[batista]

>I don't know why I keep bothering to point this out, but the notion that "America no longer makes things" is absolutely, empirically, unassailably false.

Too many things wrong with your argument.

For one, employment in that sector (as well as overall) is still down, because fewer people are needed to produce the same things.

Second, that the US produces, say, "more than it did 1985" is meaningless. A better metric would be what share of the domestic and international sold goods it produces, over time.

Third, an ever better measure would be the trade (import/export) deficit over time.