Almost weekly, plants close in red upstate South Carolina.

[DemoTex]

Alice to close plant in Easley
260 will lose jobs at textile plant; meanwhile nation's jobless rate shrinks

Published: Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 6:00 am

By Rudolph Bell and E. Richard Walton
STAFF WRITERS


EASLEY -- South Carolina's beleaguered manufacturing sector took another blow Friday even as the federal government reported the best unemployment rate for the country as a whole in 41/2 years.

Blaming Asian competition, Easley fabric and yarn maker Alice Manufacturing Co. said it would close its 53-year-old Elljean plant, throwing 260 people out of work.

The family-owned textile company said it would close the plant on Store Road between Easley and Pickens, effective June 9.

"Regrettably, the plant's customer base has been damaged with the continuing flood of imports from Asia," Smyth McKissick III, chairman of Alice Manufacturing, said in a statement. "It is a difficult, yet necessary, decision in light of the global textile market conditions."

http://www.greenvillenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060408/BUSINESS/604080318

Manufacturing in upstate SC, especially textiles, has been devastated by the Bu$hco economy. These people will take the news that "the nation's jobless rate shrinks" as the gospel from Messiah Bu$h. Those that can least afford it still love Bu$h. Their fundy preachers tell them that Bu$h is a man of Christ. That is all they need to know.

Meanwhile, this struggling sector of society in SC still buries more than its share of sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and fathers who are victims of the BuShco meat-grinder in Iraq. Sadly, the more jobs that are lost here, the more of these people will find themselves fighting wars-without-end for Bu$hco.

[XanaDUer]

1. There is something in the bible about

god provides birds food and shelter.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Same thing in red state Indiana!

Small towns have seen their manufacturing evaporate. It is tragic to see all these BushBots line up at Wal-Mart every weekend to buy themselves into economic ruin. I half believe that they would drag their starving, emaciated, out of work bodies to the polls to vote against "gay marriage".

[salin]

4. lol I just wrote the opposite

bush is polling more negative than positive in the state. Ironcially the turning seems less to be about the loss of economic security (jobs) and more the awful gut level impression folks are getting from Mitch (formerly "My Man...." now "Ditch").

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. Actually, you are correct about the current polling

Unfortunately, BushCo's and Wal-Mart's roll in killing Hoosier jobs should have been obvious to GOP voters in Indiana before the '04 election.

[salin]

10. no question... even the biz community

that tends to not like extremism in its governors (hence backed the likes of Bayh and OBannon over the likes of the crazy rightwinger McIntosh) - was quick to write off Mitch's role in Bush's govt and instead embrace him as one of their own as having been a 'steady hand of leadership' with Lilly. Seriously befuddled - and side-swiped. Mitch hasn't been to good for biz.

I doubt the fundy churches that are politicized have toned down their rah rah rhetoric for bush... but am guessing that some attending are no longer accepting it just because it comes from the pulpit (and some engage in some sardonic bashing at coffee our) and others are weaning off attending altogether. Something is in the air - and it is signaling some kind of on-the-ground shift of public sentiment. Very, very interesting to behold.

[salin]

3. tragic.

In red Indiana we have lost a lot of manufacturing jobs under bushco, and continue to do so. Have a lot of fundies - but ... tide has turned - and oddly enough tide of sentiment began to turn after bushco installed their man mitch into the governor's job... and his arrogant quick actions which made the blatant overreach of executive power clear to many previously supportive hoosiers has not only seen his number drop dramatically - but actually have bled onto bush. So noteable is the shift that there have been several national articles recently... guess when the state that hasn't voted for a dem for president since 1964 turns decidedly against bush - esp when it is perceived to be part of the northern biblebelt - it is noteable.

May this trend spread down to SC.

[XanaDUer]

5. How red is Indiana?

Are the cities blue? Are there a lot of fundies?

[salin]

6. a couple of blue regions

near Chicago, center of Indy, and around college towns... purple in some larger and mid-sized cities. Somewhat fundy in the areas described... and very fundy in the rural areas.

Mood is shifting. Currently congressional delegation = 7 repubs 2 dems, but three of the repub seats are seen as up for grabs and the two dems are safe. Not yet likely/probable... but there is a chance that by Nov 2006 that the congressional delegation will be maj dem. I can't remember that being a reality in my adult political memory.

[WinkyDink]

7. I guess I should care...........

Wake me when SC turns Blue.

[dogday]

8. Use to live in Greenville--Mill City they called it

and I am sure they have closed mills down by the dozens there... My son still lives there, but right now is serving in Iraq... It is beautiful there, I miss it....

[Cats Against Frist]

11. Those ol' boys just need to learn how to type and suck up the

$12 buck an hour that they'll get in the service industry.

:sarcasm:

Meanwhile, the consumer can continue to purchase overpriced, name-brand goods from Southeast Asia.