RE: “[Automation and software] have not panned out yet.”
I disagree.
Peak manufacturing employment was about 20 million in 1979.
Today, it’s about 11 million.
LOL, you do realize you missed completely the elephant in the room right? Seriously. Peak manufacturing was 20 million in 2979, and today it's 11 million. And you're basing your disagreement on these numbers in part, no mention at all the impact of Free Trade on this.
Adjusted for inflation, a worker today produces 3 times more value than a worker in 1979.
In other words, with half the workforce, we are producing 50% more goods than we did in 1979.
And this mean exactly what? Moving manufacturing back to the U. S. with the proper corporate tax rates would be of no value at all? Really?
RE: “This begs the question, how much more could we have exported if we weren’t still supporting the money mainline to China?”
I don’t understand your answer.
No problem.
If all countries are Protectionist, there will be no exports, from any country.
You know, you folks know two things by heart. China, whoopie.....!!!!!!!!!! Wha?????? Manufacture in the U. S.? Why you sum beatch Protectionist!!!!!!
The United States became the premier nation on the planet. There's no denying that. And there's no denying that it did so without the Free Trade that is so rabidly persued, that it's still considered wholesome even if it contributes to 23% of our workforce out of work, many others making much less than they used to.
RE: “Yeah, right. Our corporations will simply refuse to sell products in the United States. LOL I think you know better than that.”
You don’t understand my answer.
I would sugges you don't understand economics. You honestly think the corporations will not manufacture in the U. S. if their tax rates are cut, and production methods make manufacturing here competitive again. You go on and on about the need for less manufacturing workers, and then miss the relevence of that as it relates to competitive manufacturing.
We imported $2.7 trillion in manufactured goods in 2012. Almost none of those goods are manufactured in the USA. It would take years, and hundreds of billions of dollars in investment to meet that demand, and most of those goods would be low profit margin goods. USA corporations would never invest in that unless they had an iron clad guarantee that no imports would ever be allowed.
If robotics and software manufacturing methods are as advanced as you say they are, then we should be able to manufacture here in mass volume mitigating the cost differential of labor here vs overseas. Even if the robotic methods were used overseas, the reduction in man hours would make the basic costs of labor almost negligable. It does cost money to produce parts, ship them to China, manufacture there, and ship back to the U. S. and distribute for sale. It's quite likely that the reduction in these costs could make the whole process a push, here vs China or other places with very cheap labor.
I realize this would really bother you guys, because it doesn't involve the word that scares you guys worse than the walking dead..., protectionist.
RE: “Price increases.”
Again, you did not understand my answer.
What is the first thing a business owner does if one of his competitors leaves the business?
He raises his prices.
For mass produced goods, when competition is reduced, prices go up, and quality goes down.
Funny how those prices in China didn't rise when there was no competition huh.