True, as long as you look at it as "old line, rust belt" manufacturing. You are totally correct in the manufacturing sector will always be shopped around the world to the lowest bidder.
There was a time, however, when these products were "new inventions", and America pioneered many of them, and built them here. Now they are commodities that can be built anywhere.
While "Buy American" sounds good, and makes us feel good, we will never return to the manufacturing of old line products in this country. What we are lacking is innovation. We need to develop new industries that produce unique products that solve problems and address consumer needs, just like the automobile was a new product 100 years ago.
Many think that our dependence on foreign oil, causing worldwide political unrest and a massive transfer of our wealth, will become so unsustainable that it will force American innovation to solve the problem, and create new proprietary industries to manufacture the products to solve the problem.
India is already doing the designing, and engineering....it won't be long and the chinese will be doing it too...
Besides if you don't have the technical training and the good old fashioned seat in the saddle training....need or no need, it won't be developed or designed here....because nobody will be able to figure it out...
As long as everyone is CONTENT with this drain going on...shrugs their shoulders and says..."hey it is too late...." then we will continue to continue.
Once enough people start using that noodle on their shoulders and understands that when you buy something 10% cheaper but NOT made here...made elsewhere....you are cutting YOUR OWN Throat...or at least that of you kids and grand kids....then we will have turned the corner.
Just because we feed the world doesn't mean we can all go back to farming....it isn't going to happen. Slowly but steadily we are watching the steady progression of good paying jobs...AND the ability to design and build those widgets...off shore. Eventually there will be those who made it and those who don't stand a prayer of a chance...and all because we walked into wally world and said...gee whizz.....I can buy that microwave for $40. While that seems like a prudent thing to do....in the long run, it isn't and it is killing us...and even more so for your kids and grand kids...and who will NOT have options when they come of age.
I believe enough people are waking up to this process that a completely new industry will come along that has a first LINE of advertising...that says...."stainless steel bowls...MADE IN THE USA...BY YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS....." Marketing MADE IN THE USA, will become THE key words that will do two things...make those folks who CAN"T say that think twice before moving off shore to set up shop, AND will become the buzz word for folks who can use their noodle for more than just holding on to a hat.
There are lots of examples of companies that are doing well and not doing by taking the easy route and moving away from home. We need to patronize them, and put them into consideration at every single purchase.
The rest of this action will bring about the right changes for the right reasons.
Remember that Henry Ford designed the motor car...but what put him on the map was not sending the jobs off shore...but to pay his labor force $5 a day....
This was good money in the day, and it forced others to follow....once the car and truck was here to stay...the pay stayed too...and the REAL trickle down process occurred from that....NOT from making it cheaper elsewhere and shipping it back home.... Old Henry knew that the first thing his employees did was go out and buy a new car or truck with the wages he paid them.
