Posted on 03/03/2016 9:11:03 AM PST by eastforker
No, you do not seem to want to listen. Your model is too simplistic. You cite ONE factor (or group of factors). It IS a biggie. We all agree it must be corrected. But there are other factors, or a bunch of these really socialist countries would not ALSO be thumping us. How do you explain THEM?
Going back to China, just one example — I’ve spent too much time here today, already — of “other factors”: Free trade is not free trade when one’s trade “partner” steals one’s intellectual property! Going back to my “widgets”, if China steals my design for “Widget A”, I might, at great trouble and cost, be able to get importation of “A” effectively blocked. But I am screwed on selling “A” into China because THEY have tariffs, regulations, etc., to make that difficult, in addition to their lower domestic price to begin with. Meanwhile, at home, MY product probably got a bad rap because the clones that were made with MY freaking logo and a “Made in USA” sticker on them failed regularly. A few months later, better quality Chinese copies that are not quite such obvious clones show up (they are quite clever at this) or are available from some new distributor.
How the heck do I compete with that? How do I compete with currency manipulation, or lopsided tariffs and regulations in a country I would like to export to? (I can go on and on.)
What do you tell my ex-employees?
Thanks—your post 277 is very thought provoking.
They might well pull it off. You never know. I love America more than I hate the gop wing of the uniparty, so I hope DT is successful.
As for Teddy, those who are willing to look with an open mind are not going to like what they see. Campaigns are very good at showing the candidates as they really are. Assuming we’re willing to give a critical and honest look.
Intellectual property issues are another story. You need legal protection in IP issues but IP issues are off point here. It has nothing to do with what Trump is talking about. Trump is calling it a loss when you have to pay ($500 billion) someone else (China) for goods. That assertion is a farce. And I’m a Trump supported - in fact I just voted for him early in my state.
The whole concept of “trade deficit “ is wrongheaded - there is nothing presumptively wrong with my spending more money to you for some goods than how much you spend to buy other goods from me.
Totally agree.
It had to be said and Trump is facing a mammoth task with Kelly, the establishment crowd, and if the other two candidates attack repeating the establishment line.
From the pundits today it seems to have backfired as most are saying that Romney and the establishment was well out of order.
Well said. Cruz, Rubio and Ryan are huge disappointments. Romney less so because his betrayal isn’t a surprise.
That is not what Trump is saying. Our imports from China in 2015 totaled $482 Billion. He and the “trade deficit” folks call this a $500 billion LOSS. How utterly false and misleading.
There’s nothing misleading about the $500 billion. The chicoms are getting OUR money and our up to no good with it. We will pay the piper sooner or later on this.
“What Trump is proposing is exactly that. Instead of me paying $100 for goods from China, I’ll be forced to pay $200 for the same thing because of these stupid taxes and protectionist measures.”
Your not thinking this through....
The $100 you pay for goods from China is in addition to the cost of paying our unemployed workers and their families to keep them alive with our tax dollar or borrowed money from the Chinese. We don’t save money by putting our people out of work.
I’m a simple person, no higher degrees in economics.
Any simple person, even a high school dropout, can understand that if you spend $100 at the grocery store, that money stays in US circulation and helps hire people at the grocery store, for one thing.
Buying Chinese (etc) made goods, even if you can find ones that aren’t crap, means money hires CHINESE people.
You are either incredibly dense or playing words games thinking you can fool everyone, and I don’t care which. Globalism SUCKS and makes life more miserable for everyone except the corporatists and their buds.
And it assumes displaced workers will find some other equivalent (in terms of overall cost of living) employment. For most of America’s history, those things were true. Unfortunately, they are true no longer.
Apparently everyone is supposed to be employed in debt collecting, the “service” industry (maids? nailologists? psychologists?), and various levels of gov from local to fed. Oh, and fast food.
You appear to be a libertarian. That’s why you can’t think straight....
He can’t get it. For some odd reason.
How YOU perceive me has NOTHING to do with how I think.
You’ve gone off the rails so I’m done conversing with you.
You just can’t reply as to why sending $500 billion a year to China hurts the US.
I’m not “perceiving” you, I merely describe what you are saying. Libertarians want “a free flow of goods and people” across borders. I don’t know your views on the people/borders part, but globalist economy is obviously what you think is excellent.
We like to think that but, in fact, the federal government is controlled by lobbyists. What they produce is not even seen by our representatives until it is a finished product. The trade deals are always sold that they will increase good jobs but, in the end, there are fewer jobs of any kind. As a result more costs for unemployment, training and health care are shifted to the federal government. Consequently the federal government gets blamed.
The lobbyists don’t pass unconstitutional federal laws, the federal government does. The federal government, not lobbyists, unconstitutionally forces higher taxes, minimum wage, suffocating regulations, and protection of unions.
The federal government is ABSOLUTELY to blame for driving business out of America. The fact these corrupt career politicians take bribes doesn’t excuse their behavior, it makes them more culpable. Nobody’s forcing them to take bribes. They need to be thrown out on their heinies.
You keep excusing the rogue $4 trillion mostly unconstitutional federal government beast and blaming free enterprise for our economic woes. Are you sure you’re on the right site? This is a “conservative” site that supports the Constitution, limited government, and free enterprise.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.