I absolutely understand the value of a country being able to produce its own materials, but one thing I’ve always question is how many people, man or woman is actually willing to work these positions once they get back to the US.
Most of why they were outsourced is because corporations can pay (or not pay) people in third world countries much less than they can Americans, but how do you convince companies to open these mines and factories in the US, and how do you convince these companies to actually play their employees first world wages? A lot of the regulations we have in place in terms of operating mines is because of corporations cutting corners, intentionally hiding the health risks until they were unavoidable and similar actions, so it’s just something I honestly can’t wait to see how it actually comes into action.
We have an epidemic of people so disaffected they would rather shut down on fent just for a moment's reprieve from the hopelessness or beating each other into retardation on the street for a sense of purpose.
Manufacturing work might still not be for everyone, but for a whole lot of Americans it would be a huge upgrade.
As for how to keep wages competitive, tariffs are the most direct way. Doesn't matter if they only have to pay third world rates for third world performance, if they have to pay uncle Sam a fee for overlooking American workers, even multinationals will start to see the appeal of higher paid more consistent workers to produce locally for the American market. The only industries that won't work for are the rare few that don't have much of a domestic market to speak of.