I hope you are not trying to put words in my mouth. It’s not a requirement to pay US workers so-called “high wages” if the tax regimen and the regulatory regimen were low (certainly absent at the federal level) and thus reduced the cost of living, never mind retained the value of the dollar. Not to mention there is a difference between “cheap” (ill-made) and “affordable”.
Chinese slaves earn $1/hr at most. They do not need healthcare, dental, 401k, disability insurance, social security, medicare, etc.
American workers now demand at least $10/hr (even Trump agrees). And they want all sorts of benefits, including 401k matching.
Can you tell me HOW businesses are going to make products “more affordable” in the US? I agree that once automation takes over, these manual drone jobs will be over. Until then, you will be paying at least 5x for pure American-made products. I am not talking about Chinese made but American label slapped products. There is no mathematical way around it.