It’s a sad day for the hard-working people of Canton, North Carolina. The local paper mill, which has been in operation for over 100 years, is closing its doors, taking away 1,100 jobs with it. According to company officials from Pactiv-Evergreen, the decision was made due to market conditions, which have been pretty lousy lately.
The workers at the mill were shocked and devastated by the news, and it’s not hard to see why. Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers described the scene after the meeting as heartbreaking, with grown men shedding tears over the loss of their livelihoods. The mill is one of the largest employers in Haywood County, and its closure is like taking a piece of the town’s soul.
And it’s not just Canton that’s feeling the pain. Pactiv-Evergreen is also closing a facility in Olmstead Falls, Ohio, eliminating another 200 jobs. They’re even exploring strategic alternatives for their Pine Bluff, Arkansas mill, and Waynesville, North Carolina facility. This means more jobs may be on the chopping block in the future.
It’s hard to reconcile these massive layoffs with the Biden administration’s constant assurances that the economy is doing great and their plan is working. Companies like Meta (formerly known as Facebook), Alphabet (owner of Google), Microsoft, Dow, and 3M are all recalibrating head counts and tightening belts due to concerns about a slowing economy.
The Wall Street Journal even reports that Twitter, Disney, Zoom, Dell, and PayPal are among the many companies announcing layoffs in 2023. This isn’t a sign of a thriving economy, folks.
Maybe it’s time we redefine the terms “job” and “added” because it sure seems like the government is playing games with the numbers. The truth is, until the man currently occupying the Oval Office loses his job, America’s prospects — economic and otherwise — are depressingly bleak.
As Ronald Reagan once said, “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.” If only we had someone like Reagan in the White House right now, someone who understood the value of a strong economy and job creation.
But for now, we must focus on the real people who are suffering from the loss of their jobs. The hard-working men and women of Canton, Ohio, and Olmstead Falls, Ohio, deserve better than to be left jobless due to market conditions. We need to stand up for them and demand that our leaders take action to protect American jobs and American workers.
Sources: WesternJournal, Smoky Mountain News, WPDE-TV, The Wall Street Journal
