[neutrino]

(Chuckle) How funny. If one selects one's data carefully, one can attempt to prove almost anything, now, can't one? But the truth is that the total trade deficit is large and getting larger. The dollar is going lower as a direct consequence thereof. And the industrial and intellectual heart is being cut out of the U.S.A.

All so people can buy cheap trinkets from China.

[Luis Gonzalez]

The dollar being low is scaring the hell out of our competitors, so much so that Japan is trying to keep it up artificially.

The trade deficit is a sign of strength, not weakness.

[Fledermaus]

Yes, our trade deficit is large. But wait! How can that be? According to all you "the sky is falling" types we are all wallowing in poverty!

How could be possibly afford to buy billions of dollars worth of goods from other countries?

But if you want to pay $20 for a Happy Meal because the plastic toy is made in Ohio, fine. Don't cry me a river when you can't afford it.

BTW, how much did you pay for the computer you are using to post your crap? I bet it was A LOT LESS than you would have just 5 or 10 years ago! Open up the back and look at all those chips...Tawain, Japan, Mexico, etc.

I guess you'd rather computers remain $2,500 a piece so some uneducated sap can make $20 an hour putting a gromment in a hole.

Yeah, that makes sense. And where are those workers going to find a job when Dell and everyone else is out of business because no one can afford a new computer?

I wonder - do you volunteer to pay more for the products you purchase? I would seriously doubt it. If you are so concerned with one job sector over another then you should be willing to pay extra to protect those jobs.

But I'll bet you $100 you'd never walk into CompUSA and say, "oh, can I pay you another $250 for that TV so I can be happy some American has a job?"

Yeah, I'd love to see that.