Snow: future holds jobs for "city of looms" (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

(This is good for North Carolina, but I have one question for Secretary Snow, how many of these laid-off textile factory workers is the Federal Government pay for the retraining of to become biotech research workers?)

Snow: future holds jobs for "city of looms"

Fri Feb 3, 2006 07:03 PM ET

By Mark Felsenthal

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Reuters) - A biotechnology research campus due to rise on the grounds of a shuttered textile factory symbolizes the ability of the U.S. economy to weather global challenge, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Friday.

Snow toured the site of the planned North Carolina Research Campus, a biotechnology research center to be built in a town once known as the "city of looms." When towel and sheet maker Pillowtex shut its doors on July 30, 2003, about 4,800 workers lost their jobs in Kannapolis and surrounding towns. It was the largest mass layoff in North Carolina history.

Last year, Dole Foods and the University of North Carolina launched a joint venture to build a biotechnology research center to house nutrition and plant and science institutes, a math school for girls and a community college campus, among other facilities on the 264-acre site.

Project officials estimate that several thousand new jobs will be created at the new site, some as soon as 18 months from now. The facility is projected to take five to seven years to complete at an estimated cost of $1 billion, much of it funded by an investment by Dole Foods owner David Murdock. "This is an example of how the U.S. is going to compete," Snow said in front of the partially demolished century-old factory, flanked by state and local officials.

(more at link below)

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=11096579&src=rss/domesticNews>

[NCarolinawoman]

1. There's something political going on here.

This is one of two N.C Congressional districts that might switch to the Democrats in 06. Their current Republican Cong., Robin Hayes, voted for CAFTA after DeLay twisted his arm. (The political aspect is Snow's visit).

[Up2Late]

2. I don't doubt that at all, everything these turds do has the stink of...

...election year politics about it.

Is Snow from N.C. or something? Why did they send him there?

[NCarolinawoman]

3. I never heard that Snow is from N.C.

I will be curious to see who else starts showing up in that area. Probably Elizabeth Dole, and who knows, maybe "W" will have one of his fake "meet with the public and answer planted questions" townhall meetings. Thanks for the alert. I will be watching.

[SquireJons]

4. Pie in the sky

I'm glad that they are planning a math school for the site, perhaps it will help them count. Lets do the math:

-4800 good paying manufacturing jobs
+3000 i.e. several thousand jobs at the site (if the biotech industry here in Richmond is any indication, that estimate is very high)
= almost 2000 lost jobs, the new jobs pay less than the old ones and no one in the region is qualified to fill these jobs anyways.

A few more thoughts: manufacturing produced goods that could be sold at a profit. Biotech does research which does not generate revenue. Hmmmm... doesn't sound very secure. We in central Virginia have three shinny new technology 'parks' and each of them sit either vacant or vastly under utilized. High tech and research is fine for the fraction of 1% of the work force with good connections and legnthy educational qualifications, but what about the rest of us? What's that? Get a graduate degree in science or math? Then we will have lots of highly educated, unemployed 'scientists' and China will still make everything we buy.

I'd like to find the guy who thought this up and kick him in the balls.

[cap]

7. they are already outsourcing R&D in biotech to China and India

well, at least, Warner tried to do something for other parts of VA than NOVA.

[tanyev]

5. I read that as City of Loons at first. Figured it would be about D.C.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. Dole? See Annexation of Hawaii and the Philippine war.

First Pineapples and Bananas, then oil, now...