Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Genryu on January 13, 2005, 11:29:08 am
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Linky (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/13/business/trade.html)
Treasury Secretary John Snow said during a telephone interview that the deficit was a sign that the U.S. economy was "growing faster than those of our trading partners in the euro zone and in Japan." He added, "The economy is growing, expanding, creating jobs and disposable income and that shows up in the demand for imports."
He blamed America's wealthy trading partners for growing too slowly and failing to buying enough U.S. goods and services. He said that Europeans and the Japanese needed to expand their economies and buy more American products to improve the U.S. trade picture, an issue he said would be discussed at the meeting in London in two weeks of Group of 7 wealthy industrial nations
Excuse me for not knowing too much about economy, but... Isn't blaming other countries for your own deficit a wee bit illogical ?
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not if you don't want people to know your not doing a good job.
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Lmao, why should we be buying yank products if we can help our own economy more by buying local ones? Heh - someone needs to get back to doing his job rather than blaming foreigners...
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It's the terrorists.
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It's a French Conspiracy!
:doubt:
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Declare war on 'em. Declare war on everybody
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Diamond Geezer is an atheist
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the problem is that they are borrowing money to compensate for the deficit, which doesn't really do anything but make it bigger.
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:lol:
Idiots. I'm not buying American stuff if it's crap, and I can get better stuff cheaper from other places. :rolleyes:
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I am crossing my fingers and praying that the American economy doesn't collapse.
Weak dollar is already causing grief and sorrow in Europe.
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Originally posted by Raa
It's a French Conspiracy!
:doubt:
And my plan would have worked if it wasn't for you meddling kid !:D
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Originally posted by Janos
Weak dollar is already causing grief and sorrow in Europe.
Not here its not. Intel are building a 2 billion dollar plant for a start.
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Originally posted by Gank
Not here its not. Intel are building a 2 billion dollar plant for a start.
How are your exports doing?
Edit: Exports to US, that is
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Lib, this isn't what they're borrowing money for. This is the trade deficit, not the national deficit.
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It's all part of the same thing though...
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This is what happens when China undercuts you.
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http://www.forbes.com/business/2005/01/07/cx_da_0107topnews.html
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Originally posted by Janos
How are your exports doing?
Edit: Exports to US, that is
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4190.html
Not that bad, especially when you compare them to 4 years ago.
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eventually someone will realize "hey, we have no trade barriers, but just about everyone else does, so it's kind of ****ing stupid to funnel all of our money overseas, contracting our economy", and we'll start doing the tariff and import quotas and suchlike again.
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no they won't, cause the bloody dems will scream and hoot and holler about how it's unfair.
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Originally posted by Liberator
no they won't, cause the bloody dems will scream and hoot and holler about how it's unfair.
I believe you mean the WTO?
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Originally posted by Janos
How are your exports doing?
Edit: Exports to US, that is
Ironically, they are growing :p
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Originally posted by Tiara
Ironically, they are growing :p
Eeeexcellent.
Lib, haven't the republicans traditionally been more fond of free trade than dem, or am I just completely wrong?
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Of late, it would appear that they are(note, I am not for unlimited free trade).
Unfortunately, true free trade has had the effect of lowering standards in seemingly unconnected areas that most people don't consider. The Trucking/Haulage industry for instance.
It has become one of the most heavily regulated industries in the nation with even the drivers diurnal rythms being mandated(they are told when they can and can't sleep), the result is increased shipping costs on everything and that has to be handed over to the consumer at some point.
When you add to the mix a bill that would allow foreign drivers that don't speak the language and don't know the traffic laws(read Mexican) drivers to not only cross the border to drop their cargo(they do this already), but drive the cargo on to it's final destination you begin to see the problems.
I don't know how it is in your country(ies), if you even have 18-wheelers, but in the US it is traditional for tractor/trailer rigs to defer to the smaller traffic because their vehicles are the most dangerous things on the road since they weigh in excess of 40,000 lbs., now add someone who doesn't speak any english and doesn't yeild to anyone and you see the problem.
If trade is not limited somehow, all the concerned parties suffer eventually.
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Bigoted against mexicans by any chance are we?
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lmao, a republican wanting state intervention in business...
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Originally posted by Gank
Bigoted against mexicans by any chance are we?
No, but if they are going to come here I want them to be able to speak English passably and have a basic understanding of our laws.
And, IIRC, Gank you are from Britain and don't understand what it's like to see half the population of you're area turned over to people who don't speak the language and don't care to learn. I don't care if they come here or not, but I'll be damned if we coddle the illegals cause certain politicians think they can be turned into a bloody voting block with a little legislation.
Originally posted by vyper
lmao, a republican wanting state intervention in business...
Not intervention, monitoring and regulation, 2 very different things. We do not import produce from some regions because they don't have stringent enough health controls/practices in either growing, storing or shipping said agricultural product. Kind of along the same lines that you pointy heads in Europe won't import lab-engineered crops, but our reasoning is a little more sound.
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Originally posted by Liberator
No, but if they are going to come here I want them to be able to speak English passably and have a basic understanding of our laws.
And, IIRC, Gank you are from Britain and don't understand what it's like to see half the population of you're area turned over to people who don't speak the language and don't care to learn. I don't care if they come here or not, but I'll be damned if we coddle the illegals cause certain politicians think they can be turned into a bloody voting block with a little legislation.
Actually, the United Kingdom is notable for having a substantial population of immigrants from places like the Middle East, China and the former USSR; a lot sneak in on trucks or through the Chunnel via France (etc) - primarily because of the UKs welfare state (or at least, according to the people who like to scapegoat asylum seekers).
Of course, given that Gank is from Eire, that info has relevance to him. (Although Eire is a dual-language country anyways; English and Gaelic)
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Dude... Pollokshields...
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Sighthill
Although I think most people tend to claim asylum from Sighthill......
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Originally posted by Liberator
No, but if they are going to come here I want them to be able to speak English passably and have a basic understanding of our laws.
And, IIRC, Gank you are from Britain and don't understand what it's like to see half the population of you're area turned over to people who don't speak the language and don't care to learn. I don't care if they come here or not, but I'll be damned if we coddle the illegals cause certain politicians think they can be turned into a bloody voting block with a little legislation.
Fair enough, but you do realise that the UK has a massive migrant population? And, very much like in the US, they form a substantial part of the inskilled labour force (cos they're very, very cheap, and you don;t have to worry about little things like health and safety, insurance, workers' rights etc.)..
Not intervention, monitoring and regulation, 2 very different things. We do not import produce from some regions because they don't have stringent enough health controls/practices in either growing, storing or shipping said agricultural product. Kind of along the same lines that you pointy heads in Europe won't import lab-engineered crops, but our reasoning is a little more sound. [/B]
Um, they're exactly the reasons we don't want GM crops. The long-term effects are unknown, and it's not a great idea to f**k with nature more than necessary, particularly when you then put the f**ked-with things in your mouth... ;) And if there are problems in the future, it's impossible to stop it because the things have been cross-pollenated with all the other (normal) crops that you were growing, so the changes are everywhere...
Aaaanyway, the problem with Mexican truckers would soon go away if you stopped letting big industries moving production to Mexico to save costs. rein the buggers in, I say - make 'em pay import duties, and they'll employ Americans instead, because paying them decent wages will still be cheaper than the tax...
Oh, and aldo - I live in a dual-language country too...
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Originally posted by Liberator
No, but if they are going to come here I want them to be able to speak English passably and have a basic understanding of our laws.
Heres where the bigotry kicks in, you go from talking about the trade deficit, to truck drivers, to immigrants.
Originally posted by Liberator
And, IIRC, Gank you are from Britain and don't understand what it's like to see half the population of you're area turned over to people who don't speak the language and don't care to learn.
Learn to read idiot, my location is right under my name.
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Lib is the typical bible-beater ignorant American: Why should we learn YOUR language?! Learn OURS! And it's ALWAYS your fault, not ours!
Hell, I'm a US citizen too, and I love my country, but at least I know what's going on.
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Originally posted by pyro-manic
Oh, and aldo - I live in a dual-language country too...
Me too; of course, the Uk is a 4 language country (English, Welsh, Gaelic, and Scots).
EDIt; of course, if you removed immigrants any western economy would collapse; they form the black market of easily exploitable 'casual' workers. What people forget, is that many immigrants do jobs for worse pay, hourse and conditions than natural-born citizens would. And some, of course, are skilled as doctors and soforth.
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Specifically Wales (we have the bi-lingual roadsigns etc), but yeah. IIRC there was a campaign to add Cornish (I forget it's proper name) to the official list as well...
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A rather funny thing is that the US lacks an official language. That means if Spanish-speaking citizens outnumber English-speaking, which incidentally should happen within 100 years or so, business will be done in Spanish...
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Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
A rather funny thing is that the US lacks an official language. That means if Spanish-speaking citizens outnumber English-speaking, which incidentally should happen within 100 years or so, business will be done in Spanish...
i'm going to say 50yrs. Spanish speaking folks that I know usually plan to have at least 6 children and then end with 10 or 12.
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Originally posted by pyro-manic
Specifically Wales (we have the bi-lingual roadsigns etc), but yeah. IIRC there was a campaign to add Cornish (I forget it's proper name) to the official list as well...
How the fu....