Tariffs trip up the all-American RV industry

Lynnmor wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Millions of pensioners are retired autoworkers, steelworkers, teachers and the like. Others are first responders who create a safe environment for society. Are you going to argue that a paramedic who saves the life of one of those people who "use their own two hands to make things" didn't contribute to the wealth you claim only they can create? You are just going to dismiss the education that handworker received that allowed them to learn their craft as not valuable?

The point is that we would not have the luxury of all those services unless people create wealth. Passing money back and forth between each other has no net gain, someone actually needs to produce something. This thread started about tariffs which are used to protect the wealth creators in this country. You can argue about how well they might work, but one thing for sure is offshoring production will dump our wealth into another country. Those that receive their income from sources such as taxes have a better lifestyle by buying cheaper worldwide and those that are/were in the production of goods in this country, not so much.

The US is the unquestioned leader in technology. It is now the largest producer of oil, thanks to our shale oil reserves and the new methods of extraction developed in the US. The US is ranks 2nd to China in manufacturing (3rd if you consider the entire European Union as one entity, and with Brexit the US would be an undisputed 2nd). The US is a leading producer of agricultural products and is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products by a large margin.
I would also argue that services contribute to the wealth of a nation. For example, the US is the top destination for foreign tourist visitations. Those visits produce no products, but unquestionably add to the economy (an estimated $250 Billion in 2017, accounting for nearly 3% of our total GDP) On a personal note, I think I provide more "wealth" to the US by providing a quality recreation experience than I would if I converted my park to a factory that built plastic bobblehead toys to be sold in a Dollar Store. Surely a doctor contributes more to the wealth of this nation than he would if he was relegated to hand painting cheap plastic Christmas ornaments. To imply that anyone who is not directly involved in manufacturing is somehow no valuable to the economy is mistaken.