[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 30 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1017-H1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WRONG DIRECTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, the favorite question of political 
pollsters of late is the benchmark right direction/wrong direction 
question: ``Do you think our country is headed in the right direction 
or the wrong direction?''
  This year, most people say ``wrong direction,'' and the reason is 
because

[[Page H1018]]

our jobs are headed in the wrong direction. There is a new report out 
by AMTAC, the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, that 
details the extent of the job loss in Ohio, the State I represent, just 
since 2000.
  The job washout in Ohio over the past 7 years is the worst since the 
Great Depression. The damage to Ohio's economy has been concentrated in 
the manufacturing sector. Our farmers are currently enjoying record 
high prices for corn, soybeans, wheat, and eggs.
  But manufacturing is a different story. It is the story of lost 
strength and of lost independence. It is the story of one of America's 
largest States teetering on the precipice. And the situation in 
Michigan is even more dire.
  Our Nation has lost 3.4 million jobs in manufacturing and another 
700,000 in the information sector since the beginning of the Bush 
administration. In the past 7 years, total nonfarm employment in Ohio 
has declined by 3.7 percent, a loss of over 209,400 jobs, according to 
Dr. Charles McMillion, author of the report. In the manufacturing 
sector, Ohio has lost over 236,000 jobs, most of those good-paying jobs 
with good benefits.
  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing employment 
in Ohio dropped from 1 million jobs at the end of 2000 to 777,200 jobs 
at the end of 2007. That loss of 236,000 manufacturing jobs represents 
a 23.3 percent drop in employment.
  Put another way, almost a quarter of the manufacturing jobs in Ohio 
have disappeared in the last 7 years. Only three of Ohio's metropolitan 
areas added jobs over the past 3 years, and none of them even matched 
the 4.3 percent overall U.S. job growth, which, by the way, is the 
weakest 7-year period since the mid-1940s demobilization after World 
War II.
  Akron has the best recent record in Ohio, adding 4.1 percent to its 
job base. Then came Cincinnati and Columbus at 2 percent or less. I am 
going to place in the Record the job casualties in Ohio by metropolitan 
statistical area, and I would invite all of the candidates running for 
President to get off of their high horses and all these stage crowd 
rallies and come to us, to travel with the delegation from Ohio to 
places like Cleveland, Elyria, and Mentor which have lost over 48,800 
manufacturing jobs. Or to Youngstown/Warren that has lost over 14,000; 
or to Steubenville/Weirton, West Virginia, over 3,800 jobs; or to 
Sandusky, which I represent, having lost 3,500 manufacturing jobs.
  There you have it. That's why people in Ohio say the country is 
headed in the wrong direction. And why is this happening, why has Ohio 
lost more than a quarter of a million manufacturing jobs? The main 
reason, according to Auggie Tantillo, executive director of AMTAC, is 
the Bush administration's failed trade policies, and I might say the 
prior administration's as well, and the flood of imported products from 
everywhere in the world: China, Mexico, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The 
U.S. imported $1.37 trillion in manufactured goods in 2007 alone, and 
we incurred a trade deficit in manufacturing of half a trillion 
dollars. This is not the hallmark of a strong economy. This is not 
characteristic of an independent people. And Communist China accounted 
for more than 50 percent of that half-trillion-dollar deficit in 
manufactured goods.
  According to AMTAC, America can't keep running on its China credit 
card to buy foreign manufactured goods. We need to make things here. We 
need to be a production economy, not just a finance economy. We have to 
restart our manufacturing engine.
  According to Dr. McMillion, the author of the AMTAC report, the jobs 
data tell only one important part of Ohio's past-7-year economic story, 
yet these record job losses bear strong witness to the depressing 
effects of record trade deficits and the loss of U.S. production that 
they represent. Another key part of Ohio's past-7-year economic history 
is the unprecedented level of household and Federal debt that even in 
Ohio played a vital role in moderating the effects of import 
competition, outsourcing, and job loss. With the soaring engine of 
household debt now sputtering and debt service payments rising, strong 
industrial and trade policies seem urgently needed to halt Ohio's 
further decline.
  The candidates coming through Ohio keep wondering: What do Ohioans 
care about? They care about job creation in the United States of 
America. They care about exporting goods, not jobs. They care about 
independence for America and the future of good jobs with good wages.
  The favorite question of political pollsters is the benchmark right 
direction/wrong direction question. ``Do you think the country is 
headed in the right direction or wrong direction.''
  This year, most people say ``wrong direction,'' and the reason is 
because our jobs are headed in the wrong direction.
  There's a new report out by the American Manufacturing Trade Action 
Coalition (AMTAC) that details the extent of the job loss in Ohio since 
2000.
  The job washout in Ohio over the past 7 years is the worst since the 
Great Depression.
  The damage to Ohio's economy has been concentrated in the 
manufacturing sector. Our farmers are currently enjoying record high 
prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and eggs.
  But manufacturing is a different story. It's the story of lost 
strength and the loss of independence. It is the story of one of 
America's largest states, teetering on the precipice. (And the 
situation in Michigan is even more dire.)
  Our Nation has lost 3.4 million jobs in manufacturing and another 
700,000 in the information sector since the beginning of the Bush 
administration.
  In the past 7 years, total non-farm employment in Ohio has declined 
by 3.7 percent, a loss of 209,400 jobs, according to Dr. Charles 
McMillion, author of the report.
  In the manufacturing sector, Ohio has lost 236,000 jobs--many of them 
good paying jobs with good benefits.
  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing 
employment in Ohio dropped from 1.01 million jobs at the end of 2000 to 
777,200 at the end of 2007. That loss of 236,000 manufacturing jobs 
represents a 23.3 percent decline in employment.
  Put another way, almost a quarter of the manufacturing jobs in Ohio 
have disappeared in the past seven years.
  Only three of Ohio's metropolitan areas added jobs over the past 3 
years and none of them even matched the 4.3 percent overall U.S. job 
growth (which, by the way, is the weakest 7-year period since the mid-
1940's demobilization from World War II).
  Akron has the best recent record in Ohio, adding 4.1 percent to its 
job base. Then came Cincinnati and Columbus (2 percent or less).
  Here are the job casualties in Ohio by Metropolitan Statistical Area:
  Cleveland/Elyria/Mentor: 48,800 manufacturing jobs; Cincinnati/
Middletown: 27,100 manufacturing jobs; Dayton: 25,100 manufacturing 
jobs--one of the worst hit cities; Columbus: 24,700 manufacturing jobs; 
Toledo: 14,100 manufacturing jobs; Youngstown/Warren: 14,000 
manufacturing jobs; Canton/Massillon: 13,200 manufacturing jobs; Akron: 
10,100 manufacturing jobs; Springfield: 6,000 manufacturing jobs--the 
hardest hit city in Ohio; Mansfield: 4,300 manufacturing jobs; Lima: 
3,900 manufacturing jobs; Steubenville/Weirton, West Virginia: 3,800 
manufacturing jobs; and Sandusky: 3,500 manufacturing jobs.
  There you have it.
  That's why people in Ohio say the country's headed in the wrong 
direction.
  And why is this happening? Why has Ohio lost more than a quarter of a 
million manufacturing jobs?
  The main reason, according to Auggie Tantillo, executive director of 
AMTAC, is the Bush administration's failed trade policies and a flood 
of imported products from China and other low-wage countries.
  The U.S. imported $1.37/trillion in manufactured goods in 2007, 
according to the report.
  The U.S. incurred a trade deficit in manufacturing of $499 billion. 
That is not the hallmark of a strong economy. That is not the 
characteristic of an independent people.
  And Communist China accounted for more than 50 percent of that half-
trillion-dollar deficit in manufactured goods.
  According to AMTAC, America can't keep running up its `China credit 
card' to buy foreign manufactured goods. We need to make things here. 
We need to be a production economy, not just a finance economy. We have 
to restart our manufacturing engine.
  According to Dr. McMillion, author of the AMTAC report:

       The jobs data tell only one important part of Ohio's past 
     seven year economic story. Yet these record job losses bare 
     strong witness to the depressing effects of record trade 
     deficits and the loss of US production that they represent. 
     Another key part of Ohio's past seven year economic history 
     is the unprecedented levels of household and federal debt 
     stimulus that--even in Ohio--played a vital role in 
     moderating the effects of import competition, outsourcing and 
     job loss. With the soaring engine of household debt now 
     sputtering and debt service payments rising, strong 
     industrial and trade policies seem urgently needed to halt 
     Ohio's further decline.''





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