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> it means making an actual effort to bring industry back to the US. Germany has a huge manufacturing surplus, and yet its share of employment in industry has

by pron 1y ago

> it means making an actual effort to bring industry back to the US. Germany has a huge manufacturing surplus, and yet its share of employment in industry has been declining for at least 40 years now.[1] "Industry" cannot be "brought back" [2] because what it once was no longer exists. Productivity in manufacturing has gone up through the roof, and manufacturing simply doesn't need many jobs now. Jobs are needed in professions like nursing and education. > Advocate for the rights of American citizens and not of those streaming illegally across the borders. That borders on stupidity at the level of climate-change denial or anti-vax. First, people are "streaming illegally across the border" because American citizens want them to help the economy. And if Americans change their minds and are willing to live with fewer immigrants in a weaker economy, at any specific point in time, the rights that need to be advocated are those that are in danger. At this point, however, it seems that the Trump administration is threatening the rights of both immigrants and citizens, which is why you see Democrats sounding the alarm on both. [1]: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.IND.EMPL.ZS?locations=DE https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.IND.EMPL.ZS?location... [2]: https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2025/closing-trade-deficit-would-barely-raise-share-us-manufacturing https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2025/closing-t...

pron 1y ago
P.S. While the manufacturing jobs of old cannot be brought back because they no longer exist - they've been eliminated by automation - there could be non-economic arguments for bringing back more manufacturing (e.g. a national security argument). The Biden administration did actually do that; the Trump administration is actively harming manufacturing with its exceptionally incompetent and stupid tariff policy (a very different tariff policy could hypothetically help manufacturing, but economists will tell you that subsidies - along the lines of what the Biden administration implemented - would be more effective and cause less economic harm). The bottom line is that, on the economy, as in health, what most characterizes the Trump administration is an almost unbelievable level of stupidity and incompetence, and it will achieve none of the positive economic goals it purported to pursue (and is likely to achieve the opposite). This means that the only intended change this administration is bringing about is the Orban-style consolidation of power and authoritarianism, and a reduction in education and research. If you want to look at things from a purely cynical point of view, that parties seek to "manufacture" voters, with the current dominant polarization axis, Democrats' clear interest is to have more educated and/or informed Americans, while Republicans' clear interest is to have fewer.

by pron 1y ago

pron 1y ago

P.S. While the manufacturing jobs of old cannot be brought back because they no longer exist - they've been eliminated by automation - there could be non-economic arguments for bringing back more manufacturing (e.g. a national security argument). The Biden administration did actually do that; the Trump administration is actively harming manufacturing with its exceptionally incompetent and stupid tariff policy (a very different tariff policy could hypothetically help manufacturing, but economists will tell you that subsidies - along the lines of what the Biden administration implemented - would be more effective and cause less economic harm). The bottom line is that, on the economy, as in health, what most characterizes the Trump administration is an almost unbelievable level of stupidity and incompetence, and it will achieve none of the positive economic goals it purported to pursue (and is likely to achieve the opposite). This means that the only intended change this administration is bringing about is the Orban-style consolidation of power and authoritarianism, and a reduction in education and research. If you want to look at things from a purely cynical point of view, that parties seek to "manufacture" voters, with the current dominant polarization axis, Democrats' clear interest is to have more educated and/or informed Americans, while Republicans' clear interest is to have fewer.