The Economist: "Politicians cannot bring back old-fashioned factory jobs. They don’t make ’em like that any more" It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on. Manufacturing in the US will continue to specialize, and the less-skilled and more redundant work has moved and will continue to move both west (to the Far East) and ... uh, Mexico. (Despite what Donald Dork says about his Effing Wall. Which will keep out the type of people who are employed picking up your garbage. And don't expect Donald to do it!) So, if you want to pay more for your car - hey, go for it! Buy American! But that aint gonna save jobs in America. Those that are gone, are gone and they aint comin' back. The car's fan-belt will continue to be Made in China! Amongst other things as well. So, what's a poor soul to do? Get crackin' on advancing your skills-level! If you have a high-school diploma get a Vocational degree. Better yet, if you can, get an Associate's or Bachelor's Degree they will get you in the door and onto a seat for a job interview. Go for it! NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free postsecondary education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...
If that is true, -and I suspect that for the most part it is, -chronic unemployment will become the norm. Similarly for declining incomes and increasing homelessness and political unrest. These are just symptoms of failing capitalism and need not be. It's all about the will of the politicians we elect. Note that in the good 'ole USA we have something not shared by many other developed countries: a conviction (based on assumptions only) that capitalism is the only way to go. There is no interest in discussing alternatives but in fact there is much reluctance to allow it. So we don't know why capitalism is or isn't what we need, or even what its real nature is. If we try to discuss realities, we find an abundance of pro-capitalist spokesmen showing up to cite ideal textbook theories about why capitalism is so "great". And so we never get a good opportunity to learn real pros and cons. But why was US capitalism so good for people from about 1945 to the 1980s? Why have incomes and improving lifestyles and the American Dream gone sour since the 1980s? This in itself is very revealing. And it's all about the nature of capitalism and its inability to move forward for us any longer. And you're right: "It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on." And advanced skill levels through education and training do not create jobs.
And I live in another part of the world that also believes in capitalism, but not the kind that fills the coffers of only those who know how to manipulate taxation - the result of which is this: Note this from the above infographic: *How the 0.1%- class lost their wealth with the stock-market crash in 1929, and it did not start coming back up until the 1980s. *Who was elected PotUS in 1980 and slashed upper-income taxation from 70% to below 30%*? Note also how the percentage of household wealth held by the top 0.1% of Americans started getting much better in 1980 whilst that of the 90% of American worsened gravely. (Ronald Reagan) What sort of fool would want to live in a country that shows such perverse Income Disparity (that becomes Wealth Disparity) ... ? *See that fact shown here.
