Comment by chlodwig
that US manufacturing has pretty much been constantly growing for the past century;
Really? Every time I see this claim its based on some citing some statistical mismash that the person citing does not understand and cannot explain.
How much tonnage of merchant shipping does the USA build in 2020s versus the 1960s?
How many TVs and computer monitors does the United States make in 2020s versus 1990s?
How many tons of steel does the USA make in the 2020s versus the 1970s? Of tool steel?
How many nuclear reactors are produced in the USA in 2020s versus the 1970s?
How many railway rails graded for high-speed trains are produced in the USA in 2020s versus 1980s?
How many CNC mills are produced in the USA in the 2020s versus the 1980s?
How many artillery shells are produced in the USA in 2020s versus the 1980s?
How many jet engines are produced in the USA in the 2020s versus the 1980s?
How many car engines blocks are produced in the USA in the 2020s versus the 1980s?
How many computer hard drives are produced in the USA in the 2020s versus the 1990s?
How many motherboards are produced in the USA in the 2020s versus the 1990s?
(Also, adjust all the comparisons above for population growth, we should be comparing manufacturing production per capita)
If you think that these comparisons are misleading because there are 'quality changes' please tell me exactly how you quantify these changes in quality.
Ignoring the thrust of the argument above, and missing the entire subthread where the nuance of how the US has redeployed its economy for comparative advantage is discussed and debated, to type that over and over was a bit of a waste of your time, IMO. Reading it wasn't a good use of mine.
If you read the surrounding argument and want to discuss some further point not covered, I'm here.