[rubiety]

"The sad fact is that America is no longer a country that makes things, and as a result we no longer find ourselves in a position to employ people in positions that are actually worth a damn."

This makes just about as much sense as a similar statement does 100 years ago:

"The sad fact is that America is no longer a country of farmers producing food, and as a result we no longer find ourselves in a position to employ people in positions that are actually worth a damn."

A service economy and relative decline of manufacturing output (NOTE: I said relative - manufacturing output is at an all time high) is something to be celebrated, not bemoaned.