DIE Kills American Chip Manufacturing

0
202

by Robert Weissberg, American Thinker:

If all the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity functionaries and their supporters were a corporation — DIE, Inc. — it might rival Apple’s market value. Its “product” of eviscerating America has been widely successful. Just look at the universities (think Claudine Gay), falling military enlistments, the prevalence of “woke” marketing for such iconic brands as Bud Lite, the demonization of white male government employees and the like. Moreover, like all successful corporations, it is constantly innovating to expand market share. After all, America still thrives, so opportunities remain for further evisceration.

TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

The latest DIE Inc. venture focuses on reducing America’s dependence on imported semiconductors.  The significance of this latest DIE venture cannot be exaggerated. The good news is that Americans finally realized the dangers of this dependency. Even President Biden has acknowledged the issue. According to a recent White House press release, “…over time, the United States went from producing nearly 40% of the world’s chips to just over 10%, undermining America’s national security and making our economy vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions.” To achieve this technological self-sufficiency, the Biden administration proposed the CHIPS and Science Act.

The CHIPS Act was passed by Congress, and in August of 2023 and Biden optimistically announced that $53 billion would soon be invested in chip building together with a 25% tax credit and a National Semiconductor Technology Center to oversee the project. The initial response was positive — according to the Commerce Department, some 460 companies worldwide have expressed an interest in moving production facilities to the United States and thus provide thousands of high-paying jobs. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest semiconductor and a key supplier to the American high-tech industry, committed itself for two major U.S.-built facilities in Arizona.  Similarly Micron announced a $40 billion dollar commitment that promised 40,000 new jobs.

Nevertheless, despite the lure of federal subsidies and tax deductions, the initial enthusiasm has cooled, and America continues to rely heavily on imported chips. What’s happening? The answer is: DIE.

In their analysis, Matt Cole and Chris Nicholson explain that those hoping to build advanced U.S. chip factories have encountered all the usual DIE-imposed box-checking requirements, and this agenda is hardly hidden. DIE is explicit:  diversity is “critical to strengthening the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.”These chipmakers must hire and train the “right number” of women, people of color, and “justice involved individuals” (i.e., “ex-cons). The bill calls for using “minority-owned businesses” and cooperation with ““minority-serving institutions.” There are 19 sections in the legislation dealing with minority groups, including hiring a Chief Diversity Officer at the National Science Foundation to promote national security.

Perhaps as a sop to conservatives, the legislation calls for hiring veterans and rural people. Chipmakers are also required to hire women when constructing these factories and remove degree requirements from job descriptions. That manufacturing cutting-edge chips is exceedingly difficult technically, is irrelevant since we need a workforce that “looks like Amerca” when competing with our foreign tech rivals.

Read More @ AmericanThinker.com