12/20/2009 3:21:30 AM PST
· 34 of 37 pnh102
to Zhang Fei
Something tells me that even if US imports to Japan were included, there would be very few buyers... just like when we had the same program here the major beneficiaries were Japanese makes.
No surprise. Why shouldn’t Japan do what’s good for Japan? The truth is that the Japanese makes did better under our cash for clunkers program because they’re no affiliated with out government. Nor is Ford, and they did well, too.
So it’s a no-brainer. People will avoit doing business with the government whenever possible. I think this is known by our gov think tanks through game-theory and behavior studies, etc., so garnering our participation and approval requires a lot of coercion.
This whole thing is ridiculous! Just because someone turns in an American/Japanese car, doesn’t mean they will in fact turn around and buy a car from the same country.
They are talking about cars turned in, not bought!
12/20/2009 12:54:14 AM PST
· 27 of 37 maryz
to Zhang Fei
but Japan is supposed to be our ally.
All countries can be expected to act primarily in their own self-interest (well, except the US under Obama). But I would imagine that all our erstwhile allies have noted that the US looks to be an extremely unreliable "ally" under Obama and they'd really better watch out for themselves.
12/19/2009 10:53:27 PM PST
· 23 of 37 Spktyr
to Zhang Fei
Look at it this way - why should Japanese tax dollars go to support the government-owned industry of another country? Ford would be collateral damage of sending a mesage to Obama - since they can’t really justify saying “screw GM and Chrysler, but Ford’s okay” without inviting lawsuits (they legally can discriminate by country but not by company.)
12/19/2009 10:42:49 PM PST
· 22 of 37 tflabo
to Zhang Fei
And our cash for clunkers debacle resulted in most people choosing to buy Japanese or foreign brands. Why not give tax breaks to all and let the people choose if they want to purchase cars or other items. Obamanomics is moronic and adopted by Japan no less. Estupido!
In fact, given American history, culture and attitudes it may be more likely that the exact opposite would happen as Americans reclaim the ideals and principles of the American Revolution.
Wake me up when they start repealing elements of the New Deal. Heck - wake me up when they abolish the Department of Education, something Reagan said he would do in the run-up to the 1980 election. (It was just over a year old when Reagan took office, having been established as a cabinet-level agency in 1979). The problem has always been that he who robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on Paul's support.
Although 0bama may be implementing Cloward-Piven, there is no guarantee that a socialist state would arise from the remains of wreckage. In fact, given American history, culture and attitudes it may be more likely that the exact opposite would happen as Americans reclaim the ideals and principles of the American Revolution.
12/19/2009 10:25:25 PM PST
· 18 of 37 Wiz
to Zhang Fei
I believe China and South Korea should be sanctioned too for their illegal currency exchange levels. They are also having an unfair advantage on trade.
While an interesting story, does it really need to be in breaking news?While an interesting story, does it really need to be in breaking news?
I think it's an ice pick in the eye from a major ally. We expect these kinds of things from the Chinese, but Japan is supposed to be our ally. Reminds me of the time when Japan sold milling machines to the Soviets so they could make quieter submarine propellers (subsequently used in ultra-quiet subs like the Kilo, which the Russians have sold to the Chinese).
Good for Japan. My only quibble is excluding Ford. The sooner Government Motors and Chrysler go bye-bye, the better.
The problem is that they won't go bye-bye. Uncle Sam will keep them afloat no matter what. If a GOP prez couldn't muster the political capital to sink them, do you seriously think Ogabe will let them fail? If taxpayer funds are chained to Detroit's survival, we should at least spend as little as we can rescuing them. One way to do it would have been to restrict Cash for Clunkers to domestic makes.
12/19/2009 10:13:06 PM PST
· 10 of 37 Will88
to Zhang Fei
Why would anyone expect Japan to act any differently. Uncle Sap has allowed them huge access to the US market for decades while they kept their market largely closed to US.
The Asian model for growth: gain maximum access to the US market while keeping your home markets closed. Worked for Japan, then South Korea and now Red China, as well as lesser trading partners.
Let them do it. Free market helps the end consumer.
I'm generally a free trader. But the Dems decided they were going to institute a program to keep Detroit alive - Cash for Clunkers. Well - if you set out to subsidize Detroit, you should subsidize Detroit. Instead, taxpayer funds were wasted subsidizing foreign manufacturers. Letting foreign manufacturers participate in Cash for Clunkers diluted the impact - Detroit's profits were far lower than they could have been because they did not get the full benefit of the program. Detroit will come back to the trough when stimulus funds run out and their sales nosedive again. And more money will be doled out to keep them afloat. Why waste more money when we could have done it right the first time - by excluding foreign makes from Cash for Clunkers?
"...I urge the Japanese government to stop discriminating against American workers and manufacturers, and I urge our government to take action if they continue these discriminatory policies, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said in a statement.
She said that the U.S. program applied to all cars sold in the U.S., not just American cars, which is what I would have greatly preferred.