I certainly agree with that. The exportation of US wealth and technology began in the 1990's. We (the American tech industry) were sold out for political gain.
No many in middle age can adapt so easily.
That, I disagree with. My whole argument has been based on successful people transitioning to entirely new vocations out of necessity.
For example, I was trained and employed as an engineer for those 19 years in aerospace. When that vocation went away, I transitioned into being a high school electronics and physics teacher. The skills were already there, the application was adjusted to get the job.
Sure it involved a move and a big pay cut. But, that move enabled a very successful retirement after 25 years of credited service as a teacher too.
Aerospace and defense industry jobs were not exported to China on the same scale as auto manufacturing, Appliance manufacturing, machine tools manufacturing, hand tools manufacturing, household mechanical gadget manufacturing, etc. I spent my career in Chicago associated with all those industries.
I know every street and alley in Chicago having lived in the area for 37 years. I have seen with my own 2 eyes shuttered factories in Chicago, street after street. My last dozen working years were spent in a cushy job working for the department of energy contractors. So personally I escaped the jobs squeeze in manufacturing.
I know personally middle aged working who had spent lifetimes running shop machines. They have no background in electronics or computer programming, such as I had with a masters degree in engineering from Univ of Iowa. I have seen with my own eyes their loss of good middle class paychecks. It was gut wrenching to observe Reagan help China join WTO, the Bushes happy to export jobs to China to benefit stock holders, and Obama in pockets of China. I dread if Biden becomes president, arguably the most corrupt from Chinese money and Ukraine money.