Making It in America"Can the Future Be Built in America?" (Cover Story, Sept. 21) said the U.S. may no longer have the manufacturing expertise to launch the high-tech industries invented on its soil. A few readers blasted this stance—one deeming it "hysteria." But many others had ideas about how to reverse the trend. Reducing taxes on companies would be a good start, some wrote. Another proposal: Learn from today's experts, including U.S.-based Japanese carmakers. —Pete Engardio

Think about the cost of OSHA compliance, workers' compensation, liability insurance, medical insurance, minimum wage, paid vacation, paid holidays, paid maternity leave, payroll taxes, taxes on inventories, and taxes on buildings and land. Millions of manufacturing jobs have moved outside the U.S. because other countries don't have these explicit and hidden costs.

George KoeningerKINGWOOD, TEX.

The race is far from over. New York State invested $1.2 billion in incentives to help build the world's largest, most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility. Global Foundries' Fab 2 is bringing more than 5,000 jobs to eastern New York's tech valley.

Seth BuchwalterSARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.

Manufacturing can be done successfully in America. Look at the Japanese [carmaker] transplants: They chose low-cost places to invest in the U.S.

Screen name: Hugo van Randwyck

This article repeats the usual hysteria about "the loss of American manufacturing." What tripe. The U.S. produces nearly one-fifth of the world's products; our manufacturing output is just fine.

Screen name: OgeeConverting to a Carbon-Free LifestyleMy goal is to reduce my footprint as much as Michelle Conlin and her husband did ("A No-Carbon Payoff," Personal Business, Sept. 14). With three kids under 4 and a husband who is "high-impact and proud of it," I have my work cut out for me.

Alicia WebsterWINCHESTER, VA.One Factor That May Stifle TalentRegarding "Where Headhunters Fear to Tread" (In Depth, Sept. 14): Just after phone deregulation in the 1980s, I was at Pacific Telesis (T). The culture was so stodgy that those of us who hadn't joined out of high school were "outsiders." We feared that if we learned to fit in, we'd lose our ability to think. Maybe companies starting as highly regulated industries have trouble producing talent.

Joy HahnSAN FRANCISCOIBM's Canadian CollaborationBig Blue's Global Lab" (Cover Package, Sept. 7) failed to mention IBM's plant in Bromont, Quebec, part of a "microelectronics corridor" stretching from East Fishkill, N.Y., that provides 35,000 well-paying IT jobs. Part of a new partnership with the governments of Quebec and Canada, the plant is a prime example of economic integration between Canada and the U.S.

Robert KeatingQuebec's Delegate GeneralNEW YORKHow the Media Help Inflate Pay PackagesRegarding "CEO Pay: Is It Still Out of Sync?" (New Business, Sept. 7): One reason for rocketing CEO compensation is the media's publicizing and ranking of executive pay. Do CEOs know where they rank? I'll bet it's burned into their brains.

Erwin MolnarBELLEVUE, WASH.