Is the South becoming the new Rust Belt?

[Sandpiper]

A generation ago, factory closures and job loss plagued the Northeast and Midwest as industry sought the cheap labor, non union environment of the Sun Belt.

Today, it seems that the Sun Belt is suffering the same factory closures and job loss as industry seeks the even cheaper labor of the third world.

Is history repeating itself?

[aquart]

1. Yeah. Look what those non-union policies gotcha.

[pacifictiger]

2. Bush failed to learn in school

"if you don't learn from the mistakes of history, you are doomed to repeat them." He was too busy partying with his rich buddies to be curious about how the rest of the world operated.

Unlike Clinton & Clark who both went to Oxford, England. Not sure if Dean did some schooling abroad too, but he certainly traveled extensively. Hard to believe Bush had never in his life set foot out of the US when he took office. A true case of the ignorant american.

[Syrinx]

3. I think the unemployment level is lower than nationwide

Mostly shitty jobs probably, but some good ones. Mercedes pays pretty good. And JVC.

I think the South is pretty good on employment rates, but a bit worse on net income.

[Sandpiper]

4. The corner of North Carolina

Where I used to live has taken an absolute beating under the Bush economy. Eaton and Volvo have both had massive layoffs, Steelcase is closing its factory altogether and laying off its 480 employees, and I know that there has been at least one more factory closure, but the name doesn't come to mind.

[Syrinx]

6. I've definitely heard of some layoffs here

So I think we have a definite downward nationwide trend.

[Elwood P Dowd]

5. We're getting clobbered in Alabama

Ten years ago I didn't know anyone that was unemployed or under-
employed. Today, I know over a dozen.

The State is in terrible financial shape. Small business people
are suffering. There are a few good jobs available, but most are
the Wal Mart types that pay $8.00 an hour. My 85-year-old mother
has friends in their 70s who have gone back to work part-time at
Wal Mart because their retirement and SS checks can no longer make
ends meet.

A black friend of mine once had a decent $10.00 an hour job working
for a construction company, but now that company is employing only
immigrants and paying them $5.15 an hour. There are no more black and
white people working there - just brown people who cannot speak English.
They slowly forced all the "greedy" American workers out.

Certain areas of the state like Auburn are doing well, but that is not
the norm. A friend in Talladega says that part of the state is
becomming a disaster area.

[Syrinx]

7. what's going well in Auburn?

:shrug:

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. It's growing like crazy.

The fastest growing metro area in the state.

[Syrinx]

9. I hadn't heard that

[Elwood P Dowd]

10. I should add

much of that growth is related to the public school system. Their
public school system is one of the best in the south. The high
school there was recently rated one of the Top 250 public schools
in the country. People in Montgomery and other nearby areas are
moving there because of that. The public school systems in Alabama
are horrible. Mt Brook and Auburn are two exceptions.