This is courtesy of Jim Hightower. I don't know exactly who he is, but always has interesting columns. This one is courtsey of the Inlander Weekly Newspaper-Spokane.
The Timken Co. Based in Canton, Ohio, makes steel and other industrail products and last year it was the proud recipient of a visit by his eminance, George Dubya.
The Pres had traveled to Ohio, a state that's up for grabs in this fall's election to hype the value of all the tax giveaways he's passed for the rich. He went to Canton to claim that those giveaways would trickle down from the rich to create jobs for middle class America, and he needed a good visual for his televised speech. Timken's factory was the perfect made for tv backdrop.
A crowd of Timken's hard hatted blue collar workers was dutifully assembled for Bush. The bossman, Tim Timken himself was onstage beaming with pride and nodding with approval at George's every sentence. Why wouldn't he? Tim has long been a major financial backer of both Bush presidents.
Now fast forward to May of this year. Just months after George's highly publicized rooster strut in Canton, Tim announced that he was closing 3 of his factories, eliminating 1,300 jobs, and moving production to low-wage centers elsewhere, including overseas. Curiously, there was no national media coverage of this development, which made a mockery of Bush's earlier political posturing.
What's to happen to the workers who were made to serve as props for George's pitch about the power of trickle down economics? " I have no idea what I am going to do," said Scott Anderson, 41 years old and a 23 year loyal worker at Timken."There are just no good job opportunities left in this community." Scott added, that he now couldn't pay for the college education for his kids. " I want a better America, as my parents did for me," he said.
Ironically, a Timken spokesman coldly replied: Its a business issue not a political issue."
He is dead wrong about that. By stiffing America's middle class, both Bush and Timken are playing with politcal dynamite.
Great column Jim!