[phil_will1]

"It's not clear to me and I don't think it will be clear to the voting public how the consumption tax will help in the battle against offshoring..........

I think the question of a 1% tariff on all imported goods and services should be asked to every Congressional candidate and the presidential candidates."

Its clear to you that a 1% differential in the cost of imports would cause a significant shift in consumer preferences, but a 23% shift won't? Are you serious?

[phil_will1]

"It's not clear to me and I don't think it will be clear to the voting public how the consumption tax will help in the battle against offshoring.."

The consumption tax may not help prevent offshoring; it would change the pricing dynamic for goods, rather than services. The point I should have been clearer about is that if the demand for our hard goods goes up dramatically, the offshoring of labor wouldn't be felt so much. On the other hand, it isn't clear to me what a 1% tariff on goods and services, even if practical (and I'm not sure it is), would accomplish.