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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
However, since their government subsidizes their businesses, and our tax money subsidizes their businesses, not to mention the devalued yuan, the high-tariffs against our imports, and other complete manipulation of the market, you can hardly call this free trade or a free market

Well, of course, since you know everything about free trade, you also know that the WTO allows a country that imports an item which was subsidized in production by the home country to levy a tariff on the item equal to that of the subsidy in the home country--so, really what you are saying is not relevant to our discussion. The WTO allows a country to negate the subsidy.

Second, I understand that you are obviously a Statist. I think you have some fundamental misunderstandings about the workings of Capitalism; or, perhaps worse, you understand Capitalism well, but rather choose to ignore it in favor of an all-powerful State. I lean towards the former, given your ignorance of WTO trade rules.

I frankly don't understand what you think you accomplish by denouncing laissez-faire economics; it has a remarkable track record, despite the efforts of folks like you in trying to destroy it through things like minimum wage laws, anti-trust laws, etc. We will win. Free trade will win. By the time the elections roll around in Nov., we will have had 16 straight years of Presidents who have pushed a free trade agenda. It will not change.

104 posted on 02/01/2004 9:42:59 AM PST by Viva Le Dissention
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To: Viva Le Dissention
"WTO allows a country that imports an item which was subsidized in production by the home country to levy a tariff on the item equal to that of the subsidy in the home country--so, really what you are saying is not relevant to our discussion. The WTO allows a country to negate the subsidy. "

If you believe that the WTO rules are being followed by the PRC then you have already had way too much koolaid. Why do you think our Commerce department recently was ranting about fair trade with China - to no avail?
Why do you think our textiles and furniture companies are going out of business? China has been dumping goods with the intention of driving them out of business.
Yet, China still qualifies as a 3rd world country in need of our tax money through OPIC. Outrageous.
And, all the while, they are stealing patents from Wrigley's Gum to Cisco routers.

Is the Koolaid sweet enough for you?
129 posted on 02/01/2004 10:21:13 AM PST by LibertyAndJusticeForAll
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To: Viva Le Dissention
We will win. Free trade will win. By the time the elections roll around in Nov., we will have had 16 straight years of Presidents who have pushed a free trade agenda. It will not change.

Ronald Reagan saved Harley-Davidson with a Protective Tariff.

Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan had a very different definition of free trade from this administration.

Here is a direct quote Ronald Reagan's 1984 Republican Party Platform:

"But free trade MUST BE FAIR trade. It works only when all trading partners accept open markets for goods, services, and investments. We will review existing trade agreements and vigorously enforce trade laws including assurance of access to all markets for our service industries. We will pursue domestic and international policies that will allow our American manufacturing and agricultural industries to compete in international markets. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THE LOSS OF AMERICAN JOBS TO nationalized, subsidized, protected foreign industries, particularly in STEEL, automobiles, mining, footwear, textiles, and OTHER BASIC INDUSTRIES. This production is sometimes financed with our own tax dollars through international institutions. We will work to stop funding of such projects that are detrimental to our own economy."

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/site/docs/doc_platforms.php?platindex=R1984

Previous Republican Party Platforms were vigorously in favor of protecting American employees.

We continue to drift away from our Constitutional duty to 'regulate Commerce' in a way that will "insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity"

And we now have a gigantic trade deficit with the largest Communist nation in the world. A nation that imprisons Christians and uses forced prison labor. A nation that owns half of every business within its borders.

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. "

137 posted on 02/01/2004 10:49:43 AM PST by LibertyAndJusticeForAll
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