MY LJ FRIEND SAID: "DON'T buy everything american when you shop. America has passed all the levels of industrialization and is well past its peak and the benefits it can derive from developing industry. It needs to focus not on improving its domestic industry, but on improving its quality of life (such as issues involving healthcare, education, gender parity, distribution of wealth, etc). Rather than shopping American made only, educate yourself on which developing countries are relying on the income from their exporting industries to build up basic infrastructure and begin providing healthcare and education opportunities to its impoverished citizens. The US is in a downward spiral in terms of industry - it's really not in our best interest to continue manufacturing here, when our strengths lie within "brain" industries and technology. Low-wage, low-skill labor is most beneficial to developing countries, where even the crappiest, lowest paying job means access to basic everyday necessities that were previously unobtainable."
I REPLIED: "That's interesting. Unfortunately, the only means of sustaining an economy which can afford charity is through new manufacturing JOBS - (mainly GREEN) - that is the only way true wealth is created. To take your route would mean relying on more borrowing, and printing money out of thin air. We definetely NEED to invest in brain industries - but if you look at our political system, it runs on MONEY, and enjoys slashing brains, brawn, and quality of life. Until we have a new politics, and a new economics, our only option for creating wealth is by bringing jobs back here. We LOST those jobs not because of natural deindustrialisation, but because of greedy, short term policy mistakes...
I REPLIED: "That's interesting. Unfortunately, the only means of sustaining an economy which can afford charity is through new manufacturing JOBS - (mainly GREEN) - that is the only way true wealth is created. To take your route would mean relying on more borrowing, and printing money out of thin air. We definetely NEED to invest in brain industries - but if you look at our political system, it runs on MONEY, and enjoys slashing brains, brawn, and quality of life. Until we have a new politics, and a new economics, our only option for creating wealth is by bringing jobs back here. We LOST those jobs not because of natural deindustrialisation, but because of greedy, short term policy mistakes...
tbc..
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