[Drew]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050518/D8A5QH881.html

[Unknown Target]

This is actually good for the US economy as a whole, for once. Only problem is, he's not doing enough of it.

[Scuddie]

And again, the rich will benefit and the poor will get the opposite.  Fits perfectly well with what we know about G.W. Bush.

[Unknown Target]

I think that BOTH would profit. Less imports means more domestic factories, which means more jobs for US workers. Also, the company will have to pay the US workers more than they payed the cheap Chinese ones. Which means that the rich will suffer and the poor will benefit (but not my much, either way).


Of course, this is all done to curtail China's rising power on the global stage. It's completely political, and has little, if anything, to do with Bush helping the lower and middle classes.

[aldo_14]

It's unsurprising, but I wonder what the WTO reaction will be....and indeed the rest of the world (general reaction of protectionist trade is IIRC the rest of the world puts similar punative measures in place against your stuff...the huge defecit with China should make this a no-brainer, of course, but the ramifications could be interesting).

[Unknown Target]

Other countries already do the same thing, I believe, by imposing huge tariffs on foreign imports and such.

[DaBrain]

Well, this will cause the prices to rise.
Companies imprort to get they producion stuff cheaper, if they stop importing, things will get more expensive.

After all nobody can stop the globalization.

IMHO America should stop shutting itself off from the rest of the world. Some multilateral actions are needed.

[Grey Wolf]

That's what the VAT in the EU is, when you get down to it, and I don't see any punitive sanctions by the WTO.

[Unknown Target]

First America gets lauded for outsourcing, now it's getting lauded for pulling industries back into it's own territory. This is why a lot of Americans have the general attitude of "screw the world, we're going to do what we want". While it's not good in many situations, in situations such as this, it's excellent. Since America is the only remaining superpower, nomatter what it does it will always be attacked by the people's of the world and other countries. It should do what is best for the world as a whole, and I believe that one of the best things it can do is simply stay a free and powerful democracy (on most UN missions that the US chooses to cooperate on, it is the driving force behind any action. I'm not saying it's good that we often don't cooperate with the UN - in fact, I think it's disgusting. I'm just saying that when America does cooperate, it is often the tip of the spear for any operation). If that takes tariffs and other such items that most other Western countries already have then so be it. You don't see Germans complaining about British tariffs, but you do see them complaining about American tariffs.

[Swamp_Thing]

What Bush seems to forget or ignore, is that the US economy is largely based on exports. Doing this will force many countries to impose damaging taxes on US goods, wich in the long run will hurt the US economy more than it helps. Any economist knows this. Why Bush´s economists don´t, is beyond me...

He is digging himself a big hole. From wich other future presidents will spend decades trying to get out of. Aren´t you happy you voted for the idiot yet?

[WeatherOp]

It's kind of a Lose/Lose situation for Bush, when he does something about the complaints, he gets blasted by a whole lot of other people.


I'm never ever neverever running for Pres.

[Unknown Target]

A) I didn't vote for Bush. Even if I could vote, I wouldn't have.

B) I would run for president, except I don't want children, and the only way  you can get elected is if you prove your responsability and connect with the voters by being a "family man".

C) If the US economy is based on exports...who do you think would be cutting off one of their main trade parterns? The countries banning or imposing heavy duties on US products. So in reality, it might work in the short run, but in the less short run, they'd be shooting themselves in the foot. In the meantime, I believe that the US can last without importing clothes from China.

[Rictor]

That's your major reason for not running for President? Not, like, homsexuality, or a criminal record, or lack of rich, well-connected patrons?

Hell, most politicans try to hide the fact that they have kids, particularly the illegitimate ones they had with their underaged black housekeeper.

[Unknown Target]

The fact is that Americans look for something they can relate to in a president. They also look for proof that he is responsible, in a way that they can relate to. Since most (as an understatement) Americans have never held any positions of governmental power, the only way they can relate is through family. Notice how much of a mockery it can become when a president has ill-mannered children? And do you notice how presidents often run on the "family ticket"?

[Drew]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
I think that BOTH would profit. Less imports means more domestic factories, which means more jobs for US workers. Also, the company will have to pay the US workers more than they payed the cheap Chinese ones. Which means that the rich will suffer and the poor will benefit (but not my much, either way).


Of course, this is all done to curtail China's rising power on the global stage. It's completely political, and has little, if anything, to do with Bush helping the lower and middle classes.

That makes no economic sense at all.  Less imports means consumers have to buy higher priced american goods, loosing money.  The american manufacturing company will pay a higher wage to american employees than chinese, but the american employee has to pay a higher price, so that increase dosnt really matter. Hell, the wages of the chinese employe will be able to buy more beacause of the cheap prices due to lack of taxes and tariffs on the stuff he buys.   Basically, more american jobs are being created at the expense of the consumer.

[Descenterace]

Nationalism == bad.

If everyone was to suddenly consider themselves to be merely 'members of the human race' (rather than 'Americans' or 'Chinese' or 'British' or whatever), a whole load of problems would be solved at a stroke.
Of course, the chances of this happening are about the same as the chances of a cat displaying altruism. Per person.

Yes, I'm a cynic. Take a long, hard look at the world, compare it to an idealist's view of the world, and tell me that every single damn faction on the planet isn't wrong in at least one way.

I'm past caring. If the American government fscks the American people, it's their fault for voting it in. If the British government fscks the British people, it's their fault for voting it in (I didn't vote, because all the parties who had any chance of winning were equally bad, and voting for a party that has no chance of winning is indistinguishable from not voting at all).
In the case of dictatorships, it's the people's fault for allowing the dictator to become entrenched. And let's not forget America's culpability as the 'protector of the free world' that should be liberating the oppressed peoples of the world, but only as long as it works out OK in the end...

[redmenace]

I posted this before IIRC.

*sigh* hypocracy

[Drew]

i was pretty goddam phsyced when i heard the administration was repealing the sanctions like woowee now i can my spring clothes cheap  but no, goddamn muther****er has to secure the votes of the american industry.... christ its like 1816 all over again

[Swamp_Thing]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
The fact is that Americans look for something they can relate to in a president. They also look for proof that he is responsible, in a way that they can relate to.

Yeah, americans looked at Bush´s DUI for a show in responsablility. They looked at Bush´s dealings with cocaine. They looked at his mediocre grades in school, and at his daddy bailing him out of combat duty.All stuff americans can relate with.
Sure, even i can relate to that... That´s why he won, TWICE!!

[Scuddie]

No Swamp_Thing, he won because he is a RWC, and to those types, only three things matter:  Being rich, being white, and being christian.  He won because the smart people are the minority .