"Keep It Made In America" Town Hall Meeting with John Ratzenberger Tuesday in Manchester, NH
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GraniteGrok will be liveblogging this:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 20, 2007) –On September 25th in Manchester, New Hampshire, television and film star John Ratzenberger and the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) will host the ‘Keep it Made in America’ Town Hall Meeting. The town hall is the first in a series of events, which will travel to seven cities in twelve weeks to highlight the growing demand among voters that the presidential candidates address the challenges facing American workers and manufacturers.
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“I’m proud to partner with AAM on the ‘Keep it Made in America’ town hall meetings. I’ve travelled all across this country and I’ve seen firsthand how manufacturing drives our economy. Our manufacturers, workers and their communities are the heart and soul of America,” said Ratzenberger. “In this presidential election, we have a chance to make the voices of American manufacturing heard in New Hampshire. We're going to educate and inspire voters to ask the candidates the hard questions about jobs and to find out how they will 'Keep it made in America'.”
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From humble beginnings in Bridgeport, Connecticut, John Ratzenberger gained international fame on the acclaimed television series ‘Cheers’. During more than three decades of movie making and theatre, John has enjoyed success as a screenwriter, director, producer and multi Emmy nominated actor. He is also an accomplished entrepreneur and philanthropist. Today, John hosts his own show about manufacturing on the Travel Channel. John Ratzenberger's Made in America, which airs Tuesday’s at 9:00 and 9:30 pm ET/PT, brings viewers the stories of the best people, places and products in the United States. He honors the men and women in the United States who work with their hands and skillfully make products that are the backbone of the American economy.
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“John gets it. He understands what’s happening to our community,” said Tom O’Reily, president/owner of Logo Loc, a Manchester apparel company. “Manufacturing, the largest industry in New Hampshire, is going through hard times. Our state has lost 28,000 jobs since 2000 - jobs that provided a good living for hard-working New Hampshire families. We want to know what the presidential candidates are going to do to stand up for us and ensure a strong manufacturing future for New Hampshire.”
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The “Keep it Made in America” town hall meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 25th, at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover Street, in downtown Manchester. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the program begins at 6:30 pm. Admission is free.
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During the town hall meeting, Ratzenberger will encourage New Hampshire voters to ask the presidential candidates three key questions to determine their commitment to keeping manufacturing jobs in the country:
- How will you save American manufacturing jobs?
- What specific policies will you enact to strengthen the American manufacturing base, which is vital to our economic and national security?
- What steps will you take to enforce our trade laws and hold cheating countries like China accountable?
“We need to hear from the presidential candidates what they plan to do to save our jobs. We’re not afraid of competition, we just want everyone to have to play under the same rules,” said Mike Roache, president of USW LU 8938. “In the last decade Manchester lost 25% of its manufacturing jobs, we can no longer afford to sit idly by while countries like China cheat. Manufacturing is our future, and we want a president who will do something about it.”
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“The manufacturers and workers in New Hampshire share John Ratzenberger’s and AAM’s dedication to strengthen American manufacturing, and we’re excited to work together to urge the candidates to focus on these issues,” said Scott Paul, AAM’s executive director. “The American qualities of hard work, ingenuity and innovation have enabled us to get where we are today. But, for America to remain the leader in the global economy, we have to overcome some very real challenges that threaten the vital core of our economic engine. Our town hall events will initiate this important dialogue and empower voters to continue the discussion with the presidential candidates.”
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For more information on the “Keep it Made in America” town hall meeting please visit: www.americanmanufacturing.org and www.manufacturethis.org.
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Comments
Posted by: James Clements | October 4, 2007 8:59 PM