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We Do Not Have a Trade Deficit, We have a capital surplus
National Review ^ | 12/06/2016 | Kevin Williamson

Posted on 12/07/2016 8:34:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: deficit; surplus; trade
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To: SeekAndFind

The US economy has benefited immensely by the respect for property rights and the safety of investments from illegal seizure guaranteed by law and the US Constitution. Foreigners be they corporations or individuals with surplus wealth wish to have their real assets in dollars, dollar denominated investments or real estate. As a result of political and economic instability in the EU,the Mideast and Asia Huge amounts of foreign capital have greatly supported the US economy. Prime American real estate has skyrocketed as foreigners invest heavily. American equity and bond markets have grown with huge amounts of transferred foreign capital. Sadly little of this capital has been put into new job creating endeavors. Without this foreign transfer, Obama’s economy would have collapsed.


21 posted on 12/07/2016 8:47:40 AM PST by allendale
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To: impimp
I care about the long term strength of the US Constitution. I do not care about trade deficits and their impacts on semi-skilled middle class Americans.

Will an angry, pauperized population support the Constitution instead of socialism? You need to think this through a bit more.

22 posted on 12/07/2016 8:47:58 AM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens")
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To: SeekAndFind

Lost me when I saw: Kevin Williamson. A fervent anti-Trump chump.


23 posted on 12/07/2016 8:48:26 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: SeekAndFind

But but, THEY TOOK OUR JERBS!!!


24 posted on 12/07/2016 8:49:48 AM PST by babble-on
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To: SeekAndFind; Jane Long; BlackFemaleArmyCaptain; LS

National Review has been anti-Trump and anti-Worker for forever. And Kevin McCarthy is that typical “conservative legislator” who is a frickin’ wuss when bending over for democrats, but with his buddy Paul Ryan, has suddenly found an opposition voice....to their own candidate Donald Trump.

They gave Obama everything. They never fought him on anything. But, now they’re prepared to engage in battle with Trump over Trump’s determination to put America, American jobs, and American workers first.

And National Review, also establishment attack rat against Trump, is the little weasel thing that cackled from the lap of Jabba the Hut. If they would only strangle on their own self serving words.

Let’s say it again. There is no such thing as a free market. It is an ideal type. It is a fantasy. It is a term that imagines a fairy dust that results in everyone getting along, playing by ‘the rules’, being honest, and ignoring opportunities to put their finger on the scale of “free and balanced”. IOW, it doesn’t exist.

Tariffs are designed to rebalance those scales.

Let’s repeat what Steve Moore said the other day on FBN: the US taxes its own exports and does not tax imports.

Foreign countries manipulate currencies, construct impediments, obfuscate, lie, steal, cheat and kill.

And we call that a “free market”.


25 posted on 12/07/2016 8:50:41 AM PST by xzins
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To: SeekAndFind

I find it humorous that the libertarian minded, right-wing hippies keep talking about this ‘investment’ without ever specifying exactly where it goes, as though they have completely forgotten about the Austrian School’s warnings about mal-investment.


26 posted on 12/07/2016 8:50:54 AM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens")
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To: SeekAndFind

NR has always been the bastion of “free traitors”, hence their undying support of Cruz.

Their version of conservatism is dead.

Finally.


27 posted on 12/07/2016 8:52:39 AM PST by datura
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To: SeekAndFind

This article completely ignores the reason why it’s cheaper to make things in China. The US has too many regulations tying us down and we have things such as child labor laws. Fair trade is critical. If we are going to have child labor laws then we need to only trade with other countries that have similar child labor laws or impose a tariff. That’s the easiest way to implement tariffs that people will get behind and back. And at the same time deregulate a ton of the garbage we put on our businesses via the EPA and other federal agencies. Finally, change the tax code so that people pay the tax and not the businesses. People ultimately pay for it anyway...taxing the business is just a way to hide taxes from the people. If we tax the people then they may actually care to control gov’t spending.


28 posted on 12/07/2016 8:52:44 AM PST by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: SeekAndFind
The mystery isn’t why so many foreigners want to invest in U.S. assets but why Americans invest so little.

I don't this particular globalist puke, but his level of intellectual dishonesty is right up there with CNN and the commie Democrats.

Americans can't invest in America mainly because their investment capital is stolen in the form of taxes, regulations, licenses, fees, environmentalism, and hordes of other tyrannical anti-American policies, most of which are fully supported by the globalist RINOs.

American citizens need three times the start-up capital for any sort of business here than an immigrant would need for the same sort of business.

29 posted on 12/07/2016 8:52:45 AM PST by meadsjn
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To: SeekAndFind

“Someone should explain this to the president-elect, assuming it is possible to explain things to him.”

Someone should explain to the anti-Trump chumps that elections have consequences, assuming it is possible to explain things to the elitists a-holes at NR.


30 posted on 12/07/2016 8:53:55 AM PST by jospehm20
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To: stephenjohnbanker; Liz; Jim Robinson
Do any FReepers still read NR ?

Only the butt hurt Never Trumpers.

Please contribute to the new Trump charity to help the NR thugs and Never Trumpers on Free Republic in deep butt hurt!


31 posted on 12/07/2016 8:54:13 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Hey, whining losers,Trump will just go ahead & make things better for us without you!!!!")
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To: SeekAndFind

What is National Review? Is that like the MSNBC of weekly magazines?


32 posted on 12/07/2016 8:55:03 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz (Election 2016 - Best election ever.)
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To: Cicero

I think what he is trying to say is that the globalists aren’t finished squeezing us until there is nothing left. Then we won’t have “excess capital”.


33 posted on 12/07/2016 8:56:01 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: pierrem15

I care about the long term strength of the US Constitution. I do not care about trade deficits and their impacts on semi-skilled middle class Americans.


And that’s why this man is ignorant because he doesn’t even understand why the constitution or why country was founded

What was the point of the Constitution but to empower and promoter that same semi-skills middle class what was the country at that time...


34 posted on 12/07/2016 8:56:02 AM PST by tophat9000 (Tophat9000)
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To: SeekAndFind

This is one of the dumbest people on Earth.


35 posted on 12/07/2016 8:58:00 AM PST by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: impimp
I care about the long term strength of the US Constitution. I do not care about trade deficits and their impacts on semi-skilled middle class Americans.

So uncontrolled immigration is good for the long term strength of the Constitution?

Of course foreign purchase of businesses is also good for the long term strength of the Constitution.

Yes, why care about those low skilled Americans, when we can have high paid positions going to H1B visa holders, who are displacing those low skilled Americans. Also fantastic for the long term strength of the Constitution.

36 posted on 12/07/2016 8:58:30 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: meadsjn
The mystery isn’t why so many foreigners want to invest in U.S. assets but why Americans invest so little.

One reason foreigners want to invest so much in U.S. assets is that the U.S. dollar is so much more stable than their own currency. People and institutions in the U.S. have a much different approach to investing because the U.S. dollar IS their own currency.

37 posted on 12/07/2016 9:00:38 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: SeekAndFind
I think this guy really misses the mark on a lot of things, but it's good to read this piece in the context of this thread posted earlier:

Work without Men

38 posted on 12/07/2016 9:03:44 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: SeekAndFind
"One of the reasons for that is that Trump has the question of trade deficits mixed up in his head with the question of offshoring and, like most Americans, he does not understand either of them very well."

However he does understand loss of jobs has impoverished the middle class. Does McCarthy understand that?

39 posted on 12/07/2016 9:03:44 AM PST by ex-snook (The one true God sent Jesus here to show us the way.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“When Walmart orders $1 million worth of flip-flops from a Chinese concern, those Chinese gentlemen receive 1 million delicious U.S. dollars, which they are very happy and grateful to have. But what can you do with U.S. dollars? You can buy stuff from U.S. companies or you can buy assets from sellers who take U.S. dollars, which ultimately means U.S.-based investments.”

What kind of assets?
US Treasuries
Real Estate
Entire Factories


40 posted on 12/07/2016 9:04:16 AM PST by Mr. Peabody
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