I'm on page 228 of Joel Kotkin's book The Next Hundred Million: American in 2050.
Admittedly, I'm skimming around the book right now and cherry picking the parts that fit my personal philosophy. Of course, that's seemingly 99% of this book so my skimming is more than thorough.
On page 228, Kotkin summarizes 19th century Great Britain as a "cautionary tale" for today. Some powerful "capitalist elites" caused British institutions to work against "the needs of industry" and sparked a contempt for production and manufacturing. The contempt led to Great Britain's decline as an industrial powerhouse.
Could this happen to the U.S.? Maybe.
Kotkin, rightly, sees the answer that yields a positive outcome lies in the Midwest. I, gleefully, agree.
The idea of "contempt for production" is something that I can never see being the case in Ohio.
Ohio is still a place that makes things. We raise our children to go find the technical skills to make things.
That's why I'm confident that manufacturing companies are looking to places with a manufacturing legacy with increasing attentiveness in the future. One of the key questions those siting such future plants must ask is, "Does this area see manufacturing in its future?" The answer must be a resounding yes and, in Licking County, Ohio at least, the answer would be a resounding "yes."
We need to keep working for the needs of industry in Ohio and that industry remains manufacturing.
Admittedly, I'm skimming around the book right now and cherry picking the parts that fit my personal philosophy. Of course, that's seemingly 99% of this book so my skimming is more than thorough.
On page 228, Kotkin summarizes 19th century Great Britain as a "cautionary tale" for today. Some powerful "capitalist elites" caused British institutions to work against "the needs of industry" and sparked a contempt for production and manufacturing. The contempt led to Great Britain's decline as an industrial powerhouse.
Could this happen to the U.S.? Maybe.
Kotkin, rightly, sees the answer that yields a positive outcome lies in the Midwest. I, gleefully, agree.
The idea of "contempt for production" is something that I can never see being the case in Ohio.
Ohio is still a place that makes things. We raise our children to go find the technical skills to make things.
That's why I'm confident that manufacturing companies are looking to places with a manufacturing legacy with increasing attentiveness in the future. One of the key questions those siting such future plants must ask is, "Does this area see manufacturing in its future?" The answer must be a resounding yes and, in Licking County, Ohio at least, the answer would be a resounding "yes."
We need to keep working for the needs of industry in Ohio and that industry remains manufacturing.
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See JoelKotkin.com for more Licking County-friendly reading.
See JoelKotkin.com for more Licking County-friendly reading.
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