General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Thomas Franks, the Clintons and "phony" Democratic populists in the New Gilded Age [View all]amandabeech
(9,893 posts)issue there is because the plants all went to Mexico and China. The social costs are beyond belief, and it doesn't sound like you're aware of them, let alone paying for them.
If we hadn't become so dependent on overseas cheap labor, trade would not be so complicated for you, and would be better for a whole lot of people. That's what you can't understand.
We will undoubtedly be unable to push back against Chinese and perhaps Indian aggression in the future just as much as our friends in Europe are unable to do much to counter Russian real aggression now. If you actually pay attention to anything other than your ever so complicated trade issues, you'd know that the Finns and the Swedes are becoming interested in joining NATO, but NATO may be useless without Russian energy products.
The Europeans became too dependent on Russian natural gas an oil and are fast developing a taste for cheap Chinese stuff.
Meanwhile the Chinese harass our treaty allies in the Western Pacific and threaten the sea lanes. It is possible that they control access to the Panama Canal. Go ahead and laugh at that one, but it might actually matter some day to have a hostile power in control of the only water route between Norfolk and San Diego that doesn't run around the tip of South America.
So I will continue to run about with my hair on fire. You just run along and study your complications.