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CampEmbarrassed170 t1_itl4vhx wrote

So in other words I’m screwed as an American because we don’t make or plant as much to be self-sufficient?

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LonerDottyRebel t1_itl67w1 wrote

No. We produce untold surpluses of food. It winds up being a large fraction of what's considered manufacturing in this data. And Monsanto Superfarms don't need a lot of labor per acre farmed like family farms, so that's why that slice has shrunk so much.

But we have a massive durable goods trade deficit. It's bleeding value out of our currency. We can't just make consumption goods and provide services. We need to start making tangible products and they have to be competitive in export markets.

We also need higher interest rates and to slash government spending, but those are whole rants in and of themselves.

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