[riverdawg]

“’Anyone who bemoans the loss of, for example, textile-industry jobs in the U.S. never had one.’

Yeah, it's better to have them on some sort of welfare…./s”

You have the causation reversed. Increases in the minimum wage and more stringent OSHA regulations, among other things, made labor too expensive for domestic firms to manufacture most textile products and apparel at prices affordable to the middle class. You can still buy a hand-stitched shirt made in the USA, but be prepared to pay close to $100 for it.

[moehoward]

I'm in sportswear. Been in the rag biz for about 30 years. Yes there are still Made in the USA garments. And the premium paid is marginal because "Made in the USA" usually means stitched together by Illegal labor. Still a few companies that use union labor comprised of actual citizens. That adds a bit more to the cost, but still well within average market pricing.

The HBO documentary Schmata, Rags to Riches to Rags tells the story very well.