More disinformation

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Introduction

Robert Reich was Secretary of Labor in the Bill Clinton Administration.  Robert Reich has over 26,000 followers on Facebook.

Looking recently at comments from a few dozen of his followers, it is evident at least in this small sample that these people really admire him and even want him to run for President in 2016.  Many of the comments also mention Hillary Clinton and how much they admire her and how brave she is.

Reich's followers should look a little more carefully before deciding whom to admire!


A comment by Robert Reich

Reich published an article on February 17, 2012, with the title "Manufacturing Illusions".

About one-third of the way through the article, there is a short paragaph.  Here is the full text of this paragraph:

"Bringing back American manufacturing isn't the real challenge, anyway.  It's creating good jobs for the majority of Americans who lack four-year college degrees."


What Americans understand and believe

Polls show the ordinary people of America understand and believe that we have to greatly increase domestic manufacturing in order to save the economy, and, for that matter, to save America.

Obviously it is difficult to get domestic manufacturing going again, faced with unrestricted imports.  A further challenge is refusal of large stores such as Walmart to at least give consumers a choice by displaying Made-in-USA goods, readily available from thousands of existing American manufacturers, next to displays of Made-in-China goods.


Outrageous disinformation

Where is Reich coming from when he says "Bringing back American manufacturing isn't the real challenge, anyway."?

Reich loves these convoluted sentences that are impossible to understand.  Is he saying it is easy to bring back American manufacturing?  Or is he saying that it is not necesssary and in fact irrelevant to bring back American manufacturing?

Reich's statement is an outrageous example of purposeful disinformation, of purposely injecting confusion into the American debate about jobs and the economy.  Reich's statement is absolutely false on numerous levels.

I say "bringing back American manufacturing" is difficult to accomplish but at the same time it is of life and death importance that we in fact bring back American manufacturing.

"Bringing back American manufacturing" IS the real challenge because manufacturing is the only sector of the economy that provides:

+  value-added effect, subtly but strongly enriching the economy

+  multiplier effect, i.e. business firms that supply the manufacturing facility

+  ripple effect creating jobs throughout the economy, requiring a wide variety of skills and levels of education

+  reduction of the hemorrhage of wealth out of our country, currently running at over $500 billion per year, that pays foreign countries to do our manufacturing for us


Reich's next disinformation howler

In this short two-sentence paragraph, Reich hits us with a second piece of outrageous disinformation:

"It's creating good jobs for the majority of Americans who lack four-year college degrees."

Again the convoluted sentence.  What is Reich trying to say here?  Is he saying that all Americans with four-year degrees have jobs?  And the corollary that only people without four-year degrees are having difficulty finding jobs?

The second sentence in this little two-sentence paragraph is another absolutely false statement from Reich, in and of itself, and when coupled with the first sentence.  The manufacturing sector is exactly and specifically a very good place to create employment for Americans of all skills and educational levels.

To "create good jobs" we have to increase the size of the American domestic manufacturing sector.  Reich and others use the word "good" to mean "good wages".  They try to show that pursuing manufacturing is not worthwhile because new manufacturing jobs won't pay very well.  I say a moderate wage is better than ZERO wages.

Is Reich making the nonsensical statement that Americans who lack four-year degrees have no place in manufacturing?  What about Americans with a two- or three-year technical diploma in design, operation, and maintenance of robotic equipment?  What about Americans with technical training in programming and operation of sophisticated machine tools?

On the subject of college degrees, Reich is either completely out of touch with reality or is purposely making false statements.  I guess Reich has no grandchildren who recently received college degrees.  If he did, he would know that Americans with four-year college degrees, especially recent graduates, are finding it almost impossible to find employment.


Why is Reich pouring out disinformation?

China is very concerned about possible recovery of the American manufacturing sector.

The reason is obvious.  China does not want to lose its best customer.  Even a 10% reduction in American purchases of Made-in-China goods would create havoc in the Chinese economy.

Therefore China has enlisted prominent Americans to "dis" American manufacturing, i.e., create disrespect for American manufacturing and downplay its importance.  In effect, China has hired lobbyists.  Two important lobbyists are Robert Reich and Hillary Clinton.

Downplaying the importance of manufacturing in America is clearly evident in Reich's little two-sentence paragraph.

Of course Reich is not the only American who is working against his or her own country in this way.  There are others.  For an example please see my blog post http://edfarkasjobs.blogspot.com/2012/03/disinformation.html

Reich's disinformation/disrespect event discussed herein is not the first one.  A few months ago, Reich supported an obviously false analysis that tried to show that China's involvement in the American economy is only 2.7%.  Please see my blog post http://edfarkasjobs.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-venture-into-fantasy-land.html for details.

Reich also made the outrageous statement that "China merely assembles".  I say if "assembly" is so "mere", why can't we do the "assembly" here in America?

Bulletin!  Stop the presses!  The American Economics Association has adopted a new rule stating that economists must disclose who funded their work. I say that this new rule is a clear admission that economists are prostituting themselves.

Is Robert Reich funded by China?


Why do I mention Hillary Clinton?

Hillary Clinton made a speech in January 2011 about China.  This speech is full of false and incorrect statements and is essentially a cheerleader speech in favor of China.

In working against her own country in this way, Hillary Clinton puts herself in a conflict of interest in terms of her job as Secretary of State in the United States government.  She can't be simultaneously working for the United States and for China.  She can't operate with divided loyalties.  She must resign from one of her two jobs.

Please see my blog post http://edfarkasjobs.blogspot.com/2011/05/americas-fantasy-relationship-with.html for a complete analysis of Hillary Clinton's speech, childish in many ways but also very dangerous and damaging in terms of the level of disinformation.


What is the bottom line here?

It is only plain common sense that we have to cut imports and increase the size of the domestic manufacturing sector, in order to save America.

Why haven't we moved decisively in this common sense direction?  The reason is that too many Americans, especially Americans who have power or influence, have more loyalty to China and their own wealth and position, than they have to the ordinary people of America.

Tragically, for some reason these people of wealth and power don't understand that they could keep their positions in a prosperous America as well as in the present impoverished America with 25 million unemployed.   

 

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