Sereen Sumner- the pros and cons of importing more then we export

The United States is losing their status as a major exporting country. For the first time our imports have exceeded our exports, this is called trade deficit. All nations would rather have their net exports be positive than drop to negative because when net exports are negative Gross domestic product decreases. This happens because the amount of net exports are included in the gross domestic product formula which is consumption + investments +government spending +net exports. In actuality the problem is not the number of exports we send off but rather the job opportunities that come with exporting goods. A common misconception is that other countries are creating more jobs in their perspective countries than the USA, but a bulk of our imports originate from companies owned by the USA that are just operated by other countries. This results in jobs being shipped overseas and workers from these countries being hired to work while the employees here in the states are out of a job. Many of the employees that lose their position when their job is shipped over sea have to find new skills because it is hard finding another position having a specific type of skill. The USA still earns a profit from the commodities being exported from other countries but mostly the upper class benefits from this act. The country exporting the goods also benefits because the increased demand for foreign products will strengthen their dollar and in turn lower the power of the USA dollar, having a strong dollar is important because when the value of the U.S dollar decreases foreign countries pay less for our exports and in turn we pay more for their exports.  Although having a trade deficit may sound unattractive the USA still has the largest economy and the farthest global reach, The economy is still able to consume large amounts. Other countries still find it attractive to import to the USA and the figures show that other countries are not planning on cutting down on the amount of trade anytime soon. As our gross domestic product declines the amount of products other nations want to sell us while increase.  Although being an attractive customer is a good thing, it is counterproductive if the United States wants to keep up there position of being a world power  we need to stop sending so many jobs to other countries and find a way to utilize our country in a way that helps our workforce and labor participation rate grow.