The earliest imports were the VW auto, Marimekko fabrics and Pier 1 assorted furnishing imports. Today, virtually every physical product at retail is imported.
The extent of our importing is best measured by a store in upstate New York that only carries products entirely made in America meaning the US. It obviously excludes Canada, Mexico and the rest of the Americas.
As the owner of the store points out:' there are no products in the store run by batteries or having a plug.'
That makes the store and interesting museum but a waste of time for Christmas shopping.
I am delighted. That means humans all over the planet are sharing their skills and talents with us. They are experiencing the culmination of commerce. Individuals and groups making the most effective use of their skills talents and knowledge and sharing them with everyone else by lowering costs and raising quality.
Of course there are those who don't understand this and think that foreign trade and commerce is somehow harmful to domestic production. It isn't. These people who don't understand reality should look first at unions and second at minimum wages. Those are what keep most of the unemployed unemployable.
