We are dependent on imports, and that's a good thing, but it doesn't mean we can't influence how they are created.
> TVs, phones, computers, household appliances and automobiles (both foreign and domestic) are filled with imported components. Even half of our food is imported.
TVs: don't need 'em
Phones: arguably necessary, but are also great vectors for our foes (cough I mean economic partners) to spy on us
Computers: ditto
Household appliances: all suck anyway and break a day after their warranty expires
Automobiles: Massively overused
Food: Huge problem, but OTOH we throw away at least a third of all the food we buy anyway. Lots of room for optimization, so maybe we can live with more expensive Takis.
So I sort-of see where you're coming from, and I also understand that if we're to progress as a species (which honestly nobody has given me a viable reason why we should) we all need to come together and share a world economy, at least to some degree.
But what nobody has said is why we, the richest and most powerful country in the world must rely on other countries' slaves to get 'er done. We do have influence here, and we can use our clout to buy slavery-free products.
One answer nobody has given is that the U.S. itself employs slavery today, right now, and nobody cares because the slaves are criminals.[1] [2]
We've had our share of economic upheavals in the 250 odd years we've been here. We can survive those even if it means a radical change in lifestyle. But if the real reason is that we're just a species that enslaves then let's just admit it.
[1] https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploit...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_labor_in_the_United_Stat...
