There is no doubt that the midwest has been hit hard by the recession, particularly because of the devastating loss of factories and manufacturing jobs, and the town of Evansville, Indiana is no exception. A Whirlpool plant will close its doors on Friday, moving production to Mexico, and shedding 1,100 American jobs in the process.  The plant has been an iconic centerpiece for the town of Evansville since 1956, and has been built around the tradition of middle class families earning their livelihood there. Who is to blame for this town's tragedy? An article by Steven Greenhouse in the New York Times says that locals are holding a number of culprits responsible, from Whirlpool itself, whom they say is betraying workers and the United States by moving production to Mexico, to Bill Clinton for his negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.  Community members are also blaming Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, former President George W. Bush, and President Obama, whom they claim have taken little to no action to save American manufacturing jobs. Ironically, about a 100 miles northeast of Evansville, in Louisville, KY, G.E. is creating 420 American jobs to build hybrid water heaters, which are currently made in China. So why is one town losing jobs while the other one is revving up its workforce? The New York Times quoted AAM Executive Director Scott Paul who said, "Louisville and Evansville are very similar in terms of business climate and labor rates.  It shows that G.E. is willing to invest in America and show some economic patriotism.  Whirlpool is still stuck in this old model of outsourcing every last bit of manufacturing they possibly can." Read more here.