Another offshored industry causes a shortage after China cuts production. Brilliant!

Another economic disaster, courtesy of American socialists who think more regulation and taxes are good for business

Here we go with yet another global supply chain crisis, courtesy of the socialist, anti-business, anti-American morons who never once considered that moving almost all U.S. manufacturing overseas, and closing U.S. mines in favor of imported minerals could possibly lead to empty shelves or lost economic activity.

Chances are you've heard of an element called silicon.  On second thought, maybe not, but almost every American has heard of "silicon valley," stretching from San Jose to Palo Alto or so.  So you can probably guess what silicon is used for, right?

It's the "substrate"--literally the base--of every computer chip.  That makes silicon the heart of modern technology.  But it's also used to make lots of other things, like glass and silicone -- a water- and heat-resistant compound used in medical implants, caulk, deodorants, oven mitts and more.

At that point intelligent people would start to ask where silicon comes from.  That's the problem: it's only found in a few deep mines in a couple of nations.

Hahahahahaha!  Just kidding.  It's found on every beach around the world: beach sand is mostly quartz, which is about 30% silicon.  So, it's everywhere. Which makes it really surprising that there's now...a shortage of the stuff.

That’s because U.S. companies found they could save money by buying silicon from...wait for it...China.

So even though the raw material is everywhere, today China is overwhelmingly the world’s largest producer, at around 67% of global output. The second-largest supplier?  Russia.  Meanwhile U.S. production has continued to decline: down 28% in 2019 compared to 2018, and down further in 2020.

Now a production cut in China has caused a shortage of silicon, sending prices soaring--up 300% in less than two months.

With silicon being such a critical material, you’d think there’d be a push to increase US production. Well, you might think that if you were a normal patriotic American.  But of course Democrat politicians don't really care about American jobs--unemployed people are easier to control, and vote Democrat.  You get to brag about getting rid of "messy" industries, and as an added bonus you get to sneer at the blue-collar workers you put out of work.

Anyone remember the sneering phrase "Learn to code"?

H/T Buck Throckmorton at Ace of Spades.