Of course de minimis import rules make sense. Processing every $20 or $50 parcel through full customs would cost more in bureaucracy than it would raise in revenue. This is why many countries around the world have de minimis rules including Canada, the EU, and even China.

De minimis had nothing to do with draining out manufacturing; that's been happening for decades. Before 1993 the rate was $10.

And who cares about the "base that built America"? US unemployment was low! The US doesn't need these terrible jobs or look to the past for opportunity. There is plenty of opportunity available by looking forward.