[LowCountryJoe]

I am at a complete loss trying to follow your tortured logic and error riddled arguments but I'll tackle just one item.

If two or more components of GDP rise together but one rises with more magnitude than the others, you're going to have different rates of change...so why is this of any relevance? Never mind, do not answer.

Say, did you know that American capital that flows out of the United States and into other countries (purchasing things like production facilities and the subsequent outsourcing of some production that used to be done domestically) actually helps to balance our trade deficit? This must make you a closet supporter of outsourcing and of the principle that Americans should be buying up foreign assets a.k.a. Foreign Direct Investment.

[unseen]

Well if you can't understand why the decrease in Industrial spending as a percent of the GDP is a cause for concern there really is no reason to continue the discussion. If you do not understand how the reduction of are industrial base is a major problem for national security again it's a lost cause.

And yes I understand the exporting of our industrial base gives a false number in the trade deficit. The more of are industrial base we export the more of a negative our trade will be in the future because the exports will decrease over time and imports will increase as the new forgien industrial base comes online. Thus to keep our GDP growing the consumer and government will have to pick up the slack. This signals a long term decline in standards of living as the government shoulders more and more of the societal costs while the previous industrial base that use to pay for these benefits flee the country for cheaper labor and easier governmental oversight. I understand that these are very difficult concepts to grasp and you may not be able to follow along. Free traders do have difficultly following any logic that requires a person to give up short term profits for long term gains.

[Paul Ross]

Say, did you know that American capital that flows out of the United States and into other countries (purchasing things like production facilities and the subsequent outsourcing of some production that used to be done domestically) actually helps to balance our trade deficit?

I'm sure an outsourcer...and their import-lobby apologists... would glibly claim that.

Let's see your empirical data.

And then explain how we really don't have a trade deficit.