This political cycle has revived protectionist economic policies for people who feel the world is passing them by. Despite the rhetoric, anyone hocking these ideas knows damn well that the jobs people want repatriated are never coming back. The tide of a globalized economy took over long ago, yet we hear silly talking points about bringing back outmoded commodities like coal, an energy source and economic engine that anyone can see is on it's way out.

The future is digital & we should be embracing tomorrow's economy by focusing on digital skills.

Lets not mince words. I'm talking about training blue collar workers to use computers instead of machines associated with a bygone era.

Either we build an economy with workers whose skills will remain relevant or we can race China to the bottom of the manufacturing mountain while drastically reducing quality of life.

There's no going back. We might as well go forward.