[DAVES]

Originally Posted by tvbound

"Made in America" purchases will only come back in vogue, when people are willing to pay more (often a LOT more) for essentially the same products. It's simply common sense, that if you're paying employees more - then the cost of the goods or services will most likely be more. In essence, we have only ourselves to blame for the amount of foreign made services/goods, when we prioritize price. The ultimate irony being, that those foreign countries making so many of our products are simply trying to follow the old American model - of creating a burgeoning middle class/strong economy.

Not that simple. Very abridged story. My dad was on the Battan death march. He was one of 20 something in his battalion to survive WWII. There are 400-600 in a battalion. He passed of cancer with a piece of a shell to close to his spinal cord to be removed and was in pain most of his life. I could not buy a Japanese car. It was July 4th. Irony, all the japanese companies were running July 4th specials and the American car companies were closed. I ended up buying a Chevy. What is more American than a Chevy. It does qualify as being made in the USA. Reality 40% of it is foreign made.

Rare earth metals. Original post complete with graphs and all. Tessler being electric uses rare earth magnets. The US just reopened a mine in Calif. They are not all that rare. The mining and refining are dirty. We ship American ore to China and buy back refined rare earth metals. Made in the United States.

Apple made a whole big announcement that they were moving some production to the US. Unlike in the past,much manufacturing is done by robots. Higher American labor costs simply do not effect robots.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan

You know, it is really annoying when someone calls me out on a made up number. The 85% is a number "tossed about", but I don't know if it is actually calculated anywhere.

Also, there is significant debate over the trade vs technology aspects of what is driving the job loss. Many will state the technology (automation) is minor and others will say major. Here is a paper from Dartmouth that I recalled reading a while back that analyses the debate. There is definitely a connection, and the connection is sensitive to the specific industry. As always nothing is really simple. Manufacturing has been hit hard by automation, farming is just now being impacted.

https://faculty.tuck.dartmouth.edu/i...f_2018_JEP.pdf

A simple solution would be to not toss out "made up numbers"... Easy Peasy!

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

The USA is the World's third largest exporter - a fact often missed when we concentrate just on foreign-produced stuff that we buy.

It is also a net exporter of food (importing less than 15% of what we consume).

That is true BUT, a large part of what we export are raw materials. The US is one of the few countries that can export food. Reality, the US is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of military hardware.

We were for a brief time a net energy exporter. To the best of my ability I deal with what is, not what should be.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Geodyssey

In the USA, nothing is more important than making money. Not family, not nation. Just keep making money. It's how score is kept. And we're #1.

I don't think that "nothing is more important" but it beats the hell out of being powerless and unprepared.

Right away I know a lot.

[Luggage]

Made in America has to do with how much value of the product is made in America that includes assembly n

[Luggage]

Some companies pay no taxes simply due to the tax code. They are high Capital intensive and low profit margins. General electric is one of them, they have to continually build factories to make jet engines etc. Ask any accountant what depreciation is

[Luggage]

Some are Reese's peanut butter cups, lodge iron pots n pans
Most RV's
Corning glass ( some made in Mexico)
Footballs
Most carpeting, lots of underwear like fruit of the loom. Virtually all Frozen foods, virtually all upholstered furniture. Airplanes, computer games and software are made in America

55 of the most popular products made in America - MediaFeed

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Luggage

Some companies pay no taxes simply due to the tax code. They are high Capital intensive and low profit margins. General electric is one of them, they have to continually build factories to make jet engines etc. Ask any accountant what depreciation is

I think the point is that, in some cases, the tax code needs to be changed.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I think the point is that, in some cases, the tax code needs to be changed.

Tax code does need to be changed, too often lobbyists write the code to favor the manufacturers who pay them and the large corporation who benefits from this has previously purchased a good number of legislators.

[frose]

all this crap in these posts sure sound political to me.. hey moderator give them all 1 point..

[Luggage]

Please state where you got this fact of 90% pharmaceuticals made in China?..
We have 84 pharmaceutical companies I believe that are in the USA and they spend the bulk of the entire research monies of the world right here.
India is another place where there are a lot of generics being made.
So again show me where you got your fact of 90% of the pharmaceuticals being made in China thank you very much

Originally Posted by Road-Runner

Great list, I would add (and only if I can't do without it) to your Made in China line. Of course, when 90+% of all pharmaceuticals are made in China it's tough to enforce.