An era gone by..

[BobBski]

While loading in Bethlehem, I noticed this new US Cold plant was boundaried on 3 sides by huge abandoned plants...and I got to thinking..wonder if it's Bethlehem Steel? Never found out for sure but..



Reminder of an era gone by...the once household name of Bethlehem Steel (Bethlehem Pa.) has long since passed and only the vacant ghost mills are left to remind us of their contribution to the world. Many folks don't even know they ever existed.

1857 - 2003, number 8 on the Fortune 500 list in 1955, supplier of steel for 1,127 ships during World War II and of the Golden Gate Bridge, this supplier of metal for every bridge and tunnel that takes you from New Jersey into Manhattan, and for much of the skyline you see when you get there. A symbol of industrial power through most of the 20th century.

Anywho...just got to thinkin

[golfhobo]

Back when America MADE most of what WE needed.... and shipped the excess to the rest of the World!

Back before the greedy capitalists decided it was more important to MAKE money than to make JOBS for Americans.

Back when CEO's realized that to HAVE a market for their goods, they needed to EMPLOY the market for their goods.

(In fairness) Back before the environmentalists "revolted" against the Industrial Revolution.

And before anyone had even HEARD of a PAC (Political Action Committee.)

Boom to Bust in only 200 years! An "experiment" gone awry.

But STILL the greatest country in the World! At our WORST, we are the envy of nearly all inhabitants of Earth. No one BUT us can once again MAKE us worthy of such acclaim. It is UP to US!

[Double R]

What your looking at from the docks at US Cold is now a Foundry. It still is operational, atleast it was last year when I was running that area.

The rest of Bethlehem Steel is now being converted in to a casino.

And yes, that building and the ones around US Cold are what reamains of Bethlehem steel. US COLD and the other office buildings by it sit on old Bethlehem steel property.

[avguy]

I see the remains of the 2nd largest in the East (and original) IBM campus almost every day.

It's a sobering site when you do the math:
60,000 in 1985
Less than 1,000 today and they'll be completely gone in 2 years.

[TNMT]

It also reminds me of all the small, medium towns spread across America the ones off the interstate highways. Town after town with closed factories that once employed and supported the people who live or lived there. Lots have just moved on to lager cities in hope of work. Some to different states.

The story of the decline of American middle class. We had three good places to work in the town I grew up in. My Grandmother, my mom and dad worked there. Good middle class wages benefits the American dream.

Gone know closed, moved overseas or just shut down and moved to a different state for workers who were happy to paid less for the same amount if not more work. Replaced by half a dozen smaller companies that pay a little more than the mim wage. Town leaders selling this as good thing because they brought jobs back into town. Never mind that the standard of living dropped for almost everyone. Except the new owners making out like thieves in the night. Tax cuts, special deals, to get them to move into the town. All of which was paid for by us the local taxpayers in the form of higher property tax, local taxes and lower wages..... But hey like the powers that be like to point out its a job LOL

If that doesn't kill your small town then when Wallyworld moves in you can sit back and watch half the other small town business close shop. You know that shoe store you bought shoes at your whole life through grade school up to high school where you bought those special sneakers you needed to play sports. Gone with the rest of it all. How about that small drug store (we had four) where you could get lunch counter meal with a real soda and maybe a old maid Sunday? Gone only one left, cant compete with Wally three of those drug stores had been in business for 40 yrs or more. 120 plus yrs of history gone over night.

Wally never did replace all those lost jobs, the smaller companies paying less never replaced all those lost jobs. All for cheap and cheaper goods of course we want cheaper goods what else can you afford with cheaper wages.

I was lucky I moved never to return to live in the town I grew up in. No need to nothing there. Sad reality spread across the USA seen from the cab of a truck. Bitter nope just reality, no dreams of what might have been, it is what it is.

[BobBski]

What your looking at from the docks at US Cold is now a Foundry. It still is operational, atleast it was last year when I was running that area.

The rest of Bethlehem Steel is now being converted in to a casino.

And yes, that building and the ones around US Cold are what reamains of Bethlehem steel. US COLD and the other office buildings by it sit on old Bethlehem steel property.

Thanks for the info...seems I posted this in two different parts of this forum, unintentionally.

Sitting up here in Toledo, Ohio tonite at the Flying J....used to be crammed full of trucks; auto industry suppliers...tonight all kinds of parking spots...I 75 not the bustling route it was just a short time ago...BUT.....we'll make it through, just feel bad for those affected the most...Man, Michigan and Ohio took a hit in the auto industry.

To ramble on a bit more...I drove PPG in the 90's for a few years...Lordstown, Ohio plant was a booming place; drove by it the other day....counted maybe 30 employee cars in the HUGE parking lot that used to be full. Anywho...history is created every day and all the best to those affected.

[bentstrider]

Those look like some cool buildings to do some urban-exploration in.
I wonder if there's anything interesting inside them worth taking pictures of?

[GMAN]

My home city was the 7th largest manufacturing city in the nation. I doubt that it is even 20th at this point. It has turned mostly into a tourist town in recent years. It has always had a strong tourism industry, but more so in the last 20 years of so. Things have begun to turn around. We have a VW manufacturing plant that is being built that should employ several thousand people. There should be other support companies that build around this plant. We also have Komatsu's North American Headquarters here, as well. Many of the old manufacturing plants have either been torn down or renovated. It is a beautiful area, but we still need more manufacturing plants.

The steel industry has been hurt particularly hard over the last several decades. The closing of a number of auto plants is likely to hurt them even more. I agree with you about all the giveaways that most governments do these days. I believe Komatsu was given lower electrical and water rates to attract them to the area. Companies will locate to areas where there are good workers, schools and lower taxes. It isn't necessary to give them billions in tax benefits, build facilities, etc., to attract them to an area. If the money is on the table most company executives will take advantage of them. It isn't up to the taxpayers to support them.

[Malaki86]

Fairmont, WV - not a large city by any standards, but it was once full of industry. The city is located along I-79, so people can't say the interstate is what caused this. Within a couple of miles there was:

Owens-Illinois: long closed down and is now a huge empty slab of concrete that's a great place to park your truck
Alcan/Novellis: still open, but running at about 1/4th the number of employees they once had
Sharon Steel: long gone and is now a Superfund cleanup site
Phillips Lighting: closed down on June 1st of this year
Hammond Brick Works: was at one time the largest brick manufacturer in the world. Now, the entire town where the factory was is completely gone. The only remains is a few house foundations and a small section of the foundation of the factory itself.

There was also a number of smaller factories/foundries here. Those buildings are now just sitting empty, full of trash, weeds and memories of a time gone by.

It's sad now - the main industry here is Wal-Mart or fast food.

[Windwalker]

Fairmont, WV - not a large city by any standards, but it was once full of industry. The city is located along I-79, so people can't say the interstate is what caused this. Within a couple of miles there was:

Owens-Illinois: long closed down and is now a huge empty slab of concrete that's a great place to park your truck
Alcan/Novellis: still open, but running at about 1/4th the number of employees they once had
Sharon Steel: long gone and is now a Superfund cleanup site
Phillips Lighting: closed down on June 1st of this year
Hammond Brick Works: was at one time the largest brick manufacturer in the world. Now, the entire town where the factory was is completely gone. The only remains is a few house foundations and a small section of the foundation of the factory itself.

There was also a number of smaller factories/foundries here. Those buildings are now just sitting empty, full of trash, weeds and memories of a time gone by.

It's sad now - the main industry here is Wal-Mart or fast food.

And, neither one pays well, or has any bennys for the employees. Don't manage to keep the wolf from the door with 13 hours a week at minimum wage.

[Blacksheep]

Back when America MADE most of what WE needed.... and shipped the excess to the rest of the World!

Back before the greedy capitalists decided it was more important to MAKE money than to make JOBS for Americans.

Back when CEO's realized that to HAVE a market for their goods, they needed to EMPLOY the market for their goods.

(In fairness) Back before the environmentalists "revolted" against the Industrial Revolution.

And before anyone had even HEARD of a PAC (Political Action Committee.)

Boom to Bust in only 200 years! An "experiment" gone awry.

But STILL the greatest country in the World! At our WORST, we are the envy of nearly all inhabitants of Earth. No one BUT us can once again MAKE us worthy of such acclaim. It is UP to US!

Not to worry I hear socailism is in right now.........

[golfhobo]

Not to worry I hear socailism is in right now.........

Say what you will, but most Socialist countries in Europe keep their JOBS at HOME!

Only a Capitalist country would ship them all overseas to sweat shop economies for the purpose of padding the wealth of the owners.

Oh.... and they have health care for ALL their citizens!

When you can get all the capitalists, who get huge tax incentives for their businesses, to actually CREATE jobs for American middle class workers, provide affordable health care OF ANY TYPE YOU CHOOSE, NOT pass on every business loss to the consumer, and pay whatever you feel is a fair share of taxes on their income instead of "shelling" it offshore.... I'll listen to your complaints about government control and regulation. Heck.... it might not even be necessary!

[Blacksheep]

Say what you will, but most Socialist countries in Europe keep their JOBS at HOME!
(Yes because they are government owned.)
Only a Capitalist country would ship them all overseas to sweat shop economies for the purpose of padding the wealth of the owners.
(Because over taxation and over regulation.)
Oh.... and they have health care for ALL their citizens!
( yes that is why people who can, come here for health care)
When you can get all the capitalists, who get huge tax incentives for their businesses, to actually CREATE jobs for American middle class workers, provide affordable health care OF ANY TYPE YOU CHOOSE, NOT pass on every business loss to the consumer, and pay whatever you feel is a fair share of taxes on their income instead of "shelling" it offshore.... I'll listen to your complaints about government control and regulation. Heck.... it might not even be necessary!

Capitalism works if you keep the government from screwing it up............go to europe if that's your idea of utopia.

[allan5oh]

If it's so great over there, why do so many people come here and not the other way around?

[GMAN]

Say what you will, but most Socialist countries in Europe keep their JOBS at HOME!

There is no need to send their jobs abroad. No one would work for the low slave wages most pay. Besides, when you have a guaranteed job with little or no expectation, you are likely to produce an inferior product. Just look at all the junk that comes from China.

Only a Capitalist country would ship them all overseas to sweat shop economies for the purpose of padding the wealth of the owners.

There is no need to pad them abroad. They can do well padding their pockets at home. If you think these party people who run these companies don't pocket plenty of money then you have indeed been sheltered. You should see how some of the socialists live in China and Russia under the socialists system. Many of them lived like kings. Of course, the well paid drones were too busy standing in long lines to get a loaf of bread that it took them all day toiling to afford.

Oh.... and they have health care for ALL their citizens!

Yep, if you want good health care then go to one of the socialist countries. That is unless you are old or too sick, or perhaps too fat or affiliated with the wrong party. It isn't fair for you to take more than your fair ration of health care.

When you can get all the capitalists, who get huge tax incentives for their businesses, to actually CREATE jobs for American middle class workers, provide affordable health care OF ANY TYPE YOU CHOOSE, NOT pass on every business loss to the consumer, and pay whatever you feel is a fair share of taxes on their income instead of "shelling" it offshore.... I'll listen to your complaints about government control and regulation. Heck.... it might not even be necessary!

It is very easy to encourage businesses to create jobs in America. You lower taxes, get rid of ridiculous interference from such organizations as the EPA and get the unions out of business and you would instantly bring back millions of good jobs to America. What many people don't seem to realize about medical costs is that they high mostly due to government regulations and litigation. A friend of mine who is a general practitioner was paying more than $50,000 in malpractice insurance over 20 years ago. Just imagine what he is paying today? Imagine what a specialist pays in premiums, just to protect themselves from being sued. The paperwork trail they must put together to comply with government regulations and insurance requirements is astounding. Those costs must be passed on their their customers or patients. When I was growing up you could go to the doctor for $5-15. The $15 included a penicillin shot. Today, that same doctor will run useless tests that will cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars just to comply with government and insurance requirements. He also does this to protect himself from litigation. These costs must be passed along to his patients. That same doctor would charge at least $50 for the visit and at least $25 for the shot, not including other tests he may run to protect himself. Companies spend billions of dollars complying with government regulations. Just look at what motor carriers spend each year on compliance. We spend many millions of dollars complying with useless government regulations, just to stay in business. Each cost must be passed on to the consumer. Companies cannot absorb all losses. In order to stay in business one must make a profit. That is the way we provide more jobs. Without profit the jobs and benefits go away. One major problem we currently have in this country is a "YOU OWE ME" mentality. The government "OWES ME" a living. Business "OWES ME" a big paycheck whether I work and produce or not. The government doesn't OWE anyone a paycheck or health-care. Business doesn't OWE a paycheck to those who are not productive. Nor does business OWE employees health-care. It is a nice benefit, but is not a RIGHT. In this country we have a right to have an opportunity. We don't have a right to be successful. We can be successful if we work hard enough. If you want health-care then there are companies who provide it or you could pay it yourself, which is the fairest way to do it.

[Blacksheep]

OMG !!!!!!!!!! DITTO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well put GMAN, Glad to know there is still some common sense people around.

[Phantom433a]

If you think health care is expensive now.....just wait til the goverment is running it.

My hometown (and the 2 smaller areas around it) had about 30 thousand residents 20 years ago....now they have the "tri-cities" area with about twice that amount. We STILL have no manufacturing jobs and STILL rely on the tourists trade. The farms and ranches have mostly vanished because of the Californians moving here and buying land for homes. My 19 year old daughter can't find a job worth ****te because its the "Right To Work State". Which simply means, you have they right to work in a union job without being a memeber or having to pay dues. You get the same beenies and no harrasment....Arizona thinks it means "You got the right to work and we can pay you what we want and you will like". Seems that after I moved back (we are moving away after wife graduates) I've made alot of enemies that used to be old friends....by speaking out for the workers rights.
Like it used to be said

Wake up America

[golfhobo]

Capitalism works if you keep the government from screwing it up.

What country can you name as proof of this claim?

Or are you just espousing a "theory" and using your crystal ball to see the utopian America you THINK would exist today without government intervention?

[BobBski]

18 years as a military brat and 20 years military service myself....been and lived all over the world...glad I live in the good old USA. If i'd found someplace better...I'd be there now.

[GMAN]

What country can you name as proof of this claim?

Or are you just espousing a "theory" and using your crystal ball to see the utopian America you THINK would exist today without government intervention?

This country was built based upon capitalism. Things worked pretty well until the government started regulating everything. The more government interferes with the way things work the more difficult it is for business to function and the more taxes we must pay. If government got out of most business we might need to go back to using common sense to get along. Before government decided that citizens were too stupid to make their own decisions we had what is commonly called common sense. If we made bad decisions then we dealt with them. The government wasn't there to bail us out. We had little interference in this country until the late 20th century. Since then, there have been many problems associated with government interference. One of the fallout's has been an exodus of manufacturing jobs leaving the U.S. for more friendly countries. There is no Utopian America regardless of what form of government is used.