(The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.)
Behold a tale of two vital industries. Each manufactures something crucial to our continued existence.
One is semiconductor manufacturing. A necessary sector for all things computer and digital.
The other is food manufacturing — farming. Necessary for all humans to continue existing.
The US has driven the semiconductor industry nigh completely out of domestic existence — through titanically stupid over-tax, over-regulatory, and America Last, one-sided, fake “free trade” policies.
And we’ve sleep-walked through the whole thing — right up until the giant alarm clock that was the Joe Biden supply chain shortages ended our slumber.
Supply Chain Challenges and the Semiconductor Chip Shortage
The US Produces Just 12% of the World’s Computer Chip Supply. Here’s Why It’s Trailing China
Because behind Communist China is exactly where we want to be.
Asia Has the World’s Chips. The U.S. Wants Them:
“The region produces a staggering 80% of outsourced semi-conductor manufacturing worldwide. Taiwan’s TSMC alone produces 50% of the planet’s semi-conductors: every electronic device you can think of uses them.”
Did someone say China and Taiwan?
“If Taiwan became embroiled in a protracted military engagement with China, global supply-chain turmoil would ensue.”
You mean EVEN MORE “global supply-chain turmoil would ensue.”
At which point we’ll be WAY behind Communist China. Because that is exactly where we want to be.
So now we’re left scrambling to build a semiconductor industry — basically from scratch. Which ain’t easy — and ain’t cheap.
Cost to Rebuild US Semiconductor Manufacturing Will Keep Growing:
“As Washington debates spending $52 billion to start regaining America’s former role as a leading semiconductor manufacturer, experts say the public and private cost over the next two decades may exceed 10 times that much – and some worry such spending may still not achieve the goal.”
The way to foster the environment necessary to attract this type of massive investment? Less taxes. Less regulations. And ending once-and-for-all the fake “free trade” policies which DC has for decades imposed.
Fake “free trade?” Many of the world’s nations severely limit what we can send them. And massively tariff what we can send them. While we do neither to them.
And worst of all? They titanically subsidize their domestic manufacturers — which allows them to charge WAY less than global market prices for their stuff. And then we allow these mass-subsidized products into our country almost completely unfettered. Nearly no limits. Nearly no tariffs.
Importing Government Subsidies: The Worst of Fake ‘Free Trade’:
“(O)ther countries’ subsidies – are stealth weapons killing us from within. They are an innumerable armada of Trojan Horses – which we have been willingly bringing inside our gates.
“Because cheap stuff. Because the Free Trade Uber Alles Crowd thinks nothing is more important – than cheap stuff.
“But we are a nation – with an economy. Not an economy – with a nation.
“I’m all for free trade. Right up until it hurts our nation.
“When the health of free trade and our nation are in conflict – the nation must prevail.
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“Importing government subsidies – undercuts our domestic producers of…everything that is subsidized elsewhere.
“So millions of domestic producers – have been thusly driven either overseas…or into extinction. Taking with them tens of millions of domestic jobs.
“That ain’t good for our nation.
“Oh – and importing government subsidies…isn’t free trade.
“So this murder of tens of millions of jobs – isn’t the result of free trade doing its worst. It’s all a giant fake ‘free trade’ lie.”
It is on the government’s-razor’s-edge that our food manufacturing sector teeters. On the verge of suffering the semiconductor sector’s fate of domestic oblivion.
And again: As awful as are the high taxes and crippling regulations? The foreign subsidies we mass-import are the deadliest of all for US farmers.
Agricultural Subsidies: Everyone’s Doing It
Cartels and Subsidies in Canadian Agriculture
Mexico Farm Subsidies Are Going Astray
EU Strikes Deal on Huge Farm Subsidies
Russian Farm Building Subsidies
Brazil May Raise Farm Subsidies Despite Belt Tightening
Oh: And did someone say Communist China?
Why China’s Dependence on Farm Subsidies Is an Obstacle to a Trade War Deal with the US
China’s Cotton Subsidies Immiserate Farmers in the World’s Poorest Countries
China Provides 20 Billion Yuan in Subsidies to Grain Planters
And if we continue to murder our domestic food manufacturing sector? Driving all our farms and their farmers out of business? Things like this will continue to happen….
What’s even worse than being behind the behind of Communist China? Being under the thumb of Communist China.
Thankfully, we haven’t yet entirely done to our farming sector what we did to our chip manufacturing sector. So it’ll be a much easier lift to rebuild and re-bolster.
Which we absolutely have to do. Because before you can check your chipped iPhone or Galaxy or watch your chipped TV? You gotta eat.
And it’s much easier to maintain a domestic industry — than to try to rebuild one.
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