scorpio516 wrote:
trail wrote:
Bringing jobs back to the U.S. (taking Trump at his word for a second both in intent and ability to deliver) is one of those things where self-interest and national interest align. I think most would agree that lower unemployment rate in the "rust belt" would have few negatives. I think what we're talking about is selecting your own interest to the detriment of national interest."Bringing back" manufacturing jobs would be selecting short term personal interests over national interests again. But in the long term, it would be going against personal interests AND against national interests.
Americans are too expensive. The people who would select manufacturing jobs are better off becoming more educated and selecting better jobs. Anyone can assemble widgits - why pay someone in Tennessee $20/hr to push that widgit button when a Bangladeshi would push the button just as well for $20/month. That person in Tennessee should instead become a nurse or engineer or something. Not saying a Bangladeshi can't be an engineer, but it wouldn't be in their best interest to do so in Bangladesh.
But that leads to free trade and immigration reform discussions...
I don't disagree with you, but I think you're making a different argument.
You're arguing that people that people vote without being well informed on the principles of economics and the nature of global trade. Or to put it succinctly: voters are ignorant.
I think that's different than saying that people vote purely out of self-interest. I tend to think that those Trump voters genuinely believe(d) that Trump was the best choice for national interest, as well as their own interest. They didn't, generally speaking, have a, "I'm going to get mine now, eff all of you" attitude. (some may have, but I don't think it was the consensus).
You're making the judgment that you know better that I referred to. And I agree that you know better. But it's not very scientific because then the people who are "voting against national interest" are basically just everyone who doesn't vote like you.