[imglorp]

To generalize, we are behind in X and we need American presence in a bunch of Xs. Relative to our prior leadership...

We fell down on basic R&D: most of the labs got wiped out by "cost accounting" and short term profit seeking.

We fell down on basic infrastructure: much of the country isn't gigabit, let alone DSL.

We fell down on basic STEM education. Other countries pay for everyone's education as an investment in the future.

We fell down retaining existing leadership areas, offshoring them for short term profit. Now we can't make some of these things and need to buy them back with import tariffs.

Who could have forseen this coming?

[BobbyJo]

I mean, the reality is America is too expensive to be successful in commodities markets. We have to prop up farming with subsidies just to keep them afloat. Hardware was commoditized a few decades ago and doesn't provide the margins for a business to thrive here without government help.

It's good, because it means we are generally focused on more profitable endeavors. It's bad because it means most of what we 'need', since commodities are the basis of our lives, get produced elsewere. This was fine when we had the wool of globalism pulled over our eyes, but COVID and the rise of China have shown us it was a pipe dream the whole time.

[wmf]

The point of this discussion is that the US is also losing in some high-tech fields like semiconductor fabrication and 5G. Can we survive on just software?

[rcoveson]

That and pizza delivery.

[BobbyJo]

Just because it's high tech doesn't mean it isn't commoditized.