Buchanan's troubling diagnosis

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | December 1, 2007 | Bill Steigerwald

[Nowhere Man]

However I think you (and most “free trade” conservatives today), are deliberately ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

I think a lot of times, these free trade views are seen by their proponents as being an almost religion and/or exact science. I'll admit one part of my views first, I've always been more of a social and moral conservative, but I'm an economic centrist or even lean a wee bit (not too much) to the left. I never has a fiscal conservative view as many here would see it. I still think that we do have too many programs doing the same thing where I think it would be better to have one program instead of three doing the same thing and even so, it should be tied to results. In short, welfare should be there as a safety net and to "teach a man to fish instead of giving him a fish" if able bodied. If there are "jobs Americans won't do" then those able bodied on welfare should do them as a condition for their welfare. In past times, I would have been a right wing populist or an FDR/JFK/Hubert Humphrey Democrat depending on the era.

Nuff said on me, I see economics as more of an art, an INEXACT science at best. I really think pure capitalism or pure communism/socialism won't work, like many things, the truth is in the middle somewhere, well, where that truth lies, it is up to the people of the nation in question to find it. I admit a Swedish or Scandinavian (or even French) style system works quiet nicely but would such a system that works for 6 or 8 million people (or 50 million even) work for 300 million? I don't know, maybe yes or maybe no. Until the massive influx of immigrants from mostly the Moslem world, I think Europe did quite well, albeit some nations did get help via the Marshal Plan, but for the most part, they were culturally homogenous which is a great help. I took German in high school, my teacher had been there many times and the Germans have been known to be huge churchgoers and had strong traditions but that was back in the 1970's and 1980's when he was there, I don't think that is quite the same today and this hurts all around and you get social and economic problems.

We are eroding economically and Pat is right. We have to do something to resort the good jobs we had, otherwise you would end up with many disgruntled, disaffected and angry people who would vote for anyone who would "give a fish" or bring about a more communistic system. If you're out of work and the kids are starving, I can't blame them either. Like Ross Perot's analogy, "we have a crazy aunt in the attic" and we needto deal with it, it ain't going away and we need less problems, not more, especially with a growing Red China.

[nmh]

Contrast this to the past -

Immigrnats came here, assimilated and rose UP and joined the melting pot. They learned the language. They rose up financially.

Today ILLEGAL immigrants come here and want to bring our culture DOWN, They don’t want to learn the language. Live like the did in Mexico in poverty and bring their gangs along with them. They are uneducated and continue to have the highest drop out rate in our schools that they don’t pay for. They send the money home. Don’t pay taxes. Load up on our social programs. This is NOT how it was with immigrants of other generations. What the ILLEGALS are doing is creating the SAME situation they LEFT to come to the U.S..

[donna]

Well, I mean the CA state law that the words mother and father cannot be used in school.

[William Terrell]

I know that every necessity and product for comfortable living can be produced in this country by American manufacturers and American labor. Is there something else I need to know?

[sauropod]

It is a pity that Pat Buchanan cannot get a fair hearing on the premiere conservative forum because he is an original and provocative thinker who is engaged in a struggle to save the soul of the country in a cultural war, to save the country itself from a "perfect storm" of challenges, to save the Republican Party and the conservative movement from the declensions of neoconservatism.

Quite correct.

[eleni121]

Denying the peril that these islamic terrorist groups pose to Israel and the world is not only anti semitic but also anti American.

[devere]

I think that low tariffs for revenue ( not protection ) are the correct idea. Set a 15% value-added import tariff on everything, have no quotas on anything, and then let the rest of the world do whatever it wants. If American jobs are lost due to imports, the revenue from the tariffs will offset the lost income taxes from domestic production.

[B4Ranch]

Edgar Steeles hate for Jews is the primary statement in all his writings. The guy is infested with hate.

[Hunterite]

If we want to stay far ahead of China and Russia, and I agree with you that we do, then I can suggest a couple of strategies which should help, and not cut off our noses to spite our faces (which is what I think increased tariffs will do).

First, recognize that our current regulatory environment penalizes manufacturing and roll back/repeal many poorly considered regulations.

Second, at the state level, pass loser pays tort reform - trial lawyers will make this hard to do, but its the right thing and the right level to do it at (not federal).

Third, (and this is radical) defund public education and return it to the private sector. We create too few engineers, and too many women’s studies majors. None of those are a home run.

*****************************

Even if corporate taxes were 0%, American’s wouldn’t be able to compete with cheap foreign labor.

Try running those ideas past Democrats.

[ggekko60506]

“tariffs - a trade war won’t help our economy, high productivity and high quality products will....”

Amen, brother.

What is killing us as a nation are insane forms of internal protectionism that are destroying our competitiveness.

With our insane corporate tax, inane energy policy and broken educational system we should perhaps be amazed that any jobs stay in the U.S. .

I work as a management consultant and I see our competitive vigor be drained way everyday in my work. All of our wounds are self-inflicted.

Rationalization of the tax code in line with international norms, the massive adoption of nuclear energy and internal oil and gas resources, and the complete deregulation of our secondary school system would put us back on top again in very short order. The dollar would soar and our enemies would quake in fear.

What is needed is a ruthless national self-examination combined with political vision and courage. Sort of like what Sarkozy is doing in France.

We are being driven into national decline by a motley crew of eco-freak sentimentalists, class warrior wealth-haters and other assorted left-wing hand wringers.

[RKV]

We are competitive with them in many areas due to our productivity - which is hugely higher than theirs.

[moehoward]

He did not deny anything of the sort. Your post includes this sentence. “Nasty as some of these regimes and groups might be, what had they done to the United States”.

[B4Ranch]

Can you explain why someone would pay $10000 to every Iranian Jew who comes to Israel?

[RKV]

Yes there’s plenty else to know. Try living that way for a while (buy only American made goods). Hint - you can’t do it.

[eleni121]

“Nasty as some of these regimes and groups might be, what had they done to the United States”.

---

You obviously have no clue -or else you would not be questioning their danger-—What have they done? START HERE

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/70

[ex-snook]

"Pat ignores that we were attacked and will not even acknowledge how far and wide the attempt to destroy US went."

Pat was all in favor of getting bin Laden. For some cross-eyed reason Bush and maybe you seem to think the attack came from Iraq. Bush destroyed the bulwark against Iran that we don't have today.

[eleni121]

Can you explain why someone would pay $10000 to every Iranian Jew who comes to Israel?

---

elaborate please—the comment makes no sense is the vacuum you pose

[moehoward]

Whether they are or not is not the point.

Asserting Israel should fight it’s own battles is no more anti-semitic than stating Illegals unduly strain social services, is anti-immigrant.

[William Terrell]

That we don't live on American made goods now means nothing. We've been on the dependent kick for many years. We can, though. We can rebuild outsourced manufacturing infrastructures, pass those skills and techniques on the the next generation. We can be strong like we were when we were doing that, not weak like we are now.

Again, why would you advocate America interacting with foreign governments from a position of dependency instead of a position of self-sufficiency?

[B4Ranch]

You are upset with Buchanan (and Ron Paul) because he doesn’t support the idea that Israel is our 51st state and therefore worthy of American financial and military aid.

You said,”Denying the peril that these islamic terrorist groups pose to Israel .....”

Yet, there is a group in Israel who has paid 82 Iranian Jews, $10,000 each, to come to Israel and they are hoping for more. Is this bribery necessary? Isn’t this a good way to ensure that islamic terrorists also take them up on their offer?

Here is a link with multiple articles on this subject.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2410%2C000+Iran+Israel++group&btnG=Google+Search

Asking us to support Israel when they are currently giving the Palestinians vehicles and weapons is stretching the idea of US generosity just bit. I mean if Israel wants to commit suicide, go ahead and do it but don’t ask us to pay the burial costs.