With imports account for 16% of GNP, way way too many. Burt really most import related jobs are truly dependent on imports. Longshoremen are. But all the marketing and redistribution jobs would remain regardless of where the item is produced, as long as it is produced.
Yeah, there will be some economic dislocations. But manufacturing things here will produce a lot more jobs than those imports produced. So despite the dislocations there will be a net increase in jobs. A huge net increase in jobs. With corresponding huge increase in government revenues and huge drops in government outlays.
Imagine we have Gov't revenues of $5 Trillion a year with a seriously impaired economy where 25% of our people aren't working. Get that back to only 5% of our people aren't working and what are gov't revenues? $6 Trillion? $7 Trillion?
If you want to end the deficits, getting people back to work is the way to do it. Cutting support before you fix the economy is going to discredit conservatism for 30 years.
Most of the industrial jobs we've lost have gone to the machines ~ and they continue to make the same old stuff.
The third world hasn't picked up on the more primitive stuff we can't mechanize, but China has. As cheap as their workers are the machines are cheaper, and they already see some labor dislocation problems due to mechanization, automation, comuterization, robotics AND improved work methods.
Advanced technology comes at a heavy price ~ you don't have a job anymore.