What led to a decline in manufacturing jobs initially?

If you swap "DNC" for "GOP" and "our public education system" for "manufacturing" your post makes even more sense. Relevant because it addresses your third question.

Unions were a major reason. It became wayyyy too expensive to hire union employees when the Chinese could make a similar product while paying their employees peanuts.

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2) if manufacturing is naturally fading, why use government subsidies to uphold it?

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Its not. Foreign car companies have built plants all over the South where unions are not a problem. There is just as much manufacturing as there ever was.

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3) People are reliant on manufacturing always being there, even though our society is mostly service based. Is the GOP trying to hide the fact that people need to learn other skills and adapt?

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Its impossible to have a completely service based economy unless you live in a small island country.

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Is the GOP trying to hide the fact that people need to learn other skills and adapt? 

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Only if we overdo the help.

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s not. Foreign car companies have built plants all over the South where unions are not a problem. There is just as much manufacturing as there ever was. 

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I know this applies to Alabama, GeorgiaTexas. What about other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, or Arkansas?

That chart does nothing but validate Ross Perot. Huge sucking sound.

I agree with both of your reasons for a decline in manufacturing. I would add, after looking at the graph, the declines over the past 40+ years appear to coincide with the normalization of relations by Nixon in the 70's and NAFTA in the 90's.

I was reading an old news article from the 1920s about Itta Bena, Ms and what businesses they had and what they wanted. It was unreal how many small factories it had for a small town. It was necessary to produce goods for local commerce as shipping was difficult then.

So as far as small town manufacturing, a lot of it was due to urbanization and the ability to ship from one large central location that made consistent products. This killed the small town factories.

The plants are moving South to escape unions.
Louisiana and Mississippi are unique as they have a river to cross and a lot of two lane roads which hamper raw materials getting to plants.

A lot of mfg companies like Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia as they done well building nicer hwys leading from rural areas where land cheap to build factories to major hwys.

Biggest reasons some plants left the US.
1. Environmental regulations
- ex China or some other countries they can reuse dirty water to cool steal.
- US you have to treat it which drives up the cost
2. Labor cost is becoming less of an issue as shipping and opportunity lost waiting for shipping containers to come in offset labor cost.
3. Finding labor
- I know one plant mgr that told me finding trained labor who is willing to stick with you is hard.
He needs 1200 full time and 1200 seasonal workers. They moved the plant from Tempe, Az where they competed with hotels for labor during snowbird season to Nogales, Mexico. The Mexican government guarantees them x amount of the to show up. The pay the same as US pay it just they need a large amount of labor $20 to $30 hr benefits vary on which side they work Mexico at the plant or US at the distribution center or parts plant.

FYI, It is interesting if a US worker visit the Mexican plant you have to get an $80 permit.

A lot of plants have been moving from China to US/ Mexican border. Reason is the West Coast ports get backed up so delivery times are unreliable. Mexico has labor and easy to get products shipped across the border back into Texas or Arizona.

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1) why is saving manufacturing important to the GOP. If the free market is naturally causing the decline, isn't that just capitalism?

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Until 2016 the GOP could care less about manufacturing.....along with moderate Democrats since 1980. Since 1945 we have subsidized the world’s economy by providing stability and security to the world. Since 1980 we have, as a nation, been hoodwinked into believing there is such a thing as a free market when about 1% of the people on earth foot the bill for about 75% of the bill to provide security and stability to the world.

In the late 1970 s Democrats were all over this.....and the GOP knew it was resonating with voters....and then Ronald Reagan came along and sold the bill of goods that it was regulation and taxation.....not military spending stabilizing markets and making unthinkable investments less risky.....and for 38 years we have doubled and tripled down on increasing military spending, trickle down economics and deregulation....while OUR jobs went to our competition because suddenly China and Asia and India and Africa became safe for investment. Trump is reversing that shite and you can bet that Democrats and Republican wannabes alike are taking note.....the only way to MAGA is by protectionism....if we are are going to protect markets for Chinese goods it’s only right that we do so US Made products.