I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, overlooking the Ohio River, and saw the Industrial Age's unmistakable collapse. As a teenager, I marveled at the belching, glowing factories that were the backbone of steel production worldwide. The locals appeared content, especially those employed in the mills, which ground away under the oppressive weight of corporate greed.

Recognizing that people conveniently forget the negatives, holding onto a false sense of nostalgia is crucial. The 1970s were not just difficult; they were chaotic and transformative. We faced high interest rates, gas rationing, and skyrocketing costs, all while companies moved operations overseas to capitalize on cheaper labor. The steel magnates, fed up with paying fair wages to union workers, opted for plants in China.

The residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania were blind to this reality, failing to acknowledge the dramatic shift around them. It’s time to confront the truth and understand the consequences of complacency.

*J&L Steel Plant - Beaver County, PA - circa 1970s*

As plants closed, the hardworking people believed the unions could save them. At the time, the unions thought they had the upper hand, demanding more and more money and benefits. Collective Bargaining favored the employees at the time. Pensions, healthcare, and wages benefited the rank and file. During the boom years, two things happened to start the collapse:

1. Everyone failed to modernize the plants. Owners believed the employees were making too much, and in some ways, they were.

2. Workers mainly believed that the good times wouldn't end. Employees were comfortable knowing that if they worked hard, they and their families would be cared for for generations.

Everyone's beliefs created a law of diminishing returns. Simply put, it was too late to keep the mills up to date. Business does what it does, and the families who saw the signs first left. The ones who stayed began to fall into despair, recognition, self-blame, and distrust.

But those who stayed fought to make a living and continued to believe the mills would come back. Today, fifty-plus years later, the people in the Rust Belt area of Western Pennsylvania hope the mills will return.

*Along the Ohio River in Beaver County, PA - present day*

Today, a Japanese steel manufacturer wants to rebuild a new steel plant near my hometown of Aliquippa, PA. Nippon Steel intends to invest in the area. This is important to realize: Nippon Steel wants to invest $12 billion in the Beaver Valley area.

What happened? Political Theater.

January 5, 2025: President Biden blocks the Nippon Steel Deal over: "Explaining that the proposed acquisition might result in actions that threaten to impair the national security of the United States, the Order requires the parties to take necessary steps to fully and permanently abandon the transaction within the next 30 days." -Smarttrade.com

February 7th, 2025: "Trump says Nippon Steel will invest in US Steel, not buy it, sparking confusion." -Reuters

Understanding the Western Pennsylvania mindset is a tragic tale of people looking for saviors. The saviors turn out to be devils in the dark. The people get more jaded and angry and remember this happened within two generations.

Historical timeline of investments in Western Pennsylvania

1975-2004: US Airways began expanding in southwestern Pennsylvania after the collapse of the steel mills. By 2004, US Airways had left the area, leaving over 12,000 people without jobs.

2015: Shell began construction of a new Shell Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex. At its peak, Shell hired ~9,500 temporary workers. Since the completion of the plant, ~600 workers in 2024. Shell estimated the projected number of full-time workers to be 10,000 construction workers and 400 direct plant jobs. Did Shell lie? I believe it is.

2025: Nippon Steel will invest $14 billion in the area but only in economic development.

Forbes: Donald Trump Says Nippon Steel Will Invest In US Steel, Not Purchase It.

Belief in Broken Promises, the savior process in Beaver County continues: The Rust Belt Blues.

The Rust Belt is well-named. The graphic below shows the United States Rust Belts.

*Created by the Regional Plan Association. - https://web.archive.org/web/20130325033001/http://www.rpa.org/america2050/sync/elements/america2050map.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135902267*

Depressed areas of the United States are not unusual. The lasting impact in Southwestern Pennsylvania has been long-lasting and cyclical for over 50 years. The people, depressed and desperate, look for something to free them. Their Christian faith is firm but not enough to free the area of the constant depression. Unfortunately, the location puts their faith in peril.

Why? Nostalgia from the generation that remembers the past. Unless something radical occurs, it will take generations for the area to rid itself of fond memories of prosperity and wealth and stop passing them on to the following two generations. What could that be?

I have to think about it. I will continue this article if people are interested.

Whether we like it or not, we are all influenced by someone's ideas. A president, group, corporation, or individual uses propaganda to sway us into believing their cause is right or someone else's cause is wrong.

It's that simple.

Over the last decade, propaganda and Social Media have distorted the reality of whether or not large groups of people believe. It's a hyperbole of misinformation in politics, media, and everyday life. In 2025, especially since the election of 2024, there's so much tension in everyone's daily life. Anger, mistrust, and malaise are spreading worldwide. The discussions and debates that need to happen are far away. The question is, why?

I'll propose a reason (certainly not the reason.) We lack clear dialogue and communication. Everything we see is in two sentences or less. Emojis are used instead of writing the letters in the words we use. Growing up, I was an avid reader; I enjoyed magazines or books that spoke to me. One of the first series of books I read was the entire writings of Sherlock Holmes. Of course, these stories were written in a different time when allocution meant writing stories with length (even the short stories.) As I began reading more, my taste changed, and I noticed the sentence structure getting smaller and easier to read.

The nomenclature was the shorter sentence when I started writing (I have since I was ten) as an adult. Write and get to the point. Truthfully, it worked, but I felt something was missing. I call it building the truth. Make the story alive in someone's mind. That meant writing cleaner but not removing essential details. Of course, newspapers and the media have to get to the point. (That's what they do.) I wanted to be a reporter and found out I like telling stories.

Today, everything from storytelling to news is so short that the person reading it can't form an overall opinion. Quick spins cascade us from rival writers. A photo is used to make their point, the truth. I'm okay with that. It's fair, and in the United States, freedom of speech and the media is baked in from the beginning. The problem in the 21st century is the rise of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Although news is entertainment today, it does not report facts but entertains the masses.

Truth.

How to fix it? There's no way to correct it only through more extended discourse. By listening and comprehending what facts are known. (Notice: I didn't state the facts; I just said what is known.) There is a difference. So, how to be clear and heard? Well, I thought about this, and in my corporate life, there was an idea called "an elevator speech." You have two minutes to tell a person about your company. It works. Try it. Strike up a conversation. Say, "Hello. Can I ask you a question? What type of food do you like? Let me tell you about a place that I tried."Can you keep the conversation going for longer than a minute? If you can, then you are on the right path.

Two minutes for dialogue, two minutes for a calm discussion. Asking someone their name and smiling disarms people who don't know you. You become a smiling person with no agenda. Names are important, and smiling is very disarming. Being you is the only person you know; getting to know someone else is illuminating. Exchanging ideas without tension allows people to communicate.

Don't jump to conclusions. It's hard. Don't get mad. It's easy. If something goes wrong, smile and walk away.

It's that easy.

Coming Soon Part Two: Social Media and the News

From LinkedIn Article September 6, 2024

It's important to remember that leaders are not infallible. While figures like Steve Jobs, Lee Iacocca, and Bill Gates are celebrated for their success, they must recognize that their journey includes successes and failures. Many innovative companies tend to overlook the downsides of leadership. I once discussed with a colleague how an individual's ego can sometimes overshadow the common good. I mentioned, "That ego could crush an elephant." Self-promotion is often valued and seen as essential for leaders, and those we admire may appear flawless. For example, Elon Musk's impulsive actions in the name of "free speech" led to the acquisition of Twitter, now known as "X," which brought the company to bankruptcy. While Musk is brilliant, this decision did not yield positive results. Many former and current employees probably dislike Musk but feel bound by their positions or hope for positive change. Leaders in such positions often prioritize their legacy, ego, and wealth over others' perspectives. A well-rounded view of leadership is essential without focusing solely on financial success. Remember, leaders are human.

Here is my first actual creation:

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Any input will have to solve an ongoing issue in the art community.

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Beginnings are hard.

The prompt is given, and I must respond. There are three things in life I want to do.

Be an astronaut; maybe someday I will ride into space on SpaceX.

Create a successful company. (I created 3, and all did exceptionally well.)

Be a published author in 3 genres: Science Fiction, Mysteries (Modern & Historical), and Non-Fiction (specifically History.)

I have dabbled in writing. I have been published. I like telling stories.

I've been trying to believe in myself again. A few years ago, an impactful incident affected my life. The event took something away, and I am trying to find a lost spark. Everyone has doubts, and it is hard to believe when it finds you again, especially when you are older.

What am I doing this for? There are several reasons, but I like stories and storytelling. I have wanted to be an author, not a writer. There's a difference, and I want to see if this will help return a bit of confidence. For the reader, I want a place where I can share my writing and thoughts.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

The first step is the hardest.