A company could start building TVs in this country, paying higher salaries, obeying the countless regulations, and dealing with the many other things that make doing business in the U.S. expensive.

And end up with a TV that's a lot more expensive. Think people will buy it, or one that works just as well made somewhere else? You could force people to buy them by putting tariffs or import restrictions on other TVs. Make them all equally expensive for Americans.

Of course, other countries will still buy the cheaper stuff, so your exports are essentially nil.

You can probably get away with doing this on high-end stuff. The equivalent of Rolex watches, or expensive cars. Not the stuff the assembly-line workers can afford.

Back in the 50s, we had a lot of stuff manufactured in the U.S. We also had a lot fewer regulations, and no real competitors around the planet. But there were also not that many families with more than one car or TV set.