Maybe America could manufacture its own consumer goods, thereby creating relatively high-paying jobs for Americans and reducing the horrendous trade deficit that's eating away at American prosperity.

Oh, my goodness!! You mean find a need for American workers? What a wonderful idea. The only thing I'd suggest we not do is provide tax incentives for companies to ONshore all their work.

Clearly I'm cynical. It always seemed to me as if we, as a country, were shooting ourselves in the foot. We outsource everything, close down all our local manufacturing and put hundreds of our own people out of work, virtually granting a future strangle hold by any foreign manufactuer. It almost appears the chickens have come home to roost. The only people who consider this good news are the 21st century robber barrons who run our industries.

I don't think you understand the point here. If we create "relatively high paying jobs for Americans" in the manufacturing industry then the price of goods will skyrocket due to those high paying jobs. People will buy less and there won't be as many jobs. You can't ignore global competition. If a foreign worker can do a job just as good as an American and can do it cheaper then they will get the job...and they should.

TJA:

If a foreign worker can do a job just as good as an American and can do it cheaper then they will get the job...and they should.

Not necessarily. It would depend on whose job you're talking about. Some stranger's job .. yes, of course. Mine, or the job of someone I care about ... no.

Tell you what Jack,

You start buying $150 shoes and $300 dvd players and we can have americans do it for $8.50 an hour (and pay their $500 a month rent for a cheap dive) in a factory that pays $30,000 a month for power and $10,000 a month for rent.

If you want $69 dollar shoes and $30 dvd players, you are going to be paying $150 a month to people who live in very similar dives that cost $45 a month working in a factory that pays $25k a month for power and $1k a month for rent.

It just isn't normal that manual labor has such a huge wage disparity. It was a lovely temporary situation. The end of chinese workers is going to drive a lot more robots into work.

If you pay $150 for shoes (as folks did effectively back in 1920) then you repair them-- if you pay $69 (or $30) you toss them.

"Not necessarily. It would depend on whose job you're talking about. Some stranger's job .. yes, of course. Mine, or the job of someone I care about ... no. "

Yes, even YOUR job. None of us have a God given right to be paid more than someone in China for doing the same job. We have to do it better and provide more value if we expect to be paid more.