Can America Become a Manufacturing Superpower Again? | John Gardner

"What was the cost of free trade? America lost its human capital. And if you want to understand the value of human capital, [see how] Germany and Japan [were] devastated post World War Two - very industrial societies.

The Marshall Plan for Germany built their economy up again because they had the human capital, the knowledge to rebuild the manufacturing industry there. If they had a bunch of lawyers and accountants and no manufacturers, they probably wouldn't be a top five world economy after World War Two.

The cultural perception of the manufacturing industry has to be changed by government marketing. The government marketed for COVID and monkeypox awareness.

I think every high schooler in America should read my book. I wrote it for them.

I wrote it to let them know there's another pathway. There's another choice on the menu of life, besides go to college, get 60k in debt, don't start earning money for five years after high school, go get a low paid internship.

I think there should be an economic study...I know 18, 19-year- old guys making 50-60k in the manufacturing industry, running half a million dollar machines, making another 10 or 20k a year doing overtime with no college debt. How do these lives look different in 30 years, as opposed to getting a communications degree and working as an intern?

And it's really interesting. I think 50% of Americans with a college degree enter the workforce at a high school labor level.

So, I find that the degreed class is oversaturated. There's too many cooks and head chefs.

Everyone wants to be Gordon Ramsay - too many Gordon Ramsays in the kitchen, and not enough sous chefs and line cooks and dishwashers.

And we need to start to build the manufacturing industry up and in our culture. And I think it will help create a stronger middle class."

- John Gardner, author of “Manufacture Local”

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