The US South’s manufacturing renaissance comes with a heavy price
Rust Belt checking in here.  My hometown&#x27;s in a northern union stronghold where waves of plant closings starting in the 1980&#x27;s completely wrecked the local and regional economy.  Which still hasn&#x27;t recovered -- and seems to be getting worse, after being rocked by the financial crisis a few years ago and the currently ongoing drug overdose epidemic.<p>Laws or union restrictions can stop firms from getting away with extremely low pay, treating their employees like crap and shitting all over the environment.  But only if those firms don&#x27;t have the option of relocating to other places that don&#x27;t have similar restrictions.<p>I fully recognize Donald Trump has many very obvious shortcomings as a person and as a politician.  But if his election finally results in <i>shutting down the global free trade policies that have utterly wrecked my community,</i> then all the negative things I&#x27;m sure he&#x27;ll do likely won&#x27;t outweigh that single positive achievement.