On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 10:44:39 -0800, "John Weiss"
wrote:

"Ed Rasimus" wrote...

Lets see, we've got engines made in the US, assembly of the airframe
in Alabama, and avionics/support systems built by Northrop. Estimates
of 25,000 US jobs created by the program....how is that bad?

OTOH, many/most of those jobs are likely to be merely transferred from McBoeing
to NorGrumLockMart. Where else are they going to find experienced, current
airplane builders?

The news reports I've seen on the issue use the phrase "25,000 NEW
jobs" which heavily implies that there isn't a counter-balance of
25,000 old jobs lost. Since Boeing isn't short of assembly work on
backlog orders for 7-3/5/6/7-7 airframes and with a raft of orders on
the spindle for 787 it seems reasonable.

But, if not, this has always been the case in the aerospace industry.

The "bad" part of that aspect is that many of those workers will not want to
move from Seattle to Alabama, but may be forced to do so, with unemployment the
only other option when Boeing shuts down the 767 line.

I'm not sure how hard a sell that would be--let me see, lower cost of
living, sun-shine more than five days a year, reduced level of
welfare-statism, reasonable housing markets, etc. etc. Might have to
consume less fresh salmon and more Appalachicola oysters, but most
folks could cope with it.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com