Responsibility Follow Up

Plenty of musing rolling around in my head, but for now, I respond to an old article posting with a new one. When I lauded the NYTime's editorial critiquing the indolent, inefficiency-rewarding stance of many Americans toward outsourcing and the like, I (and the author) suggested that other measures were neccessary and would prove far more effective. In another NYTimes opinion column, we have one such example, as the state government of Virginia tackles the natural outflow of jobs in an industry where we no longer have any competitive advantage: textiles. Despite the fact that, as the article cites, tariffs on foreign textile trade account for 50% of tariff revenues despite representing only 6% of imports, the industry is STILL losing jobs. I read that as a sign that it's time to go.... but government's do have a responsibility for the welfare of their citizens, and so as these jobs move elsewhere, we can counter the drain with actions like those in Virginia (a complex patchwork of political ideologies in one state, much like Pennsylavania, Ohio, and Missouri).

Look to Virginia, Not China - New York Times: "Instead of trying to turn back time, politicians in Washington should be following the very good example being set by Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia. Seeking to stem the job hemorrhage in rural southern Virginia as the region's textile plants were shuttered, Mr. Warner started creating one-stop worker-assistance storefronts in depressed rural towns in 2002. Beyond helping laid-off workers navigate the maze of federal trade adjustment assistance and unemployment checks, Mr. Warner backed a program to help workers without a high school diploma get a G.E.D. in 90 days or less. He put up incentive money to attract Nascar engine builders to the region. Indeed, the area's love for Nascar has been harnessed: state-sponsored ads tout the G.E.D. program at Nascar races."