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Would it be possible for the USA to be self-sufficient or become self-sufficient in the next 5-10 years for the following 30-50 years in all major aspects: food, fuel, medicine, metals, manufacturing.
Seems that the USA could: plenty of agricultural land and fishing grounds; plenty of petroleum, plenty of land of solar, wind power, coastline for wave power; best medical research and medicine production. Missing low value-added manufacturing, but it seems we could revive that in 5-10 years, plenty of iron ore and incentive to recycle.
I think there are few countries that are blessed to have enough skilled people, large enough population, and enough natural resources.
Yuptag, I’m among the proponents of the global trade policy described within Wikipedia’s “Import Certificates” article. It excludes the values of mineral materials integral to globally traded goods that are deemed by the congress to be scarce or precious minerals, from the assessed values of goods; (i.e. the policy does not affect prices or global trade due to the values of such scarce or precious materials within shipments).
Excluding the values of such materials, the policy prevents the values of USA’s annual imports from exceeding our exports and its entire costs are passed on to USA purchasers of imported goods. The unilateral trade policy is substantially (but not entirely) market driven.
To the extent that price increases exceed fees to defray costs of federal assessing and administrative tasks, those price increases (at no additional cost to anyone else), serve as price subsidies for USA’s exported goods.
Markets continue to determine what goods USA imports or exports.
Refer to Wikipedia’s “Import Certificates” article.
Maybe they could, but they could never produce enough to provide for the entire country. Coffee would cost $30 a pound.
Kona already costs that much and more, and Puerto Rico exports very little coffee while importing about two-thirds of what the island itself consumes.
By the way, pineapple production in Hawaii today is not at all what it once was. If not for a growing market for actual fresh pineapples, the culture might well have disappeared from the islands entirely.
I did mention inflation if we stopped imports. No doubt. Right now I get my Keurigs for about 60 cents. If they were $2 my life would not change.
My mother who lived through The Depression used to save her 'teaball' (New Yorker) and use it the next day.
Hoonose, USA’s chronic annual trade deficits drag upon our GDP and consequentially also drag upon our numbers of jobs. Annual trade deficits are always net (more than otherwise) detrimental to their nations’ economies.
Would it be possible for the USA to be self-sufficient or become self-sufficient in the next 5-10 years for the following 30-50 years in all major aspects: food, fuel, medicine, metals, manufacturing.
Seems that the USA could: plenty of agricultural land and fishing grounds; plenty of petroleum, plenty of land of solar, wind power, coastline for wave power; best medical research and medicine production. Missing low value-added manufacturing, but it seems we could revive that in 5-10 years, plenty of iron ore and incentive to recycle.
I think there are few countries that are blessed to have enough skilled people, large enough population, and enough natural resources.
For that people should become self sufficient. Self sufficiency is not encouraged in a consumer based capitalism.
Blow up your TV. Throw away your paper. Move to the country. Build you a home. Plant a little garden. Eat a lot of peaches. Try and find Jesus on your own.
If someone finds Jesus that will do away with the quest of millions of other trying to find him. If you do find him please book him for a Sermon on the Mount tour. I want to see him in a smaller venue.
The US could not even start to be self-sufficient. It was never...not since the day the first European set foot here. We have too much of some stuff and too little of others...
This is in addition to the basic facts - other countries (citizens and the countries themselves) own vast amounts of our country - mines, factories, real estate, etc.
Sure it is possible, just look at Iran and North Korea!
But possible doesn't mean desirable.
I wouldn't say North Korea nor Iran are self-sufficient. They have their own trading partners (Russia, China, Vietnam, etc) and also receive foreign aid.
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