No argument about the "final say" from me, Jeff. But there are more than one "final says" possible at the same time, both foreign and domestic, and I know from personal experience that trade agreements between countries are often tied to financial agreements such as borrowing money from China, Lend Lease to England and Russia, or oil drilling and processing equipment and expertise to Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries. Lumber, Commercial printing, customer service services, also have trade related avenues opened to foreign countries.
Buying American just to buy American sometimes simply rewards bad corporate behavior. I think of how the American Auto Industries deliberately avoided retooling to compete with what the final sayers said they wanted. Consequently, Toyota, Honda, and others achieved significant if not commanding market shares and they've held on to it.
The P-51 Mustang came into its own with an engine of foreign manufacture.
I'm a fan of Smith & Wesson wheelies, Ruger, Savage centerfires, Marlin lever guns but that doesn't stop me from favoring my H&K P7 M8 (German) or my Savage 93R17 (Canadian), not to mention the countries of origin for the Beretta M9 or the MP5/MP7.
Finally, at some point, as you point out, cost is a deciding factor but less expensive does not necessarily imply "cheap" in terms of quality.
(BTW: Did you find Timberland boots made a couple miles from where I live, or Limmer boots, also made in New Hampshire?)