Irony of all ironies…guess what field Trump’s BS was in? (No, not BS…he has a Ph.D. in that…as in Piled higher, and Deeper…)
Economics.
You’re wrong, there. Americans are paid quite a lot more than Chinese to extract minerals from the ground, which makes their labor intrinsically more valuable (or expensive, if you prefer). To use American steel over Chinese steel in a free market would be a good way to get out-competed by your rivals and driven to bankruptcy.
Why not buy raw materials cheaply, and use those raw materials to design and make more valuable stuff? The alternative is to either pay Americans as poorly as the Chinese are paid, or spend more for raw materials than they’re worth.
Not wrong at all. Just because someone pays more for something doesn’t mean the intrinsic value is higher. It just means they paid more. Labor has no set intrinsic dollar value.
You need to explain this idea you have.
It sounds like you’re getting ready to suggest something, such as paying steel workers the same as steel workers in China, or whatever.
And, that makes no sense, obviously.
So, what are you thinking?