[Jtsummers]

> TechShop was the last gasp of American industry having any sort of future.

I suspect downvotes because of this, as much as the politics. The absurdity of a small, nonprofitable company being "the last gasp of American industry" and the odd lamentations around that.

I live in the Southeast. Drive through nearly any county in GA, NC, and SC (the region I'm presently most familiar with) and you'll find a surprisingly large number of manufacturing centers.

> With Tech Shop, we can also probably say good bye to a good deal of real trade skills people learn at these locations.

And none of the people working in them were trained by Tech Shop. They were trained on the job or in trade and tech schools.

[pmikesell]

Sure, your right - I was just trying to say that something was ringing true in his statement ... people finding it too expensive to learn stuff like this, meanwhile the company trying to do it not making enough money to stay afloat.

[Aloha]

Heck, drive thru the midwest, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin - and you'll see a ton of manufacturing going on.