A little sunshine please

The recent spate of economic news has been worrisome at best. It is nice to see good news hit. In particular there is good news in the area of manufacturing. The Los Angeles Times headline says it "Carmakers' rebound is driving jobs in U.S."

From a trough two years ago, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Chrysler Group and other auto companies have added almost 90,000 manufacturing jobs, a 14% increase, according to federal employment data.

These are good jobs with solid pay rates and benefit packages. The kind of jobs that built an American middle class. These are the type of jobs and this is the type of manufacturing that has positive spill over effect for related industries and connected communities.

This kind of expansion is important to the economy. Including factories, suppliers and dealers, the U.S. auto industry employs about 1.7 million workers and supports an additional 6.3 million private-sector jobs, according to the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. The center said those positions represent more than $500 billion in annual compensation and more than $70 billion in personal tax revenue.

It is a small drop in the vast ocean of the American economy, but as the rains of Irene and the forecast of a possible double dip it is worth the time to read a little good news.

Of course, as all things jobs related this will touch on Presidential Politics. Take a quick look at Obama v. Romney re: the Auto Bail out.