Obama’s Plans to Boost US Manufacturing Jobs

July 8, 2011 under Articles
Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...

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The economic recovery that should have been occurring during the last two or three years is taking longer than expected. Many people are still unemployed, and of those of us who do have jobs right now, many are suffering from uncertainty.

The answer to our sluggish recuperation from the Great Recession may lie in the manufacturing sector. Last week, President Obama delivered a speech at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA in which he outlined plans to revitalize the US manufacturing industry and boost job growth.

This initiative, called the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, calls for an investment of $500 million to jumpstart the plan. The Partnership would bring together government agencies, corporations and universities for research and development projects in manufacturing.

Obama believes that if we utilize these different resources and invest in information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, we can enable the creation of solid manufacturing jobs in the US.

By reducing costs, improving quality, and accelerating product development using these various technologies, we can ultimately create a renaissance within the American manufacturing industry.

In addition to revitalizing the industry within the US and creating jobs in our country, these investments will also help us compete with the rest of the world in manufacturing technology. The United States is a nation that was built on inventing and manufacturing, and Obama believes that we can make this happen once again.

Obama said that the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership would not just create jobs for the future, but also for right now. This could be the final measure that takes us out of the last leg of our lethargic economic recovery.

This necessary and immediate call for action could be because Obama is up for re-election in 2012. He realizes that he must make certain moves to once again to gain our country’s love and support. Obama came out swinging in 2008 with big ideas of turning our country around, speaking of change and new hope.

Over the last few years, he lost a lot of that original support when the job market and overall economy never got better. Now is the time to make up for it, and Obama realizes this.

By investing into the technologies that produce revolutionary ideas, new jobs will be created, breakthroughs will be made, and the manufacturing sector will boom once again in the United States.

Then again, it seems like this should have happened three or four years ago, when the economy was really suffering. People are still recovering from massive job losses and the big slump in the manufacturing industry a few years ago. For Obama’s sake, hopefully the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership isn’t too little too late.

 

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Small Businesses – Leaders in Job Creation

June 13, 2011 under Articles
Clean Energy Economy

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When most people think of job creation in the US, they think of the leading corporations that usually make the news with massive bouts of hiring. Places like Wal-Mart, Home Depot or AT&T are the names that typically come to mind.

But what most people don’t know is that the majority of new jobs in the past decade did not come from big-name corporations. In the last ten years, small businesses have accounted for more than half of all new jobs. Wal-Mart may be taking over in all other aspects, but small businesses are the nation’s leading job creators.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They exemplify the American Dream. Being your own boss and making your own fortune; isn’t that what every Average Joe dreams about as they sit in rush hour traffic while spilling coffee on their white business shirt?

The definition of a small business varies and can depend upon a lot of different factors. It can be a company as small as a dozen employees to as large as 500. Small businesses can also be classified according to sales, assets or net profits. Prime examples in our everyday economy include convenience stores, delicatessens, law firms, restaurants, hairdressers and online businesses such as web design and programming.

There are many advantages of owning your own small business, but there are also many drawbacks as well. Ideally, startups require only a small amount of capital and part-time hours to get them running successfully. However this is not always the case.

Many people out there believe that owning a small business means working when you want to and not having to deal with any superiors. Contrary to popular belief, most small business owners work 60 or more hours a week and don’t make any profit during their first two years. In addition, their startup capital has to come from somewhere, and this frequently comes from investors. To get investments, you need to have a solid idea and business plan, and you have to be able to appeal to your investors.

The high risk and uncertainty of small business ownership has not prevented thousands of Americans from giving it a go this past year. In 2010, the startup rate was the highest it has been in 15 years, with over a half million new businesses popping up. In response to the slow economic recovery and high unemployment rates, many Americans turned to small business ownership as a way out.

But don’t go quitting your job just yet. Owning your own business is not all sleeping in and three-day weekends. You might find yourself working longer hours than a traditional 9-to-5 and making a lot less money. Granted you will have the pride in knowing that you achieved the American Dream, but that doesn’t always pay the bills.

Either way, whether you are looking to start your own or just work for another small business, you are doing the country and the economy a favor by keeping one less person from unemployment.

 

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