General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Serious questions for those who are convinced that Obama, Clinton, and Gore are not liberals. [View all]FredStembottom
(2,928 posts)I think buying stuff would power us out of our economic collapse IF our economic borders matched our political borders.
Economies are like steam engines. They require a build-up of internal pressures (supply and demand) to run. We now ship our demand to other countries, puncturing our borders (our steam engine).
There are billions of Chinese.... Why are they selling here instead of to the billions of Chinese? Because it would require raising Chinese workers' wages up enough to allow them to buy their own output. That would spoil the magic profit margin machine. You know, pay the worker a dollar per hour. Charge a "rich" American the usual American price... and pocket the huge difference.*
We need Americans producing for Americans and Chinese producing (and being paid better) for the Chinese.
*a now exhausted process as the attractive wattage of American incomes has now declined so significantly.