If you think protectionism is the answer to USA jobs conundrum, you are sadly mistaken.
Whatever good standard of living we still enjoy here is because of cheap imports. If we had to pay American union wages for all these cheap goods in Wal-Mart, our standards of living will take a steep nose dive.
Stop dreaming of the monopoly we had after WWII on manufacturing. The other industrial countries were bombed out. Our factories were untouched.
Technology is no longer our monopoly. China and India can manufacture anything we can. And their labor rates are far below ours.
To summarize, get used to fierce competition from other countries. Until our students outwork and outsmart others, we will remain a mediocre country for good jobs.
“To summarize, get used to fierce competition from other countries.”
We are used to it.
“Until our students outwork and outsmart others, we will remain a mediocre country for good jobs.”
That isn’t true at all. Haven’t you noticed that many qualified people have been laid off in various fields and replaced by less-qualified, cheaper staff? At some point our corporations decided that it was worth having someone get it 75% of the time at half the salary of the person that could get it right 99% of the time.
If enough voters fear for their livelihoods, they’ll vote for “political protectionism” (also known as socialism).