Byron Dorgan: “there is a poignant story about the days following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As his body lie in state here…”

“there is a poignant story about the days following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As his body lie in state here in the U.S. Capitol, long lines of people formed in order to file past the body of the dead President. A journalist interviewed a worker who was standing there, with his hat in his hand held in front of him, with tears in his eyes. The journalist asked this working man, who had been standing in line for some long while: Did you know Franklin Delano Roosevelt? The working man looked back at him and said: No, I didn't. But he knew me. The question is, Who knows American workers today? I ask that question because I read in the paper that Circuit City, a pretty well-known corporation in this country, has decided it wants to lay off 3,400 workers. Here is what Circuit City said about those workers: It had nothing to do with their skills or whether they were a good worker or not. That is according to a Circuit City spokesperson. Now, this sort of thing follows on the heels of the offshore outsourcing of many other American jobs, American companies shutting down. There is no more Fruit of the Loom underwear made in America, no more Levi's made in America, no more Huffy bicycles made here, no more Fig Newton cookies made here. There are no more Radio Flyer little red wagons made in America. It is all gone. It is all outsourced. Those workers all got fired. Pennsylvania House Furniture. I could go through the long list.…”