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Hightower's Common Sense Commentary:
<p><b> "Ford Creates Jobs in the Heartland"</b>
<br>Wednesday, August 2, 2000
<p>Excellent news! Just when you think every last manufacturing job in
<br>America is being shipped off to Asia, Latin America, or other foreign
<br>shores, here's a headline in Business Week magazine announcing that
Ford
<br>Motor Company is planning a new factory "to make family sedans in the
<br>heartland."
<p>Hallelujah and God bless America!
<p>Oh . . . uh, wait a second . . . it's China's heartland that the
<br>article's talking about. Instead of Iowa, Illinois, or Indiana, the
U.S.
<br>auto company is cutting a deal with Chinese rulers to make cars in
the
<br>central province of Sichuan. Business Week notes that this is a "major
<br>victory" for Ford, since it has lagged behind its rival General Motors
<br>in moving its manufacturing to China. GM's been busy making Buicks
in
<br>Shanghai, while Ford has "been limited to making parts and light trucks"
<br>there. It's good to know that balance is being restored, huh? Unless,
of
<br>course, you're an American auto worker who might've liked to see the
<br>investment made here. The magazine says Ford will invest "several
<br>hundred million dollars" in its Chinese plant.
<p>Guess who helped broker this deal? Jim Sasser, the former U.S. Senator
<br>and our former ambassador to China. As ambassador for the last several
<br>years, Ol' Jim made lots of buddies among the officialdom over there,
<br>and now that he's moved outside government service, he's peddling his
<br>influence with those same officials. Business Week reports that Sasser
<br>is "Ford's new senior consultant," and that he recently traveled to
<br>Sichuan with the corporate vice chairman of Ford to make introductions
<br>and seal the deal with the Chinese.
<p>Sasser's trip came days after the U.S. House of Representatives passed
<br>Wall Street's China trade bill-a bill that politicians of both parties
<br>promised would result in EXPORTS! from our factories to China.
<p>This is Jim Hightower saying . . . They were right . . . already, Ford
<br>is exporting our investment dollars, technology, and our jobs.
<p>Sources:
<br>"Ford finally gets to roll out cars in China" by Dexter Roberts and
<br>Alysha Webb. Business Week: July 17, 2000.
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