08-10-2011, 02:47 PM
JPK-
You have to think about sources and materials. And what we 'consume'.
Services. Well, that's obvious. We consume a LOT of services. "Healthcare" being the biggie.
Houses... well, duh. Made in America.
Cars... even the 'foreign' cars are assembled in the US in most cases. And much of their parts are made here too.. cheaper than shipping them.
Food...Yep, mostly US. (Sure, there are exceptions)
Medicines... mostly in the US.
And raw materials.. steel, concrete, plastic pellets, yadda yadda.
What we *see* are the cheap consumer products sold at discount stores. And since the US is now addicted to cheap consumer products and cheap electronics and whatnot, we're stuck with a lot of that.
The other factor, of course, is automation.
You have to think about sources and materials. And what we 'consume'.
Services. Well, that's obvious. We consume a LOT of services. "Healthcare" being the biggie.
Houses... well, duh. Made in America.
Cars... even the 'foreign' cars are assembled in the US in most cases. And much of their parts are made here too.. cheaper than shipping them.
Food...Yep, mostly US. (Sure, there are exceptions)
Medicines... mostly in the US.
And raw materials.. steel, concrete, plastic pellets, yadda yadda.
What we *see* are the cheap consumer products sold at discount stores. And since the US is now addicted to cheap consumer products and cheap electronics and whatnot, we're stuck with a lot of that.
The other factor, of course, is automation.