And oddly enough...
Until January of 2001, the U.S. steel industry was roaring, the automobile and airline industries were having no problems, and no agriculture was subsidized.
Right.
Odd that the one thing most struggling industries seem to have in common is unions that demand massive benefits for a lifetime.
From Detroit News:
Most manufacturers would have been forced to downsize a long time ago. However, like the other domestic automakers, Ford's union contracts limited its ability to trim manufacturing operations to match its greatly reduced market share.
Even if Ford boarded up all of its American factories tomorrow, it would still have to pay the 87,000 United Auto Workers members who labor in them, while also continuing to cover health care and pension costs not only for them, but also for twice that many UAW retirees and their dependents.