Competition needs moderating.

I heard an editorial on NPR about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The speaker said the problem is worldwide, noting statistics for the last few years. The comment made was basically, consider the fact that the world is losing manufacturing jobs and the situation in the U.S. is not solely based on outsourcing of manufacturing.

I have been manufacturing circuit boards for 20 years. I remember in the early '80s when Asian companies solicited circuit board professionals to help start and improve their facilities. I saw the increase in offshore work through the '80s and early '90s. Today it is a completely different game. Circuit board companies in the U.S. are closing by the handful. In the last four years over 150 companies closed, accounting for over well over 5 million sq. ft. of manufacturing floor space.

U.S. companies today are being outbid by 50% by China. There are offshore companies selling product at the price of what raw materials cost alone. To deny that China and other Asian companies are completely destroying the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy is complete ignorance.

I have listened to comments on efficiency and lower costs and improving quality. U.S. board manufacturers have been doing this for over 15 years. But if others can sell product for what we pay for raw material, how are we supposed to stay in business, let alone invest in equipment and processes? We don't have a government investing in our equipment or subsidizing our companies. We have a government selling out the foundation of our country by letting global competition go unchecked instead of moderating competition and preserving our manufacturing sector.

If nothing is done, electronics will go the way of textiles in the U.S.