Reply #31: Pray tell. What consumer goods do we export? [View All]

We used to export food, but we are now importing food from all over the world.

What precisely do we export? What do we even manufacture here?

Most of our exports are probably in the form of intellectual property -- movies and the like.

We also export weapons -- which are not going to be subjected to taxes by foreign governments since they buy those products.

I can't honestly think of anything else that we export. Please tell me what products you are thinking of.

I would say:

Higher taxes on incomes = lower take-home wages = less consumption = less stuff made = fewer jobs = less consumption, etc.

Here is the scenario we have now:

Taxes on incomes = higher wages here = less stuff made here = fewer jobs = less consumption == lower tax revenue.

Further,

Lower Social Security and food stamps = lower incomes for the poor = more homeless and hungry people = more crime = higher government costs = higher taxes on those who are working = higher wages here = less stuff made here = fewer jobs = less consumption = lower tax revenue

Governments at all levels are going broke. Cutting so-called entitlements will just move the burden of costs of caring for the unemployed, the disabled, the poor, the elderly to a different level of government. I used to work for a non-profit project for homeless people. It costs too much to raise private funds and private donations are unreliable. They just aren't there in the amounts you need when you need them.

How would you raise the money to keep our government, our society going in this economy in which there are far too few jobs and there are far too many imports.

And, if we are exporting so much, how much tax revenue comes from the production of the stuff we export? It obviously is not nearly enough.