In a global economy what is the future for American workers?

Michael, you know the answer to that one, America is going to end up a third world country with no one left to buy their cheap plastic cr@p. We'll become a nation of extreme "haves" and "have nots," with CEOs with salaries in the billions and the rest of us left with no jobs except in the service industry, taking care of them. It's really sad that we've allowed this to happen while many of us sit and think it's going to get better all by itself. Who speaks for us? No one, we don't have enough money to get our voices heard.

Unfortunately the American consumer, the American CEO and the American politician all get together on the weekends and make tasteless American worker jokes while sipping brandy and smoking cigars hand rolled somewhere south of the border. It's not the American worker who gave them what they have or put them where they are.

As I see it, the only thing that will help the American worker is buyers willing to pay more for their products. Workers are not going to do their jobs for much less than they are used to making, nor should they have to. China and other Asian production centers as well as those in Latin America have governments willing to look the other way in terms of workers rights, which is a whole other problem.

That being said, we will never be able to compete with the prices on goods from those countries. Our nation will simply have to realize that if we continue on our current path of outsourcing and increasing dependence on foreign producers, the American worker will be extinct in a decade. Pay 5$ more for that US made toaster, though, and we might have a fighting chance.

The unions still have a voice, however it's a weaker voice than it was a few years ago.

The American consumer is the biggest hope for bringing back jobs. For this to happen we must hear the protests regarding the garbage coming out of China. We must be ready to jump in and invest in new manufacturing. We must support 'Buy American' slogans, and truly practice it. We must be able to put out quality products, even if they cost more. We must support our own auto industry.

Remember the old slogan, "As goes General Motors, so goes America !" This is truer than ever and more necessary than ever. If this country and this economy expects to survive, we need to get off our dummies, and start thinking of each other.

democrats, and when they win the White House and regain the FULL majority they along with organized labor will lead the American worker back into the land of plenty

CEO's will rake in billions. US workers will get the shaft.