Where do they go when the industry collapses?

If you think China is the only culprit manufacturing hazardous and recalled goods, think again. The notable thing is that almost all recalled goods are not made in the USA.

Have a look at the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website for proof. http://www.cpsc.gov/

The point is, when will our economic policies begin to favor American-made goods, and therefore American workers, and therefore the American economy?

Recent news is proof that our economy is fragile. For example, while sustainable hard goods are almost exclusively made overseas, much of what we produce here in the US are intangibles - such as loans and other money-related business. The problem is that when the markets turn downward - as they always do, and are now doing - people lose their jobs with nowhere to go. Take the loan market. As of this writing, more than 88,000 people have lost their jobs, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As more mortgage companies go under as a result of bad loans generated in the housing-boom greed in the early 2000s, more and more people will lose their jobs. Note that these are largely unskilled jobs, to boot - loan officers are much like real estate agents; they come in off the street and are trained by the companies to perform these specific jobs. The skills aren't really portable unless one stays in the industry.

But what if that industry collapses? Where do these people go when the entire industry is in shambles? In the 70s through the 90s, it happened to our large manufacturing industries. Now it's the loan and real estate industry, a perfect case.

The government doesn't have an answer, that's for sure, other than to properly regulate international commerce.

Maybe if they took a history lesson, might that help?