Nett: Texas' manufacturing, human capital grades low in national report

If one of your children brought home a report card with two As, one B+, one B, three Cs, a C-, and one D, what would you do?

After all, that's kind of a broad range of grades, and you'd probably take the subjects and the performance trend into account as you reacted to your child's report card.

The ritual C+ marks in grade school art classes usually isn't a big cause for worry at home, but slippage of a grade in an academic subject usually means an earnest discussion, possibly a meeting with a teacher, perhaps the loss of some privilege and a warning to bear down on the homework.

Which brings us to the annual National Report on Manufacturing and Logistics, produced by Ball State University's Center for Business and Economic Research and Conexus Indiana, an private-sector organization focused on developing Indiana jobs in advanced manufacturing and logistics.

Admittedly, Indiana ranks up there with four As, and no grade below C-.

But before anyone starts hollering about "Hoosier homers," ask yourself what their motive would be for cooking the numbers.

After all, Indiana is a state in the heart of the Rust Belt, and it has been rebuilding its world since the recession hammered the state's manufacturing base.

Besides that, competing with 49 other states in the economic development arena is one place where Satchel Paige's adage - "Don't look back; someone may be gaining on you." - is bad advice. You can't just "play your own game," oblivious to the competition. You'd better know what they're doing and how they're doing it, or you'll be eating their dust.

There are no "cake courses" on this grading system, which evaluates states using criteria most likely to be used by relocation site selectors as they work with manufacturing and logistics companies.

And grading's totally on the curve, with the best five states in each category getting As, and the worst five getting Fs.

Texas is a top-five state for the second straight year in logistics and productivity and innovation.

However, where the state should be taking a better look at its situation is D in Human Capital, a subject where performance is rated on data from the National Center for Educational Statistics.

The data used in that part of the review includes comparative rankings of educational attainment at the high school and collegiate levels, two-year college degrees awarded per capita annually, first-year retention rates of adults in community colleges and technical schools, and share people over 25 enrolled in adult basic education programs.

Good news for organized labor | Arkansas Blog

The Obama administration provides a bit of good news this morning for working people: The National Labor Relations Board is proposing to streamline procedures for union elections in the workplace. The idea is to speed elections and postpone litigation over voter eligibility issues until after votes. Put your fingers in your ears for the coming howls from the business lobby.

A labor organizer sends along some talking points, chief among them that business opposition is fundamentally about obstructing and delaying elections. They really don't want workers to vote at all, though they'd have you believe the sanctity of the ballot was what opposition to card check was all about. His points:

Eliminating excessive delays and litigation is good for employers, employees, and taxpayers who foot the bill. These modest changes will clean up a system plagued by delays, bureaucracy, and litigation. Currently, workers encounter delays of months and even years. Some never get to vote at all. This rule provides stability and a level playing field. The opposition to these changes is pure politics. This year, we have already seen unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights. Whether you’re a teacher, firefighter or nurse’s aide — right-wing legislators and corporate lobbyists have made it clear that their ultimate aim is to take away your rights on the job. Those who are protesting these modest changes are the same corporate lobbyists and right-wing politicians who have been attacking workers’ rights across the country.

Rasin, those weren't new jobs. They were just RELOCATED jobs from Seattle-Everett Washington. Net for the economy is a loss as they don't plan to pay as much so the workers will have less to spend.

I have an idea for jobs that hit me as I listened to another commentor talk about how much money companies are sitting on while the economy fizzles and they wonder why they don't have any sales (hey, dummies-you have all the money. Want to be paid in stones?)

How about a tax on companies unused funds held over a certain limit based on the size of the company. The larger the company, the smaller the exemption percentage-wise so no one is sitting on millions.

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