Swords into Market Shares

Finally, some people are listening to University of Texas at Dallas economics professor Lloyd (Jeff) Dumas, who warns that the entire Dallas economy will sink or swim depending on how well we handle the shift from military to consumer manufacturing.

With the second largest concentration of military electronics in the country- Texas Instruments, E-Systems, LTV, etc.-Dallas is primed for a fall.

Appointed by Gov. Ann Richards to her Task Force on Economic Transition, Dumas now has a platform from which to speak, and staffers for politicians including Democratic front-runner Bill Clinton, Tom Harkin and Paul Tsongas have called him for advice. “All the defense contractors are on the edge right now and need to be pushed,” says Dumas. “Otherwise they’ll be like those guys a century ago who said, ’We know how to make buggy whips, so why make automobiles?’”