The most urgent problem facing the president regarding manufacturing is the twin deficits. Beyond that, our concerns will unfold as the new Congress attempts to put through a number of mandated benefits which are linked to the deficit ... like mandatory health insurance, the parental leave issue, the dual-shop question and increased minimum wage. That's pretty tough medicine to apply to a lot of companies trying to compete in the world marketplace. The president has got to be alert to these heavy burdens on the competitive capabilities of companies and try to head off as many as possible in terms of the entire payment burden being placed on an industry.
