How is Trump going to make America great again?

We can't all be nail-polishers, though. I'd be interested in looking at numbers for all types of what could be considered manufacturing (no time right now). With increasing automation, I think we're going to be looking at a shift beyond "everyone in service" toward "we don't really need to work as much." That's a big discussion though.

I'm a little confused; you're anti-globalism, is that right?

That's a crucial point, and one that we have occasionally discussed here. We simply don't need the same kind of work in developed countries that we once required. The current response has been marginalizing less skilled employment. That's not a good solution, but if the labor demand drops, it's one of the few available options. Changing the way we distribute work (and income) provides a much better alternative, but it's tough to work out the details on that.

I agree with you both, but the reality is, most people consider talk of a "post-labor" society to be in the realm of science fiction. "Hard work" is an entrenched cultural ethos that will take decades to shrug.

We can do all things through Trump who strengtheneth us.

~Two Corinthians

Visit www.GreatAgain.gov to learn more.

Well, at least rethinking the free-markets-are-always-worthwhile orthodoxy I was taught and believed. None of that part of Donald's message ever resonated with me much (along with most of it, actually), until very recently.

I haven't gone quite Demiurge and drank the juice or anything (i.e. everyone who works in banking, wall street or large corporations, and those institutions themselves, are teh evilz and the heavy hand of government is needed to stop it, and fix things). I'm flummed.

Some left-wing analysts like Robert Reich have come out against free trade too. Perhaps protectionism is worth exploring.

I always thought a lot of Reich's abilities if not always his conclusions

Bill Clinton wass very lucky to have him on his team

I thought there was a focus on fair trade from the left?

He'll grab us all by the pussy!

they are tasked to do what they believe is best, what they REALLY do is what the corporate lobbyists pay them to do.

Say that over the past hundred years you became very good at building:

clothing
cars
airplanes
home appliances
consumer electronics
hand tools
power tools
plastics
beer​

I, a backwards country, was good at making:

white rice
brown rice
gravel​

Needless to say, you have very high wages and a very high standard of living.
I have very low wages and a very low standard of living.

Under conventional free-trade theory, if we trade we're both much better off, as you get cheaper rice and cheaper gravel, and I get better clothing and hand tools, along with some power tools, plastics, and cars and trucks to make my life better.

But fuck that. I bet I can make clothing cheaper than you if you'll just build some factories here and set up shop in my country. In fact, with my low wages I can probably sell you clothes cheaper than you can make them at home. But wait, I'll need a bit of infrastructure, such as electricity and clean water. Since you're going to make so much fucking money by taking advantage of my cheap labor, could you build some infrastructure for me? Thx.

I take your clothing factories and now I have the competitive advantage in garments and apparel.

I need so many hand tools to join the modern world that it would be cheaper for you to build those in my country to satisfy my local markets. Also, if you don't I'll just find someone who will. Oh, and your plants have to be a 51-49 joint venture. *later* Wow. I see how you make those. I'll take my share of the profits and open my own factories that will out compete your transplants. "Hey, American hardware wholesalers and retailers, I can undercut your current vendors! Sign a deal with me!"

Hey, it worked with hand tools. I'll bet I can pull the same trick with power tools. Those require much more assembly, and assembly line workers cost money. My wages are cheaper, so move your factories here and your stock price will boom!

I'll do the same for home appliances, consumer electronics, cars, airplanes, and plastics, taking advantage of my low wages, lack of labor laws, lack of regulator oversight, lack of accounting transparency, and lack of environmental regulations.

So now you've got a competitive advantage in:

beer​

I've got a competitive advantage in

clothing
cars
airplanes
home appliances
consumer electronics
hand tools
power tools
plastics
white rice
brown rice
gravel​

Under conventional economic theory, if we trade then I'll get cheaper beer and you'll get nifty things like all the shit you used to make yourself.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Right, so that's where I'm confused. "Fair trade" implies a nuanced trade policy.

Also, even if I can agree with Trump on TPP, that doesn't give him a pass on everything else.

Well, Trumpster just promised all the Wall Street criminals he'll strip away all the regulations that kept our economy from going over a cliff after their last round of assraping.
Yeah, that's not gonna lead to disaster.

Oh, and he wants to make "pyramids were storehouses for grain", evolution denying Jesus freak Ben Carson secretary of education.
What could go wrong there?


And Sarah Palin secretary of the interior.
So, if you were scared shitless of her as VP, hey, she gets to do way more damage now.

But yeah, he's gonna get all the smartest and best people.

You forget dearest Newt, who just called for a new Un-American activities committee.

These gloating fools can't see what they've bought themselves?

Well, fuck....
Now I'm feeling the doom.

Any reply on this matter would land WF on an FBI watchlist.

For one the departments of Education and Interior should both be eliminated

What do you have against Interior? Who's going to manage the national parks? Or run USGS--which among many other things watches for earthquakes and floods.

Oh God, I hope we still have national parks when this is over.

Oh fuck, I didn't even think of that, she's little miss "drill baby drill".

Our National Park System is a disgrace. It's third world! You go to them and animals are, I shit you not, shitting right on the ground. The trails aren't even paved. Visitors are still cooking over goddamn wood fires - on the ground - like it's still the stone age.

It's a tragedy and a farce to present the parks as anything other than what they are. Backwards cesspits that have been bypassed by America's rise to greatness.

We can fix that.

All new buildings and amenities. Better animals. Professional landscaping.

We can make the parks world class instead of places where trees fall over and nobody does a goddamn thing to even clean them up.

That would be pretty easy with most of the protesters - he couldn't miss those big pussies!

Hmmm.......WTF does the department of the interior do anyway? Could we combine it with the department of the exterior?

That's what I said. I'm not sure why your repeating.

You could downsize Interior to agency status and do the same job cheaper

I will admit, this was funny. Don't make it a habit.

He is doing it with magical word changing. For instance illegal aliens are now referred to as "guest workers". Trump is going to hand them cards that say they ar guest workers and no more illegal aliens. Think of the tax savings of giving someone a 25 cent card compared to the money it takes to physically deport someone.

"No new taxes."