Does manufacturing matter?

U.S. deindustrialization is not a natural economic phenomenon, but a manmade crisis that can be traced to policy choices that neglect the well-established contribution of manufacturing industries to economic depth, to technological advancement, and to the growth of living standards and the overall economy. Rectifying this crisis in the U.S. manufacturing will require a reconsideration, and even a reversal, of past policies that have caused the United States to shed its manufacturing capacity at such an astounding rate. Only by addressing the problems inherent in U.S. trade policy, the strong-dollar policy, and U.S. fiscal policy can the siphoning off of U.S. manufacturing be ended.