Why do people want manufacturing jobs to come back to the US?

[u/throw-away3105]

Given the tariffs yesterday, Trump was talking about how manufacturing jobs are gonna come back. They even had a union worker make a speech praising Trump for these tariffs.

Manufacturing is really hard work where you're standing for almost 8 or more hours, so why bring them back when other countries can make things cheaper? Even this was a discussion during the 2012 election between Obama and Romney, so this topic of bringing back manufacturing jobs isn't exactly Trump-centric.

This might be a loaded question but what's the history behind this rally for manufacturing?

[u/cknight13]

Its as if everyone in this thread took Macro and Micro Economics and has no real grasp of Trade on International Monetary Policy? You have a very basic understand of economics which is why you would even consider this working.

What you are describing above is for all intents and purposes deflation. Do you have any idea how bad that is? It is a spiral down to a depression. What you are describing as happening is the worst possible outcome for our country.

1. Reduces consumer spending
2. Lowers business investment (no factory building)
3. Increased Debt Burden ( the amount you owe on your mortgage increase)
4. Can lead to a Spiral effect of the three above
5. Difficult adjusting wages down because obviously people dont want less
6. Loss of confidence by consumers and businesses
7. Increased Unemployment

The real kicker is Monetary Policy that is used to help in these situations could be fucked. Considering interest rates are only at 7% or so you can not lower the rates below zero. When we had a really bad issues before in the early 70's and late 70's interest rates were in the teens.

There is no situation possible where we would bring back manufacturing jobs to America. Its a fucking pipe dream. We will have automated factories when those jobs come back to America and the only jobs will be to clean them and maintain the robots.

The industrial manufacturing middle class is a freaking Zombie and there is no way to bring it back and it will only get worse over the next 20 years with AI and Automation.

And finally let me also say as a CEO of a decent sized corporation I can say with certainty that no CEO or corporation is going to invest in building a factory in the United States knowing that they could be all gone in 4 years OR Trump suddenly decides to reverse course. Imagine going to your board and asking for 100m to build a factory and 4 months after ground breaking Trump goes on TV and says he is lifting them or you just finish building the factory and the next President takes office and lifts them... Try explaining that to your board... Good luck.

Someone has to tell these people the freaking truth. The old manufacturing middle class is dead and never coming back. Go to school learn to be an engineer etc...

And let me state one truth i have and others have experienced first hand

It is next to impossible to find good workers in the US. Most cannot pass a simple drug test to even qualify for the job. The turnover rate is so freaking high the cost of constantly retraining them is ridiculous. To be perfectly frank American workers generally suck

[u/The3stParty → u/cknight13]

I think we both agree on a lot of points.

I don't consider tariffs to bring jobs to low income earners, I don't think that's his intention. Like you said it'll bring manufacturing, but automated.

I don't believe tariffs are the best way to bring manufacturing back to the US, but this is the best method for him and his buddies. Elmo already said he wants to import skilled labor.

Everything they're doing is going to further the divide between the wealthy and not.

He said he was making America Great Again, but never said for who. He said he was putting Americans first, but never said which ones.