Today’s New York Times has a great story that really captures the state of the manufacturing sector in the American economy.  Ford Motor Company is going out of its way to bombard employees with informational DVDs, brochures, and other material…to get them to leave.  The company is desperate to trim its multi-billion dollar losses and sees fit to do so by shedding workers, in this case through fairly generous buyouts.  The fact that the Ford employees are being offered a choice with compensation is a pretty lucky break in a country where the socio-economic safety net usually consists of something like a slap on the back and a Fruit Roll-up.  One would think that Ford would rather revamp its product line to reclaim the market share it has lost global competitors (who manage to succeed in countries like Germany and Japan with very high labor costs).   Then again, that would require imagination and a willingness to take risks…