Death of US Manufacturing has been exaggerated

We in the US are constantly told by the media and self-interested politicians that US manufacturing is on the decline. It is true that jobs have been lost, but what is left unsaid is that American manufacturing is still the most productive in the world and that it produces high-value goods.

Obviously, higher-productivity is good and this belies talk of a sustained decline in US competitiveness and massive job losses due to free trade. That said, if the US wants to remain competitive — whether that be in manufacturing or any other sector of the economy — we need to address our high corporate tax rate and work to improve the quality, specifically in terms of education, of our work force.