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Tech is really important. But there is also all the little things that you just interact with on daily life. Things like cutlery, soap dispensers, and so much m

Tech is really important. But there is also all the little things that you just interact with on daily life. Things like cutlery, soap dispensers, and so much more. Sure the US could make all this stuff but the country deeply relies on the cost imbalance to maintain the standard of living they have had for decades. Thats most people's entire lives. I am reminded of this Purism phone that you can buy as a US made or China made version. https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ China: 799$ (now 1200$ due to rising supply chain costs) USA: 2000$ I guess we are lucky in that most of our food and infrastructure related items seems to be local.

whatshisface 5y ago
That specific example is not as revealing as it might seem, because in addition to a difference in supply costs, there's a difference in how much a hypothetical person who doesn't care about money but cares about it being made in the US will pay on top of supply cost differences.
- nebula8804 5y ago
  Yeah I guess you are right, its just that there is not many examples I can provide because they just don't exist at all. Could Apple with their supply chain experience and clout get that 2000$ price down? Yeah probably. But it helps to illustrate my main point: The West has essentially been cheating by exploiting the purchasing power differential for decades and eventually it may finally collapse on them.
  - whatshisface 5y ago
    In an idealized situation, every company in the world will all move to a country to make an extra $0.01/unit, if they can all make it and make it reliably.
nopenopenopeno 5y ago
Almost all of the lumber purchased in America is grown in China, and Chinese concrete and steel are increasingly more common, despite political half-measures intended to change that.
- shalmanese 5y ago
  This is hilariously completely the opposite of true. China is a net importer of American lumber, almost no Chinese lumber is exported, especially to the USA. Almost no concrete is ever shipped more than 150 miles or so, concrete is almost always extremely locally produced. Only steel has any appreciable trade volume with China.

whatshisface 5y ago

That specific example is not as revealing as it might seem, because in addition to a difference in supply costs, there's a difference in how much a hypothetical person who doesn't care about money but cares about it being made in the US will pay on top of supply cost differences.

nebula8804 5y ago
Yeah I guess you are right, its just that there is not many examples I can provide because they just don't exist at all. Could Apple with their supply chain experience and clout get that 2000$ price down? Yeah probably. But it helps to illustrate my main point: The West has essentially been cheating by exploiting the purchasing power differential for decades and eventually it may finally collapse on them.
- whatshisface 5y ago
  In an idealized situation, every company in the world will all move to a country to make an extra $0.01/unit, if they can all make it and make it reliably.

nopenopenopeno 5y ago

Almost all of the lumber purchased in America is grown in China, and Chinese concrete and steel are increasingly more common, despite political half-measures intended to change that.

shalmanese 5y ago
This is hilariously completely the opposite of true. China is a net importer of American lumber, almost no Chinese lumber is exported, especially to the USA. Almost no concrete is ever shipped more than 150 miles or so, concrete is almost always extremely locally produced. Only steel has any appreciable trade volume with China.