Op-Ed Globalization isn't killing factory jobs. Trade is actually why manufacturing is up 40%.

Los Angeles Times ^ | August 1, 2016 | Daniel Griswold

[central_va]

Up to WWII the USA was 100% self sufficient in making durable goods.

[dila813]

You don’t know what Trump is proposing do you?

Not that I think he can actually do it, that’s the only reason I am voting for him.

I think he is just like every other politician, a liar. At least he is a Republican and not Hillary.

[central_va]

The factories offshored, are they not still producing goods? Your agricultural example has nothing to do with manufacturing. Apples to oranges.

[aumrl]

YES 17 and 18
Free trade is good when FAIR trade.
American workers cannot be expected to compete with the Chinese army and Mexican child laborers.
Dumping is also an issue.
gov’mnt regulations in safety and component ingredients play a role also.
Union rules also to a lesser extent.
I wondered for years how the one worlders could bring down our middleclass to where we could merge into a world govt. And now we are watching it happen.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“...invest more in...enhanced labor mobility”

What are we going to do here? Buy bus tickets for people?

I’ve known two types of people. Those who won’t move more than 25 miles from where they were born and those who will go anywhere opportunity calls. That’s one of the key reasons the US West is so dynamic...we always go off to chase new opportunities.

People are either inclined to go out and seek their fortunes or they are not. I doubt the government can influence that.mif they COULD influence that, they should start with the dead-end inner city ghettos.

[central_va]

Only 10% of the USA’s manufacturing workforce is in a union.
90% are non union Americans just trying to survive.

[Jim Noble]

Many of those jobs lost to Mexico would have most likely gone to China if not Mexico. How would you stop that?

Well, there's the easy way, and the hard way.

Myself, I prefer legislation to stop it.

The other way is too disruptive, and innocents will likely get hurt.

But, one way or another, it will be stopped.

[central_va]

So the real estate is decimated in the town where the factory closes. That’s wealth creation for you. Just start over. Throw the house keys at the bankster and drive off with no credit, no money, no job. Ain’t life grand in post industrial USA!

[central_va]

I think every carrier AC unit made in Mexico should have to be disassembled and checked for contraband prior to entry into the USA.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

well central_va, keep living in your fantasy world. We enact import tariffs on everyone’s goods, of course the rest of the world won’t mind and will still allow our exports to come in with little to no tariffs, correct? Yes, keep thinking that the rest of the world won’t react to that. Of course with little to no competition, the American worker will make the best widgets that we all want and crave. You are living in a fantasy world. Every action has a reaction...

[Mase]

The factories offshored, are they not still producing goods?

Those farms are producing a lot more food with a fraction of the employees they used to have. Same with manufacturing. It's good to know, however, that you'd make sure we still have a buggy whip industry and that those farms would be forced to employ people using mules. Government command of the economy is what makes the American economy competitive and great.

What about the factories on-shored? Should we refuse to allow foreign companies to manufacture here, and employ Americans, because those companies aren't American?

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Myself, I prefer legislation to stop it."

I suppose you are another like central_va that want to impose tariffs on everything. Yes, more fantasy. Read my response to central_va before this post for that answer.

[Huck]

Not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship, or gig economy, or “the jobs of the 21st century” blah blah.

One way or another, that bottom half of the bell curve needs productive, paying work.

The ENEMY, including many in GOP, just throw up hands and say “Oh well, new normal.” Either dull and weak, or bought and paid for, or both.

JOBS! People need JOBS!

TRUMP 2016 WIN WIN WIN

[central_va]

We enact import tariffs on everyone’s goods, of course the rest of the world won’t mind and will still allow our exports to come in with little to no tariffs, correct?

So where in the world besides Canada and Mexico are our products we export NOT subject to onerous tariffs? Why don't you do some research before you start typing.

A widget not shipped is a widget available for domestic consumption. That is deflationary.

[John 3_19-21]

Do these numbers include part-time jobs?
Easy to say you have more "Jobs" created when one person
needs to have three of them to make a living.

[canuck_conservative]

The mid to late nineties was a period of strong economic growth in the United States

That was due to the Internet explosion (most of which happened in the US, BTW) and had nothing to do with NAFTA. Windows 95 and all those software programs would still have been created, and sold worldwide, even if there was no NAFTA.

[central_va]

We reaffirm our belief in the protective tariff to extend needed protection to our productive industries. We believe in protection as a national policy, with due and equal regard to all sections and to all classes. It is only by adherence to such a policy that the well being of the consumers can be safeguarded that there can be assured to American agriculture, to American labor and to American manufacturers a return to perpetrate American standards of life. A protective tariff is designed to support the high American economic level of life for the average family and to prevent a lowering to the levels of economic life prevailing in other lands.

In the history of the nation the protective tariff system has ever justified itself by restoring confidence, promoting industrial activity and employment, enormously increasing our purchasing power and bringing increased prosperity to all our people.

The tariff protection to our industry works for increased consumption of domestic agricultural products by an employed population instead of one unable to purchase the necessities of life. Without the strict maintenance of the tariff principle our farmers will need always to compete with cheap lands and cheap labor abroad and with lower standards of living.

The enormous value of the protective principle has once more been demonstrated by the emergency tariff act of 1921 and the tariff act of 1922.

We assert our belief in the elastic provision adopted by congress in the tariff act of 1922 providing for a method of readjusting the tariff rates and the classifications in order to meet changing economic conditions when such changed conditions are brought to the attention of the president by complaint or application.

We believe that the power to increase or decrease any rate of duty provided in the tariff furnishes a safeguard on the one hand against excessive taxes and on the other hand against too high customs charges.

The wise provisions of this section of the tariff act afford ample opportunity for tariff duties to be adjusted after a hearing in order that they may cover the actual differences in the cost of production in the United States and the principal competing countries of the world.

We also believe that the application of this provision of the tariff act will contribute to business stability by making unnecessary general disturbances which are usually incident to general tariff revisions.

Do you know the document this has been excerpted?

[central_va]

What about the factories on-shored? Should we refuse to allow foreign companies to manufacture here, and employ Americans, because those companies aren't American?

Most of the onshored factories produce goods for the US market. Nice try no sale. Again apples and oranges.

[nathanbedford]

In the year of my birth, 1942 we still lived in a economy of scarcity. Today we have such an abundance of consumer goods that we actually live in a disposable economy.

The closer we come to returning to the pre-World War II model, just so much will our standard of living be reduced.

It's not just that our economy has changed but our technologies have so changed that the comparison is inapt. I have come to an age in which I enjoy boring children and grandchildren with stories about Rotary phones and the novelty of cars with electric windows. I spare them tales of incurable diseases and painful dentistry.

The principle of mercantilism still works, but we have to understand that we are playing on a new ball field with new rules.

We have to understand that we cannot recall the assembly lines which built the model T nor should we want to. We should be looking at robots and worrying about how we retain our democracy and our capitalist system when we don't have the same kind of worker/production relationship, when our entire government structure involving retirement, unemployment, taxation, injuries, are all tied to employment but the employees are robots.

[Gaffer]

Things are real cheap now compared to the past

Perhaps for you, but not for me as I've seen. I see increases in fees and taxes on every utility bill I have gotten the last 5 years, DirectV, Telephone, Internet, Hamburger, steaks, bread, a whole lot of things. I know this because I buy the groceries and I'm the one in the store every couple three days - I also pay all the bills and use Quicken, so I KNOW prices aren't down.