Transcript Challenges - Shopfloor

FLIR Systems, Inc.
InfraMation Conference
Las Vegas, NV
October 18, 2005
Patrick J. Cleary,
Senior Vice President,
Communications, NAM
blog.nam.org
Policy-Making Process
Action
Congressional Debate
Public Debate
Education: Public/Congressional
Importance of Manufacturing:
Over One-eighth (13%) of Gross Domestic Product
• 80% > retail
• 88% > construction, mining and agriculture
• 175% > transportation and utilities
Standing alone, it is:

The world’s 8th largest economy

Larger than the economies of:
-Spain
-Canada
-South Korea and Mexico combined

Manufacturing is responsible for nearly twothirds (62%) of all U.S. exports of goods and
services.
-Agriculture: $60billion/yearly
-Manufacturing: $60billion/monthly


Manufacturing is responsible for three fifths of
all industrial R & D
Manufacturing is responsible for 90% of all
patents.

Manufacturing employs 14 million people
Challenges: Reduce the costs of
doing business in the US
• NAM Study:
22% cost disadvantages vs. trading partners
•Challenges:
•Taxes
•Health Care (1/6 of GDP)
•Regulations:
--$180 billion cost of regulation
--$32 billion workplace
--Highest environmental costs
Challenges: Legal Costs
(2% of GDP)
Larger than the economies of:
Hong Kong
Hungary
Vietnam
Venezuela
Portugal
Peru
Algeria
Israel
Romania
Ireland
Czech Republic
Morocco
Denmark
Nigeria
Chile
Kazakhstan
Norway
Singapore
Finland
Belarus
……..and 173 others
Challenges: A level playing field
with all trading partners

Vis a vis China, this means:
-No currency manipulation
-Respect for intellectual property
-No illegal subsidies
-Compliance with all WTO rules
Challenges:
Chart 1: Engineering Degrees
Number of first
university degrees
210,000
China
140,000
Japan
70,000
United States
Korea
0
1985
1990
1995
2000
Source: National Science Foundation
Challenges:
Chart 2: U.S. Graduate Degrees in Mathematics, Engineering
and Physical & Computer Sciences
Share
100%
75%
72%
54%
50%
46%
U.S. Citizens
Non-US Citizens
25%
28%
0%
1983
2001
Source: National Science Foundation
TAKE ACTION: Prosperity Project
WWW.NAM.ORG/P2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify issues that matter to your company
Tell your employees how those issues affect
them
Let them take action on those issues
Tell them where candidates and incumbents
stand
Get them registered and to the polls
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus Members
108th Congress
NAM Voting Record
Chaka Fattah
PA 0%
Bob Filner
CA 0%
George Miller
CA 0%
Major R. Owens
NY 0%
Hilda L. Solis
CA 0%
John Tierney
MA 0%
nam.org/votingrecord
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus Members
108th Congress
NAM Voting Record
Robert E. Andrews
NJ 5%
Eliot L. Engel
NY 5%
Michael R. McNulty
NY 5%
David R. Obey
WI 5%
Lucille Royal-Allard
CA 5%
Tim Ryan
NY 5%
nam.org/votingrecord
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus Members
108th Congress
NAM Voting Record
Martin Olav Sabo
MN 5%
Jose E. Serrano
NY 5%
Nydia M. Velazquez
NY 5%
Richard Gephardt
MO 8%
Stephen Lynch
MA 9%
Melvin L. Watt
NC 9%
nam.org/votingrecord
Making Progress
South Dakota
Tom Daschle
John Thune
22%
95%
South Carolina
Fritz Hollings
Jim DeMint
10%
88%
North Carolina
John Edwards 8%
Richard Burr
95%
Our Message





Manufacturing is critically important to the US
economy and standard of living.
We are challenged as never before, here and
abroad.
Before you vote/take action ask yourself “will
this make US manufacturing more or less
competitive?”
We will be watching how you vote and
We will be informing our employees.


“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean
politics won’t take an interest in you.”
-Pericles
“The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in
politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves.”
-Plato
[email protected]/202.637.3124
blog.nam.org
www.nam.org/P2