USA Must Again Become a Producer

[tonyz]

The China Virus is a giant wake up call on so many levels.

The pathway to national survival requires that we be producers - not merely fat and happy consumers.

And, as this healthcare crisis illustrates there is an imperative that we produce additional healthcare providers.

This pandemic is a deadly reminder that the political elite do not actually solve problems - but they do create illusory solutions.

As I stated here during the Obamacare debate...if .GOV is hell bent on spending billions on exchanges, web sites, hiring IRS agents and creating more bureaucracy...AND NOT CREATING ONE MORE ACTUAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDER...it would be much better for all if we instead spent that massive amount of money on PRODUCING something more valuable than ILLUSORY “healthcare for all” by stimulating the actual creation of actual healthcare providers. THAT is money well spent.

This might be accomplished by expanding the EXISTING state university medical school and nursing school programs. Just adding 15 more seats in each state university medical school and nursing school program will create thousands of valuable healthcare providers. Scholarships in exchange for a service requirement in both urban and rural settings would assist both students and underserved communities.

I use the example of state university programs because the system is already in place and can be easily funded with little increase of bureaucracy. This pandemic is indeed a giant wake up call. I hope that the call for producing more medical providers reaches President Trump. My suggestion was lost during the Obama administration although the only legitimate pushback - for creating more actual supply to meet actual growing demand - was that it would take too long...that was back around 2009-2010. How many doctors and nurses would we have by now? Instead, we have some half-assed, costly exchanges...pushing much more demand...not one iota more supply.

The attached article from 2019 explains in simple language what China has done and what we need to do. Although it deals with manufacturing generally and not healthcare specifically...the notion of producing our own...transcends the spectrum of needs for a self-sustaining, powerful and healthy nation.

“It was the architect of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who famously said, “Anyone who has seen the auto factories in Detroit and the oil fields in Texas knows that Japan lacks the national power for a naval race with America. … Its industrial base makes America invincible.”

China’s Unrestricted And Relentless War On American Manufacturing

Shalabh Kumar|Posted: Jun 04, 2019

...as a result of the “unrestricted warfare” waged by China on American manufacturing for the past 30 years. They have executed a strategic, long-term and masterful plan literally to destroy American manufacturing, industry by industry. The U.S. has not only lost millions of jobs in this hostile takeover; we have lost the manufacturing expertise essential to national security.

It was the architect of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who famously said, “Anyone who has seen the auto factories in Detroit and the oil fields in Texas knows that Japan lacks the national power for a naval race with America. … Its industrial base makes America invincible.”

To counter that reality in its determined quest to displace this country as the planet’s dominant power, Communist China set out to become the manufacturing capital of the world in just 30 years: Today, 85% of all Christmas gifts and 80% of all electronic devices worldwide are produced in China. It exports $2.8 trillion a year, $550 billion to the U.S. alone. The corresponding numbers were negligible in 1985.

How did they pull it off?

First, they hired slick American marketing firms and convinced giant U.S. companies to relocate manufacturing to China by providing $1 leases for comparable plants and abundant cheap labor. Wall Street fell for it.

Secondly, state-subsidized Chinese companies flooded U.S. markets with products at one-third the prevailing price. The result: In short order, most American manufacturers had to file for bankruptcy. Then, these same Chinese firms shamelessly swept in and bought up our manufacturers’ now-unused equipment for pennies on the dollar.We were asleep. Sure, it cost China some money in the early stages, but per their long-term plan, China became the world’s top manufacturer and resource for such fire-sale buy-outs at the same time. The plan was masterful, the U.S. and American stakeholders fell for it hook, line and sinker.

I personally observed this wholesale takeover up close from 1990 to 2010.

Fortunately, Donald Trump ran for president on the promise of correcting this trend. In 2018, the United States imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports at rates of 10-25%. Some of these tariffs have been misplaced, however. For example, one of our products is a Human Machine Interface (HMI) used in most American plants. Currently, $3.5 billion worth of HMIs are imported from China, while we make less than $50 million per year in the United States. At present, tariffs apply only to key components that go into HMIs and left the finished products themselves untouched. If the latter, rather than the former, were subjected to tariffs, 30,000 net new jobs would be created. The same goes for personal computers. If we were to tariff Chinese PCs and not the mother-boards that go in them, imagine what would occur? We could win back 80% of the market for PCs. We’re talking more than a million new jobs.

Let me be very clear: The U.S. manufacturing renaissance we seek and that our national security requires will not take place without a sustained long-term tariff plan that would encourage American businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment to make these products in the United States once again.What has been stolen from our country cannot be brought back by free trade.Eventually, the tariffs can be phased out, but American companies need a breather in this unrestricted Chinese war on our manufacturing sector.

So I ask again, why are we not taking immediate action to place tariffs on imported finished goods? Sure, our economy for now is doing great, and some manufacturing jobs are coming back. But, if we want to reconstitute the industrial strength that will make us once again invincible, we must take a page from the Chinese playbook that has done us such harm by engaging in the long-term planning and sustained execution required for us, rather than them, to be the world’s dominant economic and military power.

https://townhall.com/columnists/shal...uring-n2547467

And, on healthcare...it hasn’t gotten any better...

The US can't keep up with demand for health aides, nurses and doctors
by Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney
May 4, 2018: 10:51 AM ET

The US will need to hire 2.3 million new health care workers by 2025 in order to adequately take care of its aging population, a new report finds.

But a persistent shortage of skilled workers -- from nurses to physicians to lab technicians -- will mean hundreds of thousands of positions will remain unfilled, according to research by global health care staffing consultancy Mercer.

"Few other industries are racing the clock to find a future-ready workforce like today's health care administrators," said Jason Narlock, senior consultant with Mercer.

The largest number of new job openings -- about 423,200 -- will be for home health aides, the report found.

Becoming a home health aide requires less education and training than other health care jobs. Typically, an entry-level position requires a high school diploma, for example. However, aides don't earn much, with median pay of about $11 an hour, or $23,130 a year, according to the Labor Department.

That low pay makes it hard to attract new talent to the field. And with more workers retiring, Mercer projects there will be a shortage of 446,300 home health aides by 2025.

Nurses will also be in hot demand.

Mercer estimated that there will be 400,000 new nursing assistant positions and nearly 51,500 new nurse practitioner openings, but there will not be nearly enough skilled workers to fill those roles.

Not only are experienced nurses retiring at a rapid clip, but there aren't enough new graduates to replenish the workforce. Hospitals and other medical facilities are getting so desperate to recruit and retain nurses they're offering pricey perks and incentives, including five figure signing bonuses.

"When there are fewer nurses available to handle a bigger volume of patients, it adversely affects patient outcomes because of nursing burnout," said Narlock. "Patients are more likely to be readmitted after 30 days of first being seen. They can also be at a higher risk of a hospital acquired infection."

https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/04/new...age/index.html

[Razor]

Originally Posted by tonyz

And, as this healthcare crisis illustrates there is an imperative that we produce additional healthcare providers...This might be accomplished by expanding the EXISTING state university medical school and nursing school programs. Just adding 15 more seats in each state university medical school and nursing school program will create thousands of valuable healthcare providers.

This solution assumes that creating a health care professional is simply a matter of choosing to ramp up 'production'. I'd argue it's a bit more complex than that (e.g., a person's free will to choose a career, possessing the ability to learn and employ associated skills).

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by Razor

This solution assumes that creating a health care professional is simply a matter of choosing to ramp up 'production'. I'd argue it's a bit more complex than that (e.g., a person's free will to choose a career, possessing the ability to learn and employ associated skills).

Of course. Good points all.

However, I suspect that a free valuable education in exchange for some very needed service - with a future - does hold some attraction to a certain audience.

We do have a few precedents supporting the notion of valuable education in exchange for service - do we not?

[Razor]

Originally Posted by tonyz

We do have a few precedents supporting the notion of valuable education in exchange for service - do we not?

We do, and in fact there's been a big push for over a decade now to increase the number of US students taking STEM courses and entering those career fields (to include the health care fields). However, despite a surge in 'exposure' and 'introduction' programs to get younger students interested in STEM, and a good deal of grants, scholarships, and low-interest loans offered to students entering STEM education pipelines, we still face substantial shortages. Why? My opinion, but based on watching my 2 sons make their way through school from elementary to college over the last 20 years it appears that although many kids initially show an interest in STEM, the academic challenge and workload that is required to enter those fields is simply "too hard" to hold their interests or maintain their desire, overall.

[twistedsquid]

Manufacturing first...then production.

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by Razor

We do, and in fact there's been a big push for over a decade now to increase the number of US students taking STEM courses and entering those career fields (to include the health care fields). However, despite a surge in 'exposure' and 'introduction' programs to get younger students interested in STEM, and a good deal of grants, scholarships, and low-interest loans offered to students entering STEM education pipelines, we still face substantial shortages. Why? My opinion, but based on watching my 2 sons make their way through school from elementary to college over the last 20 years it appears that although many kids initially show an interest in STEM, the academic challenge and workload that is required to enter those fields is simply "too hard" to hold their interests or maintain their desire, overall.

Helpful real world insight. It will not be easy but it is not impossible. There seem to be quite a few things that will require realignment if we are to progress as a nation...or it’s all over and we learn to speak Chinese...that’s no easy task either.

[frostfire]

Originally Posted by tonyz

The China Virus is a giant wake up call on so many levels.

The pathway to national survival requires that we be producers - not merely fat and happy consumers.

And, as this healthcare crisis illustrates there is an imperative that we produce additional healthcare providers.

This pandemic is a deadly reminder that the political elite do not actually solve problems - but they do create illusory solutions.

As I stated here during the Obamacare debate...if .GOV is hell bent on spending billions on exchanges, web sites, hiring IRS agents and creating more bureaucracy...AND NOT CREATING ONE MORE ACTUAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDER...it would be much better for all if we instead spent that massive amount of money on PRODUCING something more valuable than ILLUSORY “healthcare for all” by stimulating the actual creation of actual healthcare providers. THAT is money well spent.

This might be accomplished by expanding the EXISTING state university medical school and nursing school programs. Just adding 15 more seats in each state university medical school and nursing school program will create thousands of valuable healthcare providers. Scholarships in exchange for a service requirement in both urban and rural settings would assist both students and underserved communities.

I use the example of state university programs because the system is already in place and can be easily funded with little increase of bureaucracy. This pandemic is indeed a giant wake up call. I hope that the call for producing more medical providers reaches President Trump. My suggestion was lost during the Obama administration although the only legitimate pushback - for creating more actual supply to meet actual growing demand - was that it would take too long...that was back around 2009-2010. How many doctors and nurses would we have by now? Instead, we have some half-assed, costly exchanges...pushing much more demand...not one iota more supply.

The attached article from 2019 explains in simple language what China has done and what we need to do. Although it deals with manufacturing generally and not healthcare specifically...the notion of producing our own...transcends the spectrum of needs for a self-sustaining, powerful and healthy nation.

“It was the architect of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who famously said, “Anyone who has seen the auto factories in Detroit and the oil fields in Texas knows that Japan lacks the national power for a naval race with America. … Its industrial base makes America invincible.”

China’s Unrestricted And Relentless War On American Manufacturing

Shalabh Kumar|Posted: Jun 04, 2019

...as a result of the “unrestricted warfare” waged by China on American manufacturing for the past 30 years. They have executed a strategic, long-term and masterful plan literally to destroy American manufacturing, industry by industry. The U.S. has not only lost millions of jobs in this hostile takeover; we have lost the manufacturing expertise essential to national security.

It was the architect of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who famously said, “Anyone who has seen the auto factories in Detroit and the oil fields in Texas knows that Japan lacks the national power for a naval race with America. … Its industrial base makes America invincible.”

To counter that reality in its determined quest to displace this country as the planet’s dominant power, Communist China set out to become the manufacturing capital of the world in just 30 years: Today, 85% of all Christmas gifts and 80% of all electronic devices worldwide are produced in China. It exports $2.8 trillion a year, $550 billion to the U.S. alone. The corresponding numbers were negligible in 1985.

How did they pull it off?

First, they hired slick American marketing firms and convinced giant U.S. companies to relocate manufacturing to China by providing $1 leases for comparable plants and abundant cheap labor. Wall Street fell for it.

Secondly, state-subsidized Chinese companies flooded U.S. markets with products at one-third the prevailing price. The result: In short order, most American manufacturers had to file for bankruptcy. Then, these same Chinese firms shamelessly swept in and bought up our manufacturers’ now-unused equipment for pennies on the dollar.We were asleep. Sure, it cost China some money in the early stages, but per their long-term plan, China became the world’s top manufacturer and resource for such fire-sale buy-outs at the same time. The plan was masterful, the U.S. and American stakeholders fell for it hook, line and sinker.

I personally observed this wholesale takeover up close from 1990 to 2010.

Fortunately, Donald Trump ran for president on the promise of correcting this trend. In 2018, the United States imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports at rates of 10-25%. Some of these tariffs have been misplaced, however. For example, one of our products is a Human Machine Interface (HMI) used in most American plants. Currently, $3.5 billion worth of HMIs are imported from China, while we make less than $50 million per year in the United States. At present, tariffs apply only to key components that go into HMIs and left the finished products themselves untouched. If the latter, rather than the former, were subjected to tariffs, 30,000 net new jobs would be created. The same goes for personal computers. If we were to tariff Chinese PCs and not the mother-boards that go in them, imagine what would occur? We could win back 80% of the market for PCs. We’re talking more than a million new jobs.

Let me be very clear: The U.S. manufacturing renaissance we seek and that our national security requires will not take place without a sustained long-term tariff plan that would encourage American businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment to make these products in the United States once again.What has been stolen from our country cannot be brought back by free trade.Eventually, the tariffs can be phased out, but American companies need a breather in this unrestricted Chinese war on our manufacturing sector.

So I ask again, why are we not taking immediate action to place tariffs on imported finished goods? Sure, our economy for now is doing great, and some manufacturing jobs are coming back. But, if we want to reconstitute the industrial strength that will make us once again invincible, we must take a page from the Chinese playbook that has done us such harm by engaging in the long-term planning and sustained execution required for us, rather than them, to be the world’s dominant economic and military power.

https://townhall.com/columnists/shal...uring-n2547467

And, on healthcare...it hasn’t gotten any better...

The US can't keep up with demand for health aides, nurses and doctors
by Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney
May 4, 2018: 10:51 AM ET

The US will need to hire 2.3 million new health care workers by 2025 in order to adequately take care of its aging population, a new report finds.

But a persistent shortage of skilled workers -- from nurses to physicians to lab technicians -- will mean hundreds of thousands of positions will remain unfilled, according to research by global health care staffing consultancy Mercer.

"Few other industries are racing the clock to find a future-ready workforce like today's health care administrators," said Jason Narlock, senior consultant with Mercer.

The largest number of new job openings -- about 423,200 -- will be for home health aides, the report found.

Becoming a home health aide requires less education and training than other health care jobs. Typically, an entry-level position requires a high school diploma,

https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/04/new...age/index.html

I’ve always pondered. Is capitalism compatible with patriotism?
I saw this w real estate too. Sell your house to fellow American who pays 150k via mortgage or a Chinese “tourist” who will pay $160 k, in cash?!

As for STEM, my first degree/career is chemical engineering.
Good grief I had never seen grades n gpa so low
I thought I was smart until the chemE classes started. It was by Gods Grace alone via two altruistic blonde ladies who tutored me that I graduated with magna cum laude. Yes “too hard” is a realistic understatement!
Also unless one takes tons AP classes, US high school imhoo is catered to the lowest denominator n thus does not adequately prepare students. I saw several valedictorian flunked out in freshman n sophomore years.
I’m still convinced proliferation of “tiger mom” mentality with “it takes a village “ carrot n stick approach can yield good result. Case in point, I was working in an ER when a doctor told a patient n his mom that he should focus towards stem/ healthcare vs play ball. He seemed to make a good impression on the kid who frequently came (a sickle cell patient) n interacted w the kind doctor

[TOMAHAWK9521]

The good ol' state department needs to be curtailed as well. I'm talking testicles nailed to the fence rail. There is no longer any justification for the illegal resettling of "refugees" forced upon the nation. Not that they had the justification to begin with. Yeah, it;s infortunate those countries have to deal with the pandemic but, News Flash: we're dealing with it, too. With so many unemployed and with no jobs to return to even when this thing clears up, there are enough folks here who need work and that supersedes any needs of/for foreign "workers/refugees" (aka: contracted dem voters).

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by frostfire

I’m still convinced proliferation of “tiger mom” mentality with “it takes a village “ carrot n stick approach can yield good result. Case in point, I was working in an ER when a doctor told a patient n his mom that he should focus towards stem/ healthcare vs play ball. He seemed to make a good impression on the kid who frequently came (a sickle cell patient) n interacted w the kind doctor

Yes, indeed ! Good discussion.

And, like your doctor example above - mentors (formal or informal) - are often quite valuable in both - recruitment and support - while a protege or two is preparing, applying and actually attending a given selective program. We could perhaps use more mentors in our difficult - but needed professions...

Recall, this conversation began with a mention of (1) a wake up call - and (2) the BILLIONS and BILLIONS that were essentially wasted on Obamacare...a largely illusory promise...

A deceptive promise that created not one additional needed healthcare provider versus the alternative...investing those same BILLIONS (that’s a lot of carrots - but does seem somewhat trivial in this new age of .GOV spending trillions) and yes INVEST them in the creation of actual medical professionals...there may even be an additional cultural development that fit into this discussion... the proliferation of gender/multicultural studies departments took money and resources away from universities, that’s for another discussion...lol, ever get “treated” by a gender studies major?

Anyway...but, what if we combine mentors, recruitment, resources and a cultural push for additional healthcare providers with those resources providing scholarships (and perhaps bonuses paid) for successful completion of various healthcare related degree programs, OTJ training, required public service for something like 2 years at underserved urban or rural settings in exchange for the scholarship...creating a win/win investment. Students win a valuable career - society wins more needed actual healthcare professionals. The nation/taxpayers might actually receive something valuable for their tax money.

Where’d we be if we had done this in 2009 ?

Ok, even if university nursing school and medical school programs could only find/add 3-5 seats per school, per year, on .GOV scholarship since 2009...and recall, there are currently more applications than acceptances for many of those programs...Hell, I knew kids who went overseas for med school who are now VERY successful medical practitioners or medical researchers. Bring those students back here. Provide ‘em a .Gov scholarship in exchange for mandatory service in underserved communities (and then if you need to sweeten the pot - pay-’em a cash bonus upon successful completion). As a taxpayer...do you want actual doctors and nurses and clinics or do you want web sites, exchanges and bureaucrats?

I know what I want. Anyway, this has been an interesting discussion...essentially it is a long, difficult process to create certain professionals...it always has been...it always will be. Oh, and try to minimize being ”treated” by those prolific gender studies majors.

[frostfire]

Originally Posted by tonyz

Yes, indeed ! Good discussion.

And, like your doctor example above - mentors (formal or informal) - are often quite valuable in both - recruitment and support - while a protege or two is preparing, applying and actually attending a given selective program. We could perhaps use more mentors in our difficult - but needed professions...

Recall, this conversation began with a mention of (1) a wake up call - and (2) the BILLIONS and BILLIONS that were essentially wasted on Obamacare...a largely illusory promise...

A deceptive promise that created not one additional needed healthcare provider versus the alternative...investing those same BILLIONS (that’s a lot of carrots - but does seem somewhat trivial in this new age of .GOV spending trillions) and yes INVEST them in the creation of actual medical professionals...there may even be an additional cultural development that fit into this discussion... the proliferation of gender/multicultural studies departments took money and resources away from universities, that’s for another discussion...lol, ever get “treated” by a gender studies major?

Anyway...but, what if we combine mentors, recruitment, resources and a cultural push for additional healthcare providers with those resources providing scholarships (and perhaps bonuses paid) for successful completion of various healthcare related degree programs, OTJ training, required public service for something like 2 years at underserved urban or rural settings in exchange for the scholarship...creating a win/win investment. Students win a valuable career - society wins more needed actual healthcare professionals. The nation/taxpayers might actually receive something valuable for their tax money.

Where’d we be if we had done this in 2009 ?

Ok, even if university nursing school and medical school programs could only find/add 3-5 seats per school, per year, on .GOV scholarship since 2009...and recall, there are currently more applications than acceptances for many of those programs...Hell, I knew kids who went overseas for med school who are now VERY successful medical practitioners or medical researchers. Bring those students back here. Provide ‘em a .Gov scholarship in exchange for mandatory service in underserved communities (and then if you need to sweeten the pot - pay-’em a cash bonus upon successful completion). As a taxpayer...do you want actual doctors and nurses and clinics or do you want web sites, exchanges and bureaucrats?

I know what I want. Anyway, this has been an interesting discussion...essentially it is a long, difficult process to create certain professionals...it always has been...it always will be. Oh, and try to minimize being ”treated” by those prolific gender studies majors.

I think some of the above you proposed are already in place.
https://www.usuhs.edu/
https://usphs.gov/student/nhsc.aspx
the army CRNA program and PA program and so on.

I'm not the bean counter in the recruitment or overseeing these program so I don't know how effective they are at cranking the number.
The Commission Corps of Public Health Service has that requirement to serve at underprivileged area in exchanged for scholarship. I think it's solid use of tax payers money and if I were to specialize further to PA or NP it's an attractive option but I digress.
I have seen knuckle dragger applied themselves, got their package ready, got accepted and graduated to be excellent providers. Got a Marine gunny who I did physical recently heading for the PA program. If he got in and he loves his crayons, anybody can I have worked with one grad who seemed to be product of minority quota too.

Regardless, if the military is a reflection of society, maybe those in the know can pitch in how well the carrot-stick approach these programs offer to the target population, attrition rate, success stories, etc.

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by frostfire

I think some of the above you proposed are already in place.
https://www.usuhs.edu/
https://usphs.gov/student/nhsc.aspx
the army CRNA program and PA program and so on.

Yup, was generally aware of those programs before. It would be interesting to hear from those who attend, administer or teach in those programs. Think of what those programs could do with some of the money spent on Obamacare...and then add to that expanding nursing, medical, PA, NP and medical research programs - even modestly.

Remember, this pandemic is a really a wake up call.

We need to produce more medical professionals at various levels to assist with our aging society. We need to develop and manufacture among other things our own pharmaceuticals, our own medical test kits, our own PPE and our own machines - right here in North America. Hell, we need the jobs !

However, this brief discussion is merely one example of the need to realign our public policy to actually create tangible benefit for all our citizens and not merely “super smaht elites” creating illusory promises - we’ve had enough of those for three lifetimes.

We don’t have the luxury of safe spaces and gender studies departments eating up budget at major universities (if we ever really had that luxury).

Tweak this bug a bit, increase lethality a bit, and make no changes in our national priorities...