As the economy weakens, perhaps there will be a fresh look at the U.S. export infrastructure. Conventional wisdom asserts that exports spur economic growth and support the creation of higher-value-added jobs such as engineering and design. If the United States truly faces its worst economic downdraft since the Great Depression, it’s imperative to launch a sustained initiative that brings potentially thousands of new manufacturing-based companies into the export arena. To be lulled into complacency by rosy but misleading headlines about rising exports would result only in the U.S. missing out on an opportunity to exploit the weak dollar and generate sustainable wealth that may enhance the economy for years to come. 
William J. Holstein is a veteran business journalist and author based in New York.
