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Comment by t-writescode | Hacker News Reader

The big problem with this theory is that building manufacturing in the United States will be expensive, and if the next president is going to undo this, then what’s the point of building it? It could be less expensive to weather through those 4 years.

edit: could, not would

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My wishful thinking is move more of the manufacturing onshore and use automation to reduce costs yet give blue collar workers some opportunities. Also favoring trade relationships with all our neighboring countries as a substitute to China.

But once you have manufacturing in the US it can be cheaper. US manufacturing needs to be very automated because of labor costs, but if you are very automated the US is a useful place to be located: close to your customers, who speak the same language. (of course Europe is also a potential customer and so the location advantage is lost)

Of course this assumes that you have a process that can be automated cost effectively. That assumption is often false.

It's expensive because we can't get away with the labor rates that China does-- for building infrastructure, acquiring raw materials, and employing a workforce with benefits and pensions and unions. China has less bureaucratic overhead (in terms of factories/mines not caring about pollution) and a more driven, obedient workforce (i.e. they will work harder expecting less pay). I'm not saying those are good things, just facts as I see them. I don't know if this is a true dichotomy, but on the surface it seems that we either pay more at all levels to employ our own citizenry in manufacturing these goods, or we let our manufacturing capabilities and professions atrophy. This may actually be a good (roundabout) way to ensure that greener manufacturing is used, by making us design manufacturing these capabilities by our standards.

Do you know that the next president is going to undo this? If the bar for action is that someone might undo it in the future, why do anything?

You have to make a decision given the information you have. You can chose to wait, but that is a decision. You will always have to choose again in the future based on new information, but often once you set a plan in motion you should continue even if though without the sunk costs of the past you wouldn't.

I don't know who the next President will be. The current president could die in an hour. The current president could win or lose re-election. The current president could become a military dictator for life. The above applies to any president of any country (not just Trump). You have to decide what the risk of each is and prepare accordingly.

This is a weekness in our current system that has been exploited. It's a strategic national security concern and is finally being treated as such. China has "Made in China 2025" we should do the same and it should be supported by whatever measures are necessary. The alternative is that CCP will take Americas place in regards to global geopolitics.

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