The toxic display of rude behavior and character assassination that has become a hallmark of this presidential primary season is matched only by the disturbing manifest ignorance by some of the candidates about economic issues.
We have heard, ad nauseam, epithets such as: “We don’t make things anymore . . . We keep sending our jobs overseas . . . China and Mexico are killing us on trade deals . . . The Chinese manipulate their currencies.”
Each one of these assertions, aimed at riling up the voting public, is absolutely false.
Let’s see what the truth actually is:
▪ “We don’t make things anymore.” This one is the mother of all lies. U.S. manufacturing is strong, growing larger, and more productive and competitive than ever — especially in machinery, electronic equipment, aircraft and vehicles, America’s top four exports. However, it is less labor-intensive as technology (including robots) substitutes humans — a global trend, impacting rich and poor nations alike, including China. Nonetheless, the $2.5 trillion U.S. manufacturing economy faces a shortageof 2 million skilled jobs over the next decade. Both foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports are drivers of America’s manufacturing competitiveness. FDI in manufacturing exceeds $1 trillion, with motor vehicles most prominent (e.g., Honda in Indiana, Nissan in Tennessee, Mercedes in Alabama, BMW in South Carolina). U.S. auto exports (2 million vehicles) set a record high last year.
