German Beer, Chinese Natural Gas, and US Manufacturing
Is the US economy struggling? Economists and policy makers look at statistics and trends to draw conclusions. Data is important. But sometimes anecdotal evidence is useful as well.
On May 1, three stories in the Washington Post didn’t seem to have much in common. They were about beer in Germany, natural gas in China, and manufacturing in the US.
German BeerGermans are starting to worry about the surge of interest in American craft brewing and the decline in German beer consumption. 
Germany has a centuries-old tradition of brewing (and consumption) but US craft brewers are innovative and responsive to changing tastes, especially among young people. Can Americans teach the Germans something about brewing? Theme: innovation and change threaten tradition and complacency.
China’s Natural Gas
China is projected to have more natural gas than the US: 50% more. But it’s stuck in the ground because of overlapping bureaucracies and red tape. Meanwhile, the US is racing ahead. Theme: private enterprise vs. government-planning.
The US has stopped losing manufacturing jobs to off-shore cheap-labor countries. A small number of jobs are returning because of the need for high-skilled labor, quick response to changing markets, and lower transportation costs for 
US-produced goods. Theme: adapt and move up the value chain.
The US economy still faces slow-growth challenges overall, but final 2012 GDP figures show that the government sector (US, state, and local government jobs and expenditures) pulled down the strong performance of the private sector. US companies did just fine: non-government GDP grew 3.9% in 2012.
