America's problems have little to do with free trade. Higher tariffs or limits on imports may work in the margin or on specific products, but it won't effect manufacturing employment greatly overall. The USA needs to look at itself.
The US Government encourages companies to move offshore. We pay Americans to be unemployed. 99 weeks of unemployment insurance is just the start. Look at record numbers of Foodstamp and Soc. Sec. disability as well.
then look at EPA, OSHA, FCC, USDA, DOC and all Government regulations on business and job-creation. Look at tort law and the incredible financial liability one has by operating manufacturing plants in the USA. We can't drill offshore or on Federal lands. We can't build pipelines and we can't build coal plants. The rest of the world tries to provide cheap energy to their industry - do we?
Then look at taxes, both Federal and State. Who wants to build a factory when you have redistributionist Marxist in the white house? Business are fleeing California for this reason.
Then look at the state of US Education and society - a great portion of the workforce, particularly younger workers, are difficult to employ in anything but basic service industries because of drug use, reading/math ability, and work ethic.
Lets fix some of those things first - and the industry will come back regardless of what China does.
There is nothing wrong with protecting our market to keep full employment. Our founding fathers did it from the beginning of the country.
DannyTn
I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there was any factory left in California. Their environmentalists must be slipping!
“then look at EPA, OSHA, FCC, USDA, DOC and all Government regulations on business and job-creation.”
You took the words out of my mouth. Don’t forget the onerous local, state, and county permits that have to be obtained as well.