Posted on 12/19/2010 6:38:36 PM PST by 1rudeboy
The country's largest manufacturer of sleeping bags says new competition from Bangladesh could force it out of business if the U.S. does not level the playing field.
Exxel Outdoors Inc., which employs nearly 70 workers in its Alabama factory and makes about 2 million sleeping bags per year, has been pressing the Obama administration to lift an exemption that lets Bangladesh import sleeping bags into the country without paying a 9 percent tariff.
"You can't leave an American manufacturer at a competitive disadvantage with a foreign worker," Harry Kazazian, chief executive of the company, told FoxNews.com.
But that's apparently what the Obama administration has done, turning down the company's request in an initial ruling and forcing Exxel to submit another request.
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which is reviewing Exxel's request, told FoxNews.com that its review will conclude in the spring and that President Obama would have to sign off on any changes to the list of duty-free products – changes that would go into effect before July 1.
"We take Exxel's concerns seriously," the office said in a statement.
Exxel is also seeking help from Congress.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., has tried to slap a tariff on Bangladesh sleeping bags but he has been unable to sway his fellow lawmakers to change the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, or GSP, which determines which products third-world countries can import duty free.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It’s easy for American companies to compete with Bangladesh labor. Just hire cheap illegals from Mexico to replace higher-wage Americans. Oh, wait...
This is not a thread about the U.S. government spending too much money. It is a thread about trade. Government spending threads pop up now and then, you should keep an eye out for one.
He was a little crazy, but Ross Perot was right about the inequities of “fair” trading with third world economies. Eighteen years later, we are still experiencing that sucking sound. We manufacture virtually nothing any more and Americans soon will not be able to afford even the crap made in commie countries because they are jobless.
Well, this problem might be correcting itself, at least to some small degree. Garment workers in Bangladesh have been protesting in an attempt to win increases in their minimum wage from $24.00 per month to $72.00 per month. Of course, the employers consider that figure highly unreasonable and say than can’t increase wages beyond $30.00 per month.
http://www.just-style.com/analysis/caution-is-key-when-buying-from-bangladesh_id108126.aspx
Bangladesh is not a member of NAFTA.
If there’s a legitimate grievance, it’s up to his Administration to petition the WTO that this company is dumping bags. If that’s the case we can impose tariffs.
Obama isn’t interested in saving American businesses or jobs.
Especially in red states.
Anyway - they only employ 70 workers.
Michelle Obama has more people than that waiting on her and tending her garden.
/sarcasm/
It’s not free trade. It’s Globalist crony crapitalism.
Free trade is great as long as it’s somebody else’s job. Cheap shirts and jeans at Target, hey, I’ve bought those. One by one, the companies keep sending our jobs overseas, because its pays for each company and its shareholders. Then you add it all up and you get a recession that not one bank or manufacturer is responsible for, and, of course, the politicians are never responsible for anything. 10% unemployment (20% effective), and I don’t shop at Target anymore.
Lol, totally true, but the resident pretend free traders are either unable, or unwilling to find any connection whatsoever between the increased government spending on programs for the poor and low wage earners (which contribute to the US budget deficit), and the export and outsourcing of US jobs, and the trade deficit.
The U.S. government can use a number of different WTO-approved mechanisms to reduce or block imports from another country. If it finds that a country has been selling goods at “less than fair value,” it can pursue a dumping investigation. If it finds that a country has been illicitly subsidizing its exports, it can take up a countervailing duty case. Those are the two most common approaches, and each involves a two-stage investigation. First, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determines whether the domestic industry has been injured. Second, the Commerce Department assesses the extent of the exporting country’s violation—the dumping margin or the size of the subsidy. In the end, tariffs may be applied.
I camp out a lot, never heard of them... what do they make?
Advisor: Mr. President, the People have no bread.
Obama: Then let them eat cake.
I decided in advance only to comment on the most egregious examples of failing to read the article, because I correctly guessed that many would not. The reason Exxel is getting screwed is because some politicians got together and tried to boost some poor countries. So it's not "crony capitalism" at all, but rather "good intentions run amok." The government is quite good at it.
If they really employ only 70 workers and make 2 million a year, there is only .07 of an hour of labor in each bag. It would seem like labor costs would not not be a big problem.
The gummint has been very good fighting monopolies, regulating Wall Street, banks, even if it is always behind the curve (Madoff could’ve been caught 10 years earlier.) But it has done nothing about the export of U.S. jobs, the outsourcing, not a fogging thing. I can’t imagine any other country tolerating such a situation. Do the Germans, the French outsource their jobs to India? Yeah, you bet, globalist Bush’s and Bush’s fault!
Much like the resident blowhard protectionists don't just come clean and admit that they want Uncle Sugar to run every aspect of their lives in exchange for a steady paycheck.
Lol, a typical, inane non-answer.
And you react precisely like a woman. Need a hug? Would you feel better if the government ran health care?
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