Photograph Source: Sequeira, Paul – Public Domain
Here in Pittsburgh and nationwide, a false debate has erupted over the sale of US Steel (USX) to Japan’s Nippon Steel. Biden, Harris, Trump and labor are all opposed to the acquisition under the guise of national security and saving the US steel industry.
Apparently we’re all supposed to be worried about the sale to a Japanese capitalist and forget about the decades of destruction of the steel industry in America under the private ownership of a US capitalist – USX.
The narrow parameters of this debate give alleged “patriotic” US capitalist, USX, a free pass by the politicians, MSM and labor despite the fact their “business model” contributed to the hollowing out of the industry and destroyed tens of thousands of steel jobs while leaving polluted communities in its wake over the past 45 years.
This wholesale destruction occurred while the country’s basic infrastructure was (and still is) collapsing, with the obvious need for huge investments in infrastructure, transportation, and housing in plain view. Instead of developing a plan to address these basic public needs, industry, labor, politicians, and the MSM constantly focus on imports, foreign competition, and the apparent need to incentivize the industry.
Only the nationalization of the steel industry will enable the necessary investments to rebuild the infrastructure and create jobs. Remember Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign message of rebuilding infrastructure and job creation? It fell flat because things like fixing public schools, hospitals, water systems, pollution control, and building mass transit systems simply don’t offer returns to investors – even though they will provide for the public good, boost steel production and create tens of thousands of jobs. Nationalization has been and still is utilized around the world to protect industries necessary for the basic needs of the nation.
Labor and Bipartisan Politicians Follow Company Line
As the steel industry’s collapse accelerated in the 1980s, here in western Pennsylvania, instead of educating and agitating against corporate greed and mobilizing support to save jobs in the steel industry, the union railed against foreign workers while promoting labor-management cooperation. Rather than publicly fight for a massive jobs program to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, the union supported the industry’s hypocritical campaign against “imports.” Years ago, the local solicitor for the Clairton School District called the past attempt by the industry to lower their tax assessment for local towns and schools, “laughable” and called them “a throwback to the Gilded Age where these corporate entities did what they wanted to do.” Today, the fallout continues as Allegheny County (PA) has lost more than 7,000 residents over the past year and 50,000 jobs over the past five years.
Unfortunately, the current “debate” reveals the failed “market-oriented” model of operation is still accepted and endorsed by almost all of labor and the bipartisan political consensus – the blind leading the deaf.
Concentrating our public debate over whether to support US capitalists vs Japanese capitalists vs Canadiancapitalists is a dead end for US workers, our communities, and the public interest across the nation. We need and can produce steel for the huge unmet domestic needs but it can’t be done if making a profit is the first concern.
Thousands of steel jobs can be created if we change our priorities and produce clean steel for the huge unmet domestic needs. The past decades have shown us relying on the “market” to provide what we need and want is a losing strategy.
A Real Debate: Nationalize Steel in the Public Interest
What’s needed is a new paradigm, not a call for picking winners from the for-profit steel industry. With public ownership of the basic steel industry, we can begin to reorder our priorities of increasing domestic production for the massive unfilled needs starting with transportation, housing and infrastructure. This alternative is not only necessary but possible and a move forward for real democracy and fulfilling the people’s needs.
Why should the nation be held hostage by private interests while public needs are ignored?
What better example to begin a necessary debate on how and why the nationalization of the steel industry is in the public interest?
