted by many former manufacturing employees? Have politicians over simplified the causes of manufacturing's decline in order to win votes?
Article: The Mirage of a return to Manufacturing Greatness by Eduardo Porter.