Jobs Come and Go (One of the smartest economists in the world hits the nail on the head)

www.townhall.com ^ | 11/26/2003 | Walter E. Williams

[tpaine]

Some 'crat would have to decide what US widgets should cost in order to decree the proper tariff on foreign widgets.
-tpaine-


a "practical matter"?

-- "a constantly updated database that reflects current market pricing".
--- "do it day-in, day-out and day-in, it all becomes rather routine".


Sure thing willie, it would all be another routine bureaucracy, -- to thousands..

[XBob]

255 - "Once the 'partners' you have had to work with feel sufficiently confident they have learned from you all proprietary info they need to, (with regard to product manufacture or systems development, and client lists, etc...) then they set up their own independent entity duplicating...and competing with your company for your own business. Totally disregarding and evading the contractual non-compete provisions, and the intellectual property rights you are entitled to. "

Exactly correct. That's how South Korea developed (we taught them as our allies in Vietnam), and it is exactly what is happening now with our enemies (China).

[Willie Green]

I thought the purpose was to protect american jobs?

It serves that purpose indirectly without getting government involved in micromanaging our lives.How would that protect a US clothing manufacturer? 10 dollar mexican made blue jeans at $11 are still gonna undercut US made at $15. - [If the US can be made/sold at that price, big IF.]

That large of a discrepancy is more likely with Mexican coffee or bananas, considering that we don't have the right climate to grow coffee or bananas competitively. If foreign competition can still beat the tariff differential, good for them! The revenue tariff only serves as a buffer between different systems of government regulations. (Don't forget, those $15 US jeans will probably be a bit lower because tariff revenue can reduce other domestic taxation.)

[XBob]

256 - "You are competing against all of China, and its horde of intellectual property violators. Your design patent may as well be used for toilet paper"

PR, you got it, most of these fools think we are competing with other societies which have our morals, ideals and economics.

They haven't got a clue.

And 'intellectual property' (which our forefather hought so important) means nothing to them (Either the American fools who we argue with and who steal music and software over the internet or the Chinese).

I have spent hours arguing about the concept of intellectual property with those in the 3rd world, and they don't have a clue, yet they want to be 'rich - just like Americans'.

[XBob]

261 - "E.g., Another 14 million service jobs are slated to go in less than 6 years. And as the manufacturing expertise of the Chinese 'partners' equals ours then no U.S. manufacturing will be able to resist the black-hole of Chinese wages. If the U.S. dollar didn't collapse first, EVERYthing will 'have' to be made in China.

All that will remain in the U.S. will be government jobs and necessarily local employment...construction, maintenance and service fields (Grocery, Gas Station, and other stores). All manufactures and all relocatable productive activities will be relocated to China. "

I look for the collapse of the system around 2010.

[Willie Green]

Sure thing willie, it would all be another routine bureaucracy, -- to thousands..

So what's YOUR proposal, tpaine?

Or are you a naive believer in the compassionate and benevolent invisible-hand of the centralized globo-corporate plutocracy?

[tpaine]

Willie Green:
No, Williams is dead wrong.

Whether it is business or government, the globo-trend is toward merger, acquisition and consolidation of behemoth and oppressive centralized bureaucracies.
I preach a "solution" that emphasizes more decentralization and local responsibility/self-sufficiency/opportunity.
I believe in capitalism with a small "c": extremely fractured and competitive markets.

---

From what Williams writes in his article here, -- he too believes in capitalism with fractured and competitive markets.
I simply don't see him touting "merger, acquisition and consolidation of behemoth and oppressive centralized bureaucracies."
In fact, isn't it true that tariffs need to be administered by such bureaucracies?

I thought the purpose of tariffs were to protect american jobs?
-tpaine-

---

It serves that purpose indirectly

If foreign competition can still beat the tariff differential, good for them!
-willie-

---

Your answer leads us back full circle.
You claimed, -- "Williams is dead wrong." -- Why?
You two only differ on flat tax type tariffs, from what I see.

[moehoward]

Bump that.

[the invisib1e hand]

there is some good sense to this article, though it may not be too popular.

[Willie Green]

You two only differ on flat tax type tariffs, from what I see.

He may whine about the globo-marxists, but he's an anti-tariff shill for the globo-corporate bureacrats.

Walter Williams: "It's always "national security," "level playing fields" and "protecting jobs". Don't fall for it -- we'll all become losers."

Like all the other globo-corporate shills, he totally dismisses as IRRELEVANT issues of NATIONAL SECURITY and disparity of government regulation imposed on domestic production.

Think of it tpaine: Walter Williams approves of a despotic federal government that restricts We the People from utilizing our own natural resources while subjecting our economic endeavors to foreign "competition" that is not similarly encumbered.

YES, I said "despotic".
It precisely fits the definition of tyranny when government policies favor foreign entities over the interests of its own citizenry.
Yes, Walter Williams is WRONG.
The bozo doesn't even think we should have a vested interest in our own National Security.
How more goddam WRONG can you get than that?

[Maria S]

"The lesson is that you have to be quick on your feet. There is ALWAYS work to be done, sometimes you have to make a change, and you find out it's to your own benefit."

Good comment! I would only add that when you ARE making exceptionally good money, don't spend all of it!! Put aside as much as possible for the day when the job may end and you have to learn other skills. Too many people are in debt up to their necks...all while make some big bucks!

[Willie Green]

there is some good sense to this article, though it may not be too popular.

Care to explain Walter's naive and cavalier dismissal of National Security concerns?

Ol' Walter bills himself as a "conservative", but his disregard for National Security sure isn't conservative as far as I'm concerned.

[tpaine]

Wow willie.. Thats quite a little hate on you have for Walt..
He's no god to me either, but I hardly think he's a bozo that "doesn't even think we should have a vested interest in our own National Security."
You need to read up a bit, imo.



Townhall.com: Conservative Columnists: Walter E. Williams
Address:http://www.townhall.com/columnists/walterwilliams/archive.shtml

[Willie Green]

Wow willie.. Thats quite a little hate on you have for Walt..

With his theory of "Trade uber National Security"???

LOL! He's EARNED every bit of venom I can muster!

If I could only get my hands on his economics diploma,
I'd use it to wipe my @$$ and flush it down the commode.

[tpaine]

Heres one for your wiping pleasure willy. A whole column on National Security. -- Enjoy:


TownHall.com: Conservative Columnists: Walter E. Williams
Address:http://www.townhall.com/columnists/walterwilliams/ww20011212.shtml

[the invisib1e hand]

Care to explain Walter's naive and cavalier dismissal of National Security concerns?

I might be mistaken, but I don't think that WEW would advocate, say, General Dynamics selling a bunch of cutting edge nuclear subs to Pakistan.

I scanned the article again...it's sound economics -- let me put it this way: where liberty is protected, free markets promote liberty and prosperity; prosperity, if hoarded, rots. It must, by nature, either grow or die. Prosperity and liberty are mutually dependent.

[the invisib1e hand]

in other words, prosperity and liberty must be exported.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Finding cheaper ways to produce goods and services frees up labor to produce other things. If productivity gains aren't made, where in the world would we find workers to produce all those goods that weren't even around in the 1970s?

Agreed! Thanks for pinging me to this excellent article, Paul.

[DB]

"Try and manufacture something in the U.S. with garage-scale economic backing today."

That's exactly what I've done.

I'm still doing it.

This year was our best year ever.

[XBob]

264 - "Imperial Spain had huge reserves of New World gold so she could play outsourcing game for quite long. Read about Spanish decline."


many thanks for the link. that is very interesting, and it is amazing how many things parallel our own US problems.