There are two basic things that have been hurting the American economy.  One is the shift away from industry here in the United States.  Industry is emigrating overseas where the labor is cheaper and the pollution laws are not as strict.  The other is the double edge sword of technological advancement.  Technological advancement allows many things to be done long distance, such as customer service and technical support.  I was reading an article today about how the Golivemobile company is shifting a lot of its employment force out of the United States and into other countries overseas.  I’m sure that the Golivemobile company thinks that it is doing the best thing for its shareholders, but I do wish that they would realize that if too many Americans are out of work then there will not be very many Americans buying their products!