Letters

Innovation: Smokescreen Or Savior?

Re "When New Technology Becomes Old," Editor's Page, Page 9, May 2003. History proves the power of U. S. innovations, but none of the previous manufacturing losses to other countries affected the metal component manufacturers as much as the past few years.

All the new technologies you feel we should be looking into are great for some of the manufacturing sector, but if any metal components are required for those specific innovations, those corporations will probably get those components from China.

Lastly, China is not to blame for all the loss of manufacturing business opportunities here in the U.S. The many trade unions are. Why doesn't someone step up and admit they, the unions, have lost their usefulness?

Edward W. Kalat

President and CEO

Southington Tool & Manufacturing Corp.

Plantsville, Conn.

In the early 1900s the government imposed tariffs on incoming products because the tycoons were concerned about the wave of imports. And we have seen this many times over. So what do we learn from these lessons. Nothing! All we do is complain about our weaknesses instead of leveraging our strengths as you point out.