Is Buy America Bad for America?

What is better for you, to buy an item for $1.00 or to buy the an item of the same utility and quality for $0.75?  I think the answer is pretty obvious.  Does it make a difference where the goods were manufactured?  From a well-being, economics standpoint, it does not.  What about for the benefit of the country as a whole.  Again, from an economic standpoint, it offers no benefit to buy local or buy American. 

People keep preaching that we live in a world of finite resources.  From raw materials to time and money, our nation's resources and each individuals resources are indeed limited.  In order to maximize the efficency of our resources, of our nations and our planet's viability, we should be encouraging the purchase of goods that utilize the least resources to achieve the same utility and quality.  This not only frees up our personal resources, but it also frees up the inefficient use of resources manufacturing products that should not be manufactured domestically.

Politicians talk about the decline of our manufacturing sector, when in fact they should be lamenting the inefficiency of our manufacturing sector compared to manufacturing abroad.  Look, I'm all for Buy American.  I'm all for America developing the most efficient manufacturing in the world.  I'm just not for wasting precious resources in order to prop up inefficient domestic companies.  I'd much rather they put those resources to use in a way that competes with the world.  In a true free market economy, everyone would buy American, because there is no place in the world with more can do and more competitiveness than right here.