George Will: Irony And Steel

Washington Post ^ | Sunday, November 16, 2003 | George F. Will

[presidio9]

This is going to be entertaining.

All the Democrats seeking to evict George Bush from the White House denounce him for "unilateralism," meaning insufficient respect for international institutions and obligations.

Now some of those Democrats may turn on a dime and demand that he defy an international organization and disregard clear obligations freely entered into by ignoring the World Trade Organization.

Last week the WTO said, for a second time, something that hardly needs saying at all -- that the tariffs the Bush administration imposed 20 months ago on imported steel are not justified by any demonstrated surge in steel imports and are as illegal as picking pockets, which all tariffs do.

As adolescents say when told something obvious: Duh.

[.cnI redruM]

The Dems are a far more insular party than the GOP on economic issues. They are afraid to let anyone trade outside their sphere of influence, because they don't like anything to happen that they can't personnaly control. Most of the people that lobby for higher tariffs totally ignore the negative externalitites tariffs generate for other areas of the domestic economy. This is becasue the tariff-mongers have no legitimate intrest in the welfare of the American worker. They are only after power and control.

[presidio9]

Actually, I think it goes deeper than that. Democrat unease with economic issues stems from the fact that most of them have never had the slightest interest in what really drives an economy. If they did, they probably wouldn't be Democrats, right? They don't like talking about economic issues, because they understand their weakness and they hate looking like they don't know what they are talking about. Bill Clinton freely admitted that he did not understand economics and had no interest in learning when he kept Alan Greenspan on.

[DugwayDuke]

As you two are about to learn it is not only the democrats who favor tariffs or do not understand economics. Just wait until the 'real' conservatives show up on this thread to castigate you for all sorts of crimes against humanity and the American Worker because you don't support tariffs to protect American jobs even though those tariffs are attempts to pick the pockets of American workers and cost more jobs than they save. Just wait.

[BMiles2112]

You beat me to it. As soon as one of our protectionist friends shows up, he'll ping all his buddies, and we'll be called everything but a conservative, every last one of us.

[.cnI redruM]

In interesting way, that makes me have slightly more respect for 'His Billness' than previously. (.0001 > 0)

He may not have understood economics, but he was smart enough to keep a guy around who did.

[.cnI redruM]

Hey Duke, do you work in military testing?

I wondered, because your screen name suggests you hail from Dugway, Utah.

[presidio9]

Believe me, I have been well-lectured here on the horrors of outsourcing.

[.cnI redruM]

You're not just outsourcing jobs. You're outsourcing an entire way of life. All Real Conservatives know we can't let free enterprise do that to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BMiles2112]

Awww, don't make me break out the eternally ignored and mocked "buggy whip" argument.

COMMIE!!

[.cnI redruM]

Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your whips and chains!

Wait a minute.....I rather like whips and chains :P

[Eric in the Ozarks]

No matter what Bush does, finished steel, in coils from Eastern Europe, will continue to be subsidized by German, Polish and Swedish governments and is often used as the "backhaul" for grain vessels coming into the Great Lakes to pick up our subsidized grain. I've observed steel coils being unloaded in Duluth (destination Newton, IA) from a "saltie" ship which loads hard winter wheat headed for Italy the next day.

[BMiles2112]

I am interested in seeing how Bush responds to this. Will brought up some good points. The tariff was obviously a political move to court the steel unions and assorted protectionists, not an economic move. Now he's being threatened by a global organization, (which is irritating, because I agree with them), and the Dems will basically attack Bush either way he goes. Defy a global, (and therefore good), organization and be attacked or try to remove the tariff and be attacked for hurting the "working class steel workers" consisting of 125,000 people nationwide.

[GungaLaGunga]

US steel companies cannot sell competitively in Europe or Asia. It has nothing to do with the shipped cost but everything to do with the landed price foreign governments and cartels heap on US produced metal. And for those who think that this will only be limited to steel, looking at what China and Japan are doing to microchips and processors. Just ask Intel....

[Eric in the Ozarks]

US Steel just bought into one of the European steel companies...can't remember which one. They also own a piece of one of the big South American iron ore operations which ships ore to Gulf Coast and St. Lawrence Seaway-accessable steel mills. The SA mines ship at 250,000 tons per shipment, discharging in eastern Canada. Great Lakes boats pick up the ore and take it down to Cleveland and Gary.
Looks like the strategy of American steel markers is; if you can't beat em, buy em.

[Agnes Heep]

As you two are about to learn it is not only the democrats who favor tariffs or do not understand economics. Just wait until the 'real' conservatives show up on this thread to castigate you for all sorts of crimes against humanity and the American Worker because you don't support tariffs to protect American jobs even though those tariffs are attempts to pick the pockets of American workers and cost more jobs than they save. Just wait.

I've experienced it myself.

[.cnI redruM]

Hopefully, he'll ditch the stupid tariff. Fast.

[BMiles2112]

To any interested, a posting that cries about the harm of free trade has been posted here:


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1023409/posts

[DugwayDuke]

In four years, you're the first to notice the connection with Dugway Proving Grounds. I did live at Dugway for about 18 months. I left in 1996. While there I got my Great Dane "Duke". Not being too original, I just combined the two for my screen name, IOW, you're exchanging posts with a Great Dane from Utah...

[lepton]

They are afraid to let anyone trade outside their sphere of influence, because they don't like anything to happen that they can't personnaly control. Most of the people that lobby for higher tariffs totally ignore the negative externalitites tariffs generate for other areas of the domestic economy.

Dead on...though this particular malady is very prevalent among Democrats, it is hardly limited to them. I'll also give the benefit of the doubt to some in that it isn't always just that they don't like it because they don't control it, but many just can't see how it can work without control.