Can I get some help verifying something from The Nation?

In the copy of The Nation with Kerry on the front:


There is a little blurb under "In Fact":
"The recent Economic Report of the President suggests that jobs in the fast-food industry should be reclassified as manufacturing jobs. Its authors claim there's only a difference in degree between assembling a Big Mac at McDonald's and assembling an Explorer at Ford. Yeah, sure. And think what this little statistical fix would do to those embarrassing manufacturing-job-loss figures! It's the biggest Orwellian shell game since the Reaganites reclassified ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches."

Now, I trust The Nation quite a bit but I gave this info to a friend who used it as a debating point with a 'pug. The 'pug responded that he asked an IL Senator about it and it was false. Anyone know if this is true or how I could confirm it?

Thanks

As first reported by The New York Times, the fast food issue is taken up on page 73 of the lengthy report in a special box headlined "What is manufacturing?"

"The definition of a manufactured product," the box reads, "is not straightforward."

"When a fast-food restaurant sells a hamburger, for example, is it providing a 'service' or is it combining inputs to 'manufacture' a product?" it asks.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/20/politics/main601336.shtml

because you say The Nation claimed the report said fast food jobs should be reclassified as manufacturing. The CBS news report says:
The report does not recommend that burger-flippers be counted alongside factory workers.

Instead, it concludes that the fuzziness of the manufacturing definition is problematic, because policies — like, for example, a tax credit for manufacturers — may miss their target if the definition is overly broad or narrow.

The blogger John McCrory has the full sidebox from the report. Its conclusion is:
For policy makers, the blurriness of the definition of manufacturing means that policy aimed at manufacturing may inadvertently distort production and have unintended and harmful results. Whenever possible, policy making should not be based upon this type of arbitrary statistical delineation., so I think the Republican and his senator will be able to stand their ground. Even if the underlying reason is to introduce the concept of reclassifying the jobs, it's not overtly suggesting it.

Since when is "Assembly" the same thing as "Manufacturing"? One you make out of nothing the other you assemble parts someone else manufactured.

you insist the fine upstanding gop supporter prove it's not the truth. All too often, we allow ourselves to be put into the position of defending the defensible.

They really truly considered it. I read the newspaper article in LBN about a week ago. I will try and find the link. Your instincts on The Nation are correct.

Links:

http://www.strausplace.com/print.php?sid=1492

http://www.senate.gov/~schumer/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/press_releases/PR02454.html

http://www.house.gov/dingell/Manufacturing_letter_02-23-04.pdf

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F2081EFD3A590C738EDDAB0894DC404482

and many others if you search Google for "fast food" +manufacturing reclassify OR reclasssified OR reclassification

I really appreciate it.

The Nation B4 I trusted a politician!

Bill Maher did a commentary around this very item last week. He suggested every person eating a hamburger could also be classified as a 'manufacturer'!

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