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I wish it gets to that point. A country that doesn’t manufacture is a huge loser in the long run. I hope it comes back to America in a heavily automated, sustai

I wish it gets to that point. A country that doesn’t manufacture is a huge loser in the long run. I hope it comes back to America in a heavily automated, sustainable fashion.

coliveira 5y ago
I get the point, but corporations care more about their own profits. They will continue manufacturing in Asia for the foreseeable future, since it is too costly to open manufacturing plants in the US. The government would need to do something momentous to change this, which I don't see happening.
- ajsnigrutin 5y ago
  As it seems, they are already unable to manufacture in asia.
  - coliveira 5y ago
    You don't seem to understand that there is a shortage of workers here, and we're not even producing anything! The labor is not available even to transport and sell the products. Imagine if this country tried to manufacture things... Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future the market has no choice other than continue to buy from Asia.
    - ajsnigrutin 5y ago
      If you raise wages, the workers will come.
    - JanisL 5y ago
      There is absolutely no shortage of workers at the lower end of the skills range, there is however a big monetary issue at play that prevents people from hiring people locally in a number of different situations. On top of this there are regulatory and taxation imbalances that make certain industries unable to compete with foreign firms that don't have those issues. The problems are frequently the price of labor not the raw availability of labor, people certainly will take on jobs if there is enough pay to make those jobs worth taking.
bluGill 5y ago
There is plenty of manufacturing to go around. Buying from specialists is a better deal for everyone than trying to do a little of everything. The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. Though the more trade you do with others the more nobody wants war with you because they lose both the goods you make and the market for goods you buy from them.
- inawarminister 5y ago
  That's the traditional liberal thinking, yes, but warmaking is not binary. There's open war, cold war, hegemon bullying, and lots of other conflicts. Look at how much China tried to sabotage the Australian economy this last year (and vice versa of course) even though China NEEDED Australian coal and resources for their industry. Political considerations in the short run has priorities, even if it's economically costly. Besides, with more capital it's going to lead into cheaper manufacturing with automatization in higher labor countries. Sometimes it's better to have redundant factories in many different parts of the world. Even if it's only for innovation.
  - gremloni 5y ago
    It needs to be both. You build at home and trade with the global market for their goods. Germany seems to pull it off pretty well. You may not sell as many with more expensive local manufacturing prices but the goods will be of a much higher quality and so more expensive.
    - AvocadoPanic 5y ago
      As long as Putin doesn't turn their gas off.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. If you can make guns and ships but not fuel for the ships and food for the people carrying the guns and manning the ships, how far does that get you? If you can make guns and ships domestically, but rely on a foreign power that might become hostile for the raw material, how far does that get you? If you take the “war materiel must be domestically producable for security” position, and think it through, you will find that it is by no means a narrow exception. > Though the more trade you do with others the more nobody wants war with you because they lose both the goods you make and the market for goods you buy from them. The idea that no one ever wants to go to war with a major trade partner is...hard to align with history.

I wish it gets to that point. A country that doesn’t manufacture is a huge loser in the long run. I hope it comes back to America in a heavily automated, sustainable fashion.

coliveira 5y ago

I get the point, but corporations care more about their own profits. They will continue manufacturing in Asia for the foreseeable future, since it is too costly to open manufacturing plants in the US. The government would need to do something momentous to change this, which I don't see happening.

ajsnigrutin 5y ago
As it seems, they are already unable to manufacture in asia.
- coliveira 5y ago
  You don't seem to understand that there is a shortage of workers here, and we're not even producing anything! The labor is not available even to transport and sell the products. Imagine if this country tried to manufacture things... Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future the market has no choice other than continue to buy from Asia.
  - ajsnigrutin 5y ago
    If you raise wages, the workers will come.
  - JanisL 5y ago
    There is absolutely no shortage of workers at the lower end of the skills range, there is however a big monetary issue at play that prevents people from hiring people locally in a number of different situations. On top of this there are regulatory and taxation imbalances that make certain industries unable to compete with foreign firms that don't have those issues. The problems are frequently the price of labor not the raw availability of labor, people certainly will take on jobs if there is enough pay to make those jobs worth taking.

bluGill 5y ago

There is plenty of manufacturing to go around. Buying from specialists is a better deal for everyone than trying to do a little of everything. The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. Though the more trade you do with others the more nobody wants war with you because they lose both the goods you make and the market for goods you buy from them.

inawarminister 5y ago
That's the traditional liberal thinking, yes, but warmaking is not binary. There's open war, cold war, hegemon bullying, and lots of other conflicts. Look at how much China tried to sabotage the Australian economy this last year (and vice versa of course) even though China NEEDED Australian coal and resources for their industry. Political considerations in the short run has priorities, even if it's economically costly. Besides, with more capital it's going to lead into cheaper manufacturing with automatization in higher labor countries. Sometimes it's better to have redundant factories in many different parts of the world. Even if it's only for innovation.
- gremloni 5y ago
  It needs to be both. You build at home and trade with the global market for their goods. Germany seems to pull it off pretty well. You may not sell as many with more expensive local manufacturing prices but the goods will be of a much higher quality and so more expensive.
  - AvocadoPanic 5y ago
    As long as Putin doesn't turn their gas off.
dragonwriter 5y ago
> The only exceptions is war machines (guns, ships...) - you need to have that in your country just in case. If you can make guns and ships but not fuel for the ships and food for the people carrying the guns and manning the ships, how far does that get you? If you can make guns and ships domestically, but rely on a foreign power that might become hostile for the raw material, how far does that get you? If you take the “war materiel must be domestically producable for security” position, and think it through, you will find that it is by no means a narrow exception. > Though the more trade you do with others the more nobody wants war with you because they lose both the goods you make and the market for goods you buy from them. The idea that no one ever wants to go to war with a major trade partner is...hard to align with history.