Growing trade deficit is selling the nation out from under us (2003) [pdf]

Strange. I, as a UK citizen, don't seem to buy almost any physical USA goods at all.

As an individual you would own consumer goods.

A lot of international trade is other goods. Think of how much the UK has paid for things like American aircraft, ships, machinery, or materials used in manufacturing. Our armed forces use a lot of American stuff, and often even British made things have American parts (and a lot of it is covered by ITAR, to an even greater extent than the rest of Europe).

People also tend to hugely underestimate the amount of British manufacturing for the same reason, and because of lot of it is Foreign branded (e.g. Nissan cars).

I certainly don't need planes, war stuff nor ships and machinery. The food I eat mostly come from my country, my car is made in countries close to mine and so are the materials used to repair my house... And my gaz is Poutine's.

So I fail to see why I need America at all...

Ah, yeah, one big exception: my computer. Argh!