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First Pittsburgh and parts of N. Carolina were shipped overseas, then Detroit, now it is Silicon Valley that is being packed-out one container at a time. High tech manufacturing in the US will likely be restored at some point once it becomes clear to the political class that being hollowed out is not a formula for success of the US economy and it becomes clear to overseas companies that US plants are an inoculation against protectionism. The pendulum will swing. It always does. The question though is once the plants come back who will own and control them.

Excuse me sir, but my lawyers says I own the intellectual property of that gun you are pointing at me.

Our design team and Application team and Cad team were 'packed up' and their jobs went to
India. Inventory and fabs in South East Asia
to name a few countries. Now Apple can't come to my boss or I for design help with our parts, they have to call India... This College dream world is KILLING our country.
Environmental groups are killing or slowing down others. Some of it is correct. Some, a large part is out of control. If we don't design, prototype and manufacture goods - all we have left is buy and sell. We are now broke without jobs and can't see our bodies. yet .

Manufacturing is a base upon which the society builds. Base level workers have families that want work up the knowledge chain. It is a slow decline in the "dumbing down" of society without manufacturing.
We can see the rate of knowledge growth in China, not just as a result of government education, it comes as a result of the knowledge built in society from manufacturing. Accountant and those that fashion wall street, fail to account for the educational benefits to teh society that has a base with manufacturing. That, and the fact that we are complicit in supporting human exploitation through moving manufacturing and services to the lowest cost locations in the world. This is not truly a long term, viable solution and shows that offshoring of manufacturing and services is a short term profit maximization strategy. Vision and doing what is right is no longer seen as an investment in the future, but management for next quarters results is all that matters.

Innovation take a long time to bear fruit, typically in years. In my belief, until Wall Street rewards business establishment for dedicating sufficient amount of their revenue to R&D, innovation in US likely keeps declining. Of course, I am listening and is happy to correct my thought otherwise.

The US should not even consider a move to a Service Based Economy, services are not innovative but are followers of technology. The US should bolster its manufacturing here and make rules and agreements to ensure the survival of its manufacturing base here. China has been allowed to have some unprecedented economic advantages by not allowing its currency on the open market where it would be valued much higher, this changes the value of products they export to an unfairly low value, and given the cost of their labor as well - they have an extreme cost advantage in exports and manufacturing (call it dumping by mandated value). This also makes it very difficult to export into China as the cost disparity is both ways. Perhaps we should value the dollar at 1/10th the chinese currency and then see how many countries use the United States as a point of manufacture for their products. The problem is not whether the costs are higher but whether the trade is fair. Unfortunately we have tough talkers when they campaign but now the campaign is over it would be nice to see real progress.
Manufacturing jobs are good jobs and support good jobs, they are not just line workers, they are engineeers, managers, and product testers, they are marketing and sales.
Having worked for an international company and seeing how they ensure control for manufacturing , engineering and direction along with the top posts they all go to their own along with the profits and benefits
The United States is the largest market in the world, while China is catching up - (who cares as they will not be able to get their products into China except they make them there as if they should try otherwise they will not be affordable to the average Chinese person). I am sure that fair trade would swing the balance in favor of innovation, and productivity!

SHAME on the U.S. and its leaders for allowing this to occur.

High tech manufacturing is generally so automated that labor cost differences between the U.S. and other countries are relatively insignificant. Domestic manufacturing capability, moreover, should be seen as essential for national security. The higher costs of manufacturing in the U.S. are related mainly to state and local taxes. Minimizing these without resorting to tax subsidies can be accomplished by consolidating and streamlining thousands of overlapping government jurisdictions. Costs associated with insurance, litigation, etc., are relatively minor when compared to the excess overhead for government inefficiency.

Lower technology manufacturing is a different story, and it may be advantageous to rely on lower costs outside the U.S. The differences between low tech and high tech policy are real and should be acknowledged by those in policy making positions.