Comment by aaronbaugher
12 days ago
Yes, there's little nuance. I see so many people saying it will be hard to bring back manufacturing jobs, or "we can't go back to the 50s," and then they just stop as if that settles the argument. The implication, which they never say out loud, is that we shouldn't even try, just accept things as they are. Just be the Big Consumer until someday the rest of the world doesn't want our dollars anymore, and then what?
Seems much better to look seriously at the manufacturing we still have (as you say, it's considerable), where we can expand on that, and where we're lacking and need to rebuild.
We also need to look at what manufacturing we want. That is why the military needs keep coming up - in case of war we are unlikely to be able to get things from China so we better have a different source (though the source need not be in the US - Canada should be just as good so long as we can keep Canada our friends - same with the EU).
Once the military needs are met, I don't care what we make, just that we need good jobs for people who are not able to handle more complex jobs.
> just that we need good jobs for people who are not able to handle more complex jobs
If manufacturing becomes more efficient at using labor from automation that seems like that would lower the number of available jobs wouldn't it?
Unless consumption grows with the increase in output so that more factories are needed to meet the demand?
If you need 1000 cars and automation takes it down to 10 people from 100 people before, where are those 90 other people to get jobs?
Unless you grow the need for cars to 10000.
Simplification I know, but I am confused at how manufacturing is supposed to endlessly support a large "less-complex task" labor supply while simultaneously providing a good standard of living?
for starters we need to make lots of different things.
we also need education reform so that those people get the education needed to do more complex tasks insteade of droping out. What this looks like I don't really know.