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0 pointsfooker2mo ago0 comments

Can you give some specific examples of what light industry we are great at?

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6 comments · 1 top-level

JumpCrisscross2mo ago· 5 in thread

Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and craft food and beverage products come to mind. Guns and ammo, too.

Yeah, even if we can produce them now, we don't have the pipeline to keep them running - steel for guns comes from other countries, we don't have a primary lead smelter in the country, medical devices that rely on electronics rely on foreign components, etc. The only reason pharma can operate here is because of the regulations, and even then many components chemicals are sourced internationally.

tcmart142mo ago

Worked as a chemical systems technician for a bit. Can confirm, lots of the chemicals we used (most, some of which were pharma grade but we weren't pharma), had to come from either China or Germany. And we really did try to source as much in the US as possible. So it wasn't even a question of cost, it was simply no one here wanted to make what we needed.

Now granted, I'm not naive enough to think we should be able to be self-sufficient and manufacture everything ourselves. I think it is fine to import stuff. My bigger concern is, for some things, there just isn't a lot of options. I think its fine to buy some of the raw materials from Germany and China, but I'd also like to see a few more countries that they could be bought from.

fookerOP2mo ago

We don't even produce things like bolts, screws, and springs.

If we suddenly had to, it would take billions of dollars and several months to spin up any real capacity.

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hypeatei2mo ago

A quarter of steel used in the U.S. is imported, and of that quarter, 40% comes from Mexico and Canada; very little comes from China[0]. So, not only does your point fall flat, the people we get steel from are our neighbors so it'd make sense to not sour with relationships with them like the current admin is doing with chaotic trade policy and invasion threats.

I really don't understand the FUD around US manufacturing capability, you'd essentially need to craft the greatest conspiracy ever to think that every politician, defense agency, intelligence agency, etc. is asleep at the wheel to not recognize this supposed threat and do nothing about it.

0: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/where-does-us-ge...

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Ajedi322mo ago

I don't think there's a ton of strategic value in on-shoring commodities unless your goal is to be able to take on the entire world at once.

Commodities are commodities, you can get them almost anywhere so you're not dependent on any one nation.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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6 comments · 1 top-level

JumpCrisscross2mo ago· 5 in thread

Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and craft food and beverage products come to mind. Guns and ammo, too.

giantg22mo ago

tcmart142mo ago

fookerOP2mo ago

We don't even produce things like bolts, screws, and springs.

If we suddenly had to, it would take billions of dollars and several months to spin up any real capacity.

1 more reply

hypeatei2mo ago

0: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/where-does-us-ge...

1 more reply

Ajedi322mo ago

I don't think there's a ton of strategic value in on-shoring commodities unless your goal is to be able to take on the entire world at once.

Commodities are commodities, you can get them almost anywhere so you're not dependent on any one nation.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse