Although the US should certainly retain an industrial base, manufacturing has no Holy properties which would preclude us from shipping most of these fairly undesirable jobs overseas.

Let us design and market the gizmos, and the Africans can make 'em.

I'm all for the US farming out our weaponry needs.

In 2015, when we need new warplanes, we can just buy them from China, Russia, and the remnants of the Taliban. After all, we're rich enough!

Well, as it turns out, the US could do much worse than buying AK-47 knockoffs from the Czechs.

Also, the basic idea and design for the M1 Abrams' armor, (the most successful design in tank history), came from the UK.

The Army's stupid black berets are, in part, made in China.

"The Army's stupid black berets are, in part, made in China"

So are many critical parts for the Army's fleet of trucks,a fact the had the Pentagon in quite a sweat in '91.

"Although the US should certainly retain an industrial base, manufacturing has no Holy properties which would preclude us from shipping most of these fairly undesirable jobs overseas."

Undesirable to whom?

In the early 1930's some fairly bright individuals in Britain pointed out that their wealthy country could import all the food it needed,so why not turn the nation's farms into parks and nature preserves.After all,who really wanted to muck about on a nasty,dirty farm?
Unappealing and unhygienic,wot?The smell,you know,quite appalling,really.

Fortunatly for Britain,less intellegent and sophisticated people did not agree,so Britain did not starve in 1940-43 during the U-Boat siege.

M1 tank: Both main guns its used also came from other countries. The 105mm from Britain and the 120mm from West Germany. Even the 7.62mm machine gun on it came from Belgium.

rps: I said China, Russia, and the Taliban.

Belgium is a nominal ally. Britain is definitely one, and I don't know about Germany.

It all depends on WHICH country does the suppling.

We must not depend on enemies to provide us with our war materiel.

O.J.,

You either belive in the preservation of the American nation or you don't. Counting on the continued civilizing of countries like China and India seems like a weak plank to rest the future of our nation.

JH:

If the future of America lies in assembling toys then it isn't worth preserving. Let the cheap labor of the uncivilized world do such tasks.

M:

I assume that you enjoy working at a boring, repetitive job, often performed in dangerous surroundings ?

As for agriculture, the US spent the entire 20th century both reducing the number of people employed in the field and increasing output.
Jolly good, wot ?

Michael:

M. dreams of having his kids grow up to pick the lettuce he has for dinner--that'll keep us a great nation.

"M1 tank: Both main guns its used also came from other countries. The 105mm from Britain and the 120mm from West Germany. Even the 7.62mm machine gun on it came from Belgium. "

Many of these items are manufactured in the US under license from the original manufacturer. The Abram's 120 mm gun is manufactured this way.

"M. dreams of having his kids grow up to pick the lettuce he has for dinner--that'll keep us a great nation."

No,OJ,that's your plan.

"I assume that you enjoy working at a boring, repetitive job, often performed in dangerous surroundings ?

As for agriculture, the US spent the entire 20th century both reducing the number of people employed in the field and increasing output.
Jolly good, wot ?"

Not especially,but it beats idle poverty from lack of jobs and social dysfuntion by those denied a productive role in society,wot?

"Many of these items are manufactured in the US under license from the original manufacturer. The Abram's 120 mm gun is manufactured this way."

Robert,don't confuse them.

As for free trade,well,since we won't be making anything,what,exactly will we be trading?

And what will OJ do with all his new parishoners?

Ideas

M:

Poverty in today's America isn't caused by a widespread lack of jobs.
If there were teeming hordes desperate for employment, manufacturing jobs would pay the minimum wage, and none would be outsourced.

The example that Robert gives, of equipment being manufactured in the US under license from foreign manufacturers, is a perfect example of what the US sells to the rest of the world.
We design it, they build it.

More like - we order it, they design it, we build it.

Robert:

Yes, I wasn't clear enough: Just as we manufacture the items in your example, so too does the US license foreign manufacturers to build what we've designed, and will do so increasingly in the future.