America Needs a National Manufacturing Policy. Now.

From the Huffington Post, Sen. Sherrod Brown:

Not too long ago, the ticket to the middle class was straightforward. Work hard, play by the rules, and you’ll have something to show for it — a good wage, a secure job and home, and a solid pension.

Our nation — and economy — relied on workers around Ohio to build cars and appliances, to lay down rail lines and highways. Their work put them squarely in the middle class. Their work — and a thriving manufacturing industry — turned our nation into an economic superpower.

Job loss and wage stagnation figures reflect a decade’s long decline in U.S. manufacturing, a decline that has shattered the American dream for millions of Americans.