I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy of HN.

Commenters here both want dirt cheap green tech AND workers rights, but it's a choice between one or the other becuase low margins industries are inherently exploitative, because there are no other levers.

Saying improving processes and innovation is just a "deus ex machina", because any sort of automation depends on these upstream components as well.

I agree that bringing industries back on-shore can help spark innovation, but we also need to be realistic. Most REEs (ignore lithium) just don't exist in large quantities in the US, Canada, or the EU, and we simply cannot onshore EVERY industry, because margins are so low that tariffs don't alleviate them either.

You can't compete when manufacturing in China and India are themselves in the midst of transitioning to automation as well, further driving down margins.

We need to be strategic about the industries we target with tariffs AND incentives, but also recognize that vast swathes of low margins low skill manufacturing and resource processing is never returning to the US unless we adopt the same kind of labor whitewashing practices Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea does [0][1]

[0] - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/world/asia/south-korea-li...

[1] - https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/03/29/national/probe-...