Thursday, August 02, 2007

IT’S THE STEEL, STUPID!

What was holding the 35 W bridge in Minneapolis up? The steel.

What collapsed? The steel.

Who made it? Where was it from?

According to a U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Technology Policy document, entitled “THE BASIC STEEL INDUSTRY” and dated December 1996: “Imports will always represent a competitive threat to U.S. producers because basic steel is a commodity. Quality is important to some customers, but for most, price is the deciding factor.”

And this information is based on a very quick Google search by someone who is not the least conversant on the steel industry, but it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to know that the steel in this bridge is the root problem, no matter what low-level maintenance issues are involved.


It will certainly be interesting to see what is reported in the suck-up mainstream press as to the origins of the steel used in the construction of the 35W bridge, and to see what red herrings they will throw our way in order to obfuscate the real issues of outsourcing most of the American capacity to make our own steel according to American standards of quality.

Among other things.

Just my opinion.

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