Voinovich should persist in manufacturing battle

When U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich uses the words under siege to describe the state of manufacturing in the United States, he isn't exaggerating. More than 2 million factory jobs have disappeared in the past 33 months, and while the current economic growth is expected to add almost 4 million jobs by the end of 2004, most will not be in manufacturing.
The situation is just as bleak in Ohio, with the loss of 170,000 positions since 2001. Because manufacturing accounts for more than one-fourth of Ohio's gross state product, the health of the small and large manufacturers must be of singular importance to government at all levels.
As Voinovich pointed out recently when he and Gov. Bob Taft hosted a summit of manufacturing leaders in Columbus, factories in Ohio account for the second-highest weekly earnings of any economic sector and support local communities and schools with more than $1 billion in corporate franchise and personal property taxes.
That is why this issue deserves to remain on the front burner. Voinovich is determined to keep it there.
President's pledge
In July, the former Republican governor of Ohio and former mayor of Cleveland introduced a bill in the Senate to create an assistant secretary for manufacturing post in the Department of Commerce. He took the initiative after President Bush announced on Labor Day in Ohio that he intended to create such a position. The goal, Bush said, is to focus "on the needs of manufacturers."
Much to our disappointment -- in September we praised Bush for recognizing that the problems confronting this sector of the economy will be solved only with involvement of the White House -- no concrete action has been taken.
Voinovich blames Congress for not acting expeditiously to approve funding for the position and is now forcing the issue. The senator introduced an amendment to the Commerce Department's appropriations bill to pay for the new position.
Given the aggressive stance he has taken, we would urge Voinovich to convey to the Bush administration the need to have someone in the position who not only has a strong background in manufacturing but has also experienced the challenges being faced by this sector.
Experience
Indeed, there are several individuals in the Mahoning Valley who, given their knowledge and experience, would be ideal candidates for the job.
As we have argued on numerous occasions, the collapse of the steel industry in the Mahoning Valley and the inability to find major manufacturers to fill the void have caused great economic dislocation in the region.
What the Valley has experienced since the 1970s is now being replayed in other parts of the country. What is needed is an aggressive campaign on the part of the Bush administration to eliminate the root causes of manufacturing's troubles.