You need to check your basic premise. You are assuming that the U.S. is falling behind in manufacturing.
It's not. The U.S. is the world's leading manufacturer and has been since about 1947 and perhaps earlier.
What's changed is the mix of things we manufacture. Some things where we were once dominant are gone forever, conceded to the lower labor costs of China, India and Indonesia.
But we run circles around the Chinese and others in the areas of aircraft, machine tools, turbines, equipment for construction and mining and medical and scientific equipment.
Are the Chinese catching up? Will they pass us in total manufacturing? Probably, but they will be doing it with a population that is 4 times that of the U.S. And they will be making toys and shoes and we will be building 747s.
No. Manufacturing is less than 5 percent of the USA's total economy. Back in 1947, it was well over 50 percent. Our trade deficits are way out of control, and that's aside from the government spending to keep those on the welfare rolls afloat among other matters. China's the world's leading manufacturer, having overtaken Germany last year. Don't know where you get your facts from, but you'd better change your sources, because those are not the words of a conservative.
You need to check your basic premise. You are assuming that the U.S. is falling behind in manufacturing. It's not. The U.S. is the world's leading manufacturer and has been since about 1947 and perhaps earlier