“Our Democrat and Republican politicians, in collusion with the big retailers, apparel brands, and Wall Street investment firms decided it would be better if our dollars employed Asian workers instead of Americans.”
True statement.
You want to know what else happened.
Americans were freed up to focus on “high end stuff”(In their own minds) instead of textile manufacturing, which is beneath the talented power lunch crowd. Wealthy foreigners don’t want those kinds of jobs either, they want college education & the power lunch.
Clothing won’t be considered a necessity until we are all running around naked or in rags.
When the prices get high enough, we’ll probably bring back the Lady Garment Worker.
The basics of life are food, clothing and shelter. The clothing supply chain is almost completely gone from our country. Many building materials are now being sources out of this county, probably 30%. Farmland is being bulldozed for the expansion of cities and construction of solar farms. Billionaires are buying up millions of acres of farmland. As a result Mexico, Central and South American are supplying increasing amounts of our fresh foods. Processed food production is also moving offshore.
US politicians enjoy sanctioning foreign countries. Reports of sanctions against one country or another are almost a daily occurrence. To date most countries in the world comply with the US sanctions. However the day will come when China sanctions the United States, cuts off its exports to our country, and insists the other nations of the world do likewise. Unlike during the 1940 when the US was self sufficient, there will be no wholly domestic manufacturing and food supply chains. Within months the US will have to:
1) Surrender and capitulate to whatever terms are offered.
2) Go to conventional war and likely suffer a horrendous defeat if the war lasts more than a few weeks. A military dependent on suppliers outside the homeland is a military that cannot resupply quickly during war.
3) Initiate a nuclear war which ensures the destruction of the homeland as well as the enemy.
A nation that cannot feed, clothe, shelter and defend itself is a nation in peril. Over the past 30 years our politicians have led us from independence to dependence. Long term there is no good outcome from this choice.