Bush may lift steel tariffs

Reuters ^ | Wed 12 November, 2003 00:55 | Adam Entous and Doug Palmer

[Pubbie]

Good, drop the Sanctions and destroy the Union led US Steel Industry.

Go Dubya!

[putupon]

Bush may lift steel tariffs

Dubya crapped in his (our) pants on this one, it's about changed them.

[eskimo]

The Bush kid will do as he is told. I have no doubt of that.

[ClintonBeGone]

Dubya crapped in his (our) pants on this one, it's about changed them.

His political pandering on this issue - its just like lying - you get caught with your pants down (to kinda borrow your analogy).

[sam_paine]

The Bush kid will do as he is told.

Gee whiz, the article says "the Bush Kid" has a mixed record of "oding what his advisors tell him." I thought he was just a schlep puppet? Is it possible that he's weighing the advice from the "Bush Elder" crowd and then making his own decisions.

Well which is it cynics, either he's a sock puppet or he's making his own decisions, for better or for worse.

[Dog Gone]

Bush should drop the steel tariffs. We're already paying more for steel because of it, and we're about to get whacked on our exports.

The steel industry domestically needs to become competitive, or it SHOULD die.

Competition makes us strong. Protectionism makes us weak. Adam Smith at work.

[GnL]

That could spark a political backlash from steel makers and workers in next year's presidential election.

You mean he might lose votes from people who would never have voted for him anyway?

[eskimo]

Well which is it cynics, either he's a sock puppet or he's making his own decisions, for better or for worse.

I would guess sock puppet. If it were not so we would likely see some consistency in actions taken instead of the politically opportunistic vacillations.

[hedgetrimmer]

There is no competition with slave labor, unless you become a slave yourself.

[Willie Green]

The bizarre aspect of this is that it isn't really about Euroweenie steel.
The dumping comes from nations like China, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Russia, etc. etc.
The Euroweenies have shackled their own production with regulatory restrictions worse than we have.

This whole charade is actually being choreographed by the global Automotive Cartel, including "The Big Three": Daimler-Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.

[.cnI redruM]

It's nice to see the GOP become a less socialistic political organization. Now if we can just sh--can that Perscription Drug Panderation Act.

[Freemeorkillme]

In addition, Dog, Bush now gets to play Cool Hand Luke in international relations. "Oh, I'm forced to repeal."

Win-win? That's my guess.

[Freemeorkillme]

Ditto, redruM!

"sh--can that Perscription Drug Panderation Act"

[Willie Green]

The steel industry domestically needs to become competitive, or it SHOULD die.

U.S. Steelmaking technology remains among the most productive in the world.

2000 National Productivity of Steel Production

Country	Steel Production  (million metric tons)	Employment  (thousands)	Productivity (tons/employee)
Australia	8.5	21	404
Austria	5.7	12	475
Belgium	11.6	20	580
Brazil	27.9	63	443
Canada	16.6	56	296
Finland	4.1	8	512
France	21.0	37	567
Germany	46.4	77	602
Italy	26.7	39	684
Japan	106.4	197	540
Luxembourg	2.6	4	650
Netherlands	5.7	12	475
South Korea	43.1	57	756
Spain	15.8	22	718
Sweden	5.2	13	400
United Kingdom	15.2	29	524
United States	101.5	151	672

In some instances, state of the art mini-mill operators, such as Nucor, are capable of producing in excess of 1000 tons/employee. Overall, our national average is skewed slightly downward due to the necessity of operating large integrated mills to process steel from ore. The high-tech minimills are primarily scrap recyclers.

The problem is, the globo-weenies label some antiquated, Soviet-era pollution belcher in Belarus as being "more efficient" simply because the workers receive a weekly wage consisting of a couple bushels of cabbage and beets, and maybe a bottle of vodka. They can produce steel "cheaper" that way. Then in the same breath, the globo-weenies demonize American technology as "buggy whips". What a pile of horse manure!

[Dog Gone]

There is no competition with slave labor, unless you become a slave yourself.

If that were true, any slave state would be an economic superpower.

[Sonny M]

Off all the things he could have tariffed, why he chose steel, is weird. Everything that used steel automatically would go up in price, Harley davidson was complaining that its bikes, which are made in the US were going up in price to compensate, construction costs in home building were going up, etc.

Granted, other countries are subsidizing there steel, and dumping here, we could have retaliated that way. Though I loathe subsidies.

[oceanview]

most freepers won't be happy until everything is gone, except walmart jobs, and then they will want those to go for to the lowest wage workers too.

[hedgetrimmer]

China

[oceanview]

its the "race to the bottom", everybody loses except the oligarchs who remain.