Bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

The emergence of the COVID-19 virus has highlighted America's need to bring manufacturing (particularly of medicine and medical equipment) back to the United States. This virus has revealed the very real health and safety threats that have been created by America being dependent upon other countries to manufacture our products. Given the job losses that have resulted from the virus, we will need to bring these jobs back home to keep America's economy strong.

Even if it were to require incentives at the federal, state or even local level, it is in our collective interest to have America's products made at home. In times of emergency, our country is left exposed and at the mercy of other governments for help, if we cannot manufacture critical products on our own. Particularly in light of the great financial damage caused by the COVID-19 virus, it will be imperative that we retain the jobs and economic development that would come with manufacturing coming back to the United States.

Let's make a collective call and demand that we again see "Made in the U.S.A." proudly stamped on our goods with regularity. Let's stop giving away our jobs and collective security by sending manufacturing jobs overseas. Let's make America once again an industrial powerhouse. As the current crisis has revealed, the strength of our future economy and collective security rest on our making this happen.

Kevin Coyne

Naperville