What’s more important to America right now than jobs?  The answer is “nothing.”   One out of ten Americans is unemployed, but ten out of ten have friends and family members who need a job and can’t find one.   We’ve all heard the confusion about the number of jobs “saved or created” but the unemployment rate in January was 7.6% - its now 10.2% - and projected to rise slightly in the coming months.    Stimulus spending has created a slight uptick in jobs in government and some industrial sectors, but with the U.S. economy still bleeding jobs, this is clearly not enough to tip the scales for American manufacturing.    This week as the White House prepares for its Jobs Summit, politicians of all stripes should be reminded of some important numbers; what they will mean in the next election cycle, and what they mean to American families.   Over 61,000 manufacturing jobs lost were lost in October, an average of 51,000 lost in the past four months, and 2.1 million lost since the recession began.    According to Gallup, President Obama’s job approval is down 20%, and only 26% approve of the way Congress is doing its job.  Americans don’t need a magic pen to connect the dots between unemployment and political popularity:  “you promised us jobs but we’re not getting any.”   Not all manufacturing job losses fall at the feet of politicians, but in the news these days are two potential government undertakings that directly relate to manufacturing job loss and political popularity.   Readers of ManufactureThis understand the impact that illegal foreign government subsidies have on our manufacturing jobs, and that our military readiness and national security has been comprised by manufacturing job loss.    Earlier this year, the World Trade Organization ruled in favor of the U.S. government in the largest ever trade subsidies case ($15 billion), brought against France’s aircraft manufacturer, EADS/Airbus.     These subsidies were related to bidding on our Air Force’s much needed airborne refueling tankers, with EADS/Airbus receiving the $15 billion in subsidies from France and EU partners.   The bidding has now started again.  If awarded to the American-based bidder, the USAF refueling tanker program would add $35 billion to our economy in the short term, $100 billion in the long term, and 40,000 jobs.   As the process continues between the team led by France and the team lead by an American aircraft manufacturer, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition (an employee of the Executive branch) stated last week that the DOD will not even consider the WTO ruling or calculate the $15 billion in illegal subsidies into the equation.    Huh?  Not include a $15 billion illegal leg up over American jobs?  Easy for the Pentagon Undersecretary to say, he already has a job.   Voters already understand the impact that internal Chinese industrial subsidies have had on American jobs.  Are French subsidies any different?  No.  Same job loss, different cheese.    We cannot allow our political class to further cripple our manufacturing base.  Military acquisition programs are not just about job loss today.  They are yet another opportunity for America to lose future capacity both in infrastructure, materials and skill.    Every job we ship overseas is one less opportunity to retain our manufacturing sector in the long term.   Congress can vote for certain Americans to lose their jobs if it wants to, but then again, so can we ….