Europeans Plan to Press for Tariffs Against U.S.

The New York Times ^ | December 6, 2003 | ALAN COWELL

[Broadside Joe]

Well gee I guess that means we boycott all things 'Old Europe'. Start making a list.

[areafiftyone]

Well well well the NY Slimes is just a bundle of good news today as always. (/sarcasm)

Check out this story Employers Balk at New Hiring, Despite Growth. No wonder the DUers and Democrats love this paper so much. It takes any good news about this country and screws it around in the opposite direction. They make me sick!

[zarf]

"It's a message sent within Europe," he said. "It's a basic lesson: union equals might and strength. It's why we are building Europe."

Jeeze....next thing ya know they'll be putting on the pith helmets and rounding up the Jews.

Strike that last comment....there are no more Jews in Europe.

[RiflemanSharpe]

Free trade is going to cost his country more then most of us can imagine.

[OpusatFR]

Sounds like the Europeans and the Democrats are working on defeating President Bush by collusion. I wouldn't doubt they are in conference and coordinating their moves.

I have one question for the democrats: Once you oust the GOP (fat chance), do you really think that you will be able to recover what you have destroyed?

Reordering the world on socialism and a global UN mandate won't allow you to govern from the top down safely because those at the bottom of your oligarchy won't cooperate.

[Savage Beast]

"It's a basic lesson: union equals might and strength."

In other words: "United we stand. Divided we fall."

Strange that the Europeans should be discovering this axiom at the very time they are dangerously dividing the Western Alliance though its unity is needed as much as any time in history!

President Bush should call for a summit meeting of the leaders of NATO and Russia as soon as possible. These leaders should work out a plan to bring Russia into NATO and all of these nations into a strong political and economic alliance. The problems of international terrorism, Third World immigration, and shrinking Western populations should be a part of the discussion.

A strong Western Alliance, including Russia, is essential to the future of the world and is important to victory in the War Against Terror.

[Broadside Joe]

"Sounds like the Europeans and the Democrats are working on defeating President Bush by collusion"

They are as has been posted here a week or so ago. There is in fact an effort underway to do just that.

[Broadside Joe]

"Jeeze....next thing ya know they'll be putting on the pith helmets and rounding up the Jews."

This may not be too far from the Truth.

[Cacophonous]

Screw the boycott. Put some teeth in it. Impose an import tariff.

This is precisely one of the situations where Adam Smith called for import tariffs...as revenge against other countries for imposing tariffs on us.

It never amazes me that the neo-Cons thump their chests and swagger about how much more powerful we are than everyone else, and have no second thoughts about using the might of the US military - which is without equal - but get their panties all bunched at the thought of a trade war.

The US should use its economic strength to force change. There is nothing in Europe that the US needs to buy, that we cannot manufacture ourselves. And we have 260 million consumers with a lot of money. Because of the mostly socialist governments in Europe however, there is a lot they cannot do. Bottom line: we don't need them, but they need us. We should use that.

[Broadside Joe]

But now we have the stupid WTO. (gee I wonder if the deck is stacked against us?) Or can we get out of it? As far as a boycott goes, Uncle Sam has nothing to do with it, therefore the WTO (euroweenies) can do nothing to retaliate against us. After all, we're talking mainly about France and their butt boys in speed bump country. They'll feel the love rather quickly. And if not, then put tariffs on everything as you say.

[Always Right]

The EU is acting like a rouge terrorist group. You appease the arogant bastards and they ask for more. I would put the steel teriffs back immediately.

[Cacophonous]

I'm no international lawyer, but I would be really curious as to what would happen if we just told the WTO to take a hike. It would establish a terrific precedent for leaving all the other multinational socialist organizations we belong to (i.e., the UN).

What are they gonna do, start a trade war with us? Hell, we're starting it. They'd collapse without our participation anyway.

[Cacophonous]

A rouge terrorist group? Is that like the "Clowns Gone Bad"?

[gaspar]

This foolishness would stop in a heartbeat if we threatened a 150% ad valorum tax on wines and spirits -- and meant it.

[Always Right]

A rouge terrorist group? Is that like the "Clowns Gone Bad"?

LOL, that works.

[section9]

The answer is rather simple. Withdraw from the WTO.

The Europeans are overplaying their hand. They win a political victory that forced Bush to climb down from steel tariffs that he shouldn't have proposed in the first place. Bush's climbdown is actually a good thing. However, methinks that they are trying to give subsidized outfits like Airbus a leg up. Bush will actually win domestic political points by standing up to the Eurotrash.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Broadside Joe]

I'd say that the United League of Nations would be a better place to start. :)

[Cacophonous]

...methinks that they are trying to give subsidized outfits like Airbus a leg up.

Gee, do ya think? Of course they're trying to give subsidized firms like airbus a leg up (it's part of the subsidy); it's why any thing resembling the current definition of "free trade" cannot possibly work. No, the tariffs were a mistake because they left too many loopholes.

[Cacophonous]

I'd pick one day, say a Tuesday, at 2:47 PM, and walk out on all of them en masse.