That linked op-ed on the "softening" of American jobs just gracefully skips over the fact that those hard-nosed, hard-chargin' back-breakin' jobs he wished we all had (as he sits in an industry that is so completely the opposite of that) have all moved to China and other places where cheap labor is the ultimate advantage. We can keep graduating Mechanical engineers until the cows come home, but if someone can make more money (or, indeed, any money at all) being a stock trader or realtor, most would consider ME a dying industry in this service-based economy.
He seems to focus on industrial entrepreneurship, a capital-intensive proposition to be sure. I peg Brooks as a "supply-side" kinda guy, so he would probably point to tax cuts as the divining rod of spurring entrepreneurship in that area. Thing is, you can cut taxes all day, but if the bank won't lend you any cash because they're not lending anything much less to your really expensive first-time venture, tax cuts aren't gonna help.
And, VC cash is hard to find in the US unless you're doing software, consumer, web, mobile, or cleantech. If you're in "old line" tech like medical devices or consumer electronics, forget it. Overseas is where to go. Open up shop in Singapore if you're building the better artificial heart.
He seems to focus on industrial entrepreneurship, a capital-intensive proposition to be sure. I peg Brooks as a "supply-side" kinda guy, so he would probably point to tax cuts as the divining rod of spurring entrepreneurship in that area. Thing is, you can cut taxes all day, but if the bank won't lend you any cash because they're not lending anything much less to your really expensive first-time venture, tax cuts aren't gonna help.
And, VC cash is hard to find in the US unless you're doing software, consumer, web, mobile, or cleantech. If you're in "old line" tech like medical devices or consumer electronics, forget it. Overseas is where to go. Open up shop in Singapore if you're building the better artificial heart.