Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Record US Trade Deficits Spell Impending Economic Defeat
AmericanEconomicAlert.org ^ | Thursday, February 17, 2005 | William R. Hawkins

Posted on 02/18/2005 9:55:18 AM PST by Willie Green

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 261-266 next last
To: Willie Green

Well, I note that I spend lots more money at Publix Supermarkets than they spend on me. That must mean I'll be going down the tubes to economic defeat pretty soon.


141 posted on 02/18/2005 12:26:58 PM PST by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green

Mr. Hawkins said:

"This [large trade deficit] is a situation usually associated with underdeveloped countries on the brink of financial collapse."

THAT is a FALSE STATEMENT, rather easily disproved.

And Mr. Hawkins also said:

"The Bush Administration is ideologically opposed to doing anything about the deteriorating international situation."

THEREBY exposing his own ideological "agenda" -- since the recent decline in the dollar is hardly a secret.

So, what you're pushing here, Willie, is "Junk Economics".

Maybe you need to spend a few days enjoying the economies of such "Workers' Paradises" as Germany and Japan.

Oh? What's that? High unemployment and economic recessions do NOT fit your definition of "workers' paradise"?

Well, then...

Back to the "ole drawing board" for you, eh?




142 posted on 02/18/2005 12:27:30 PM PST by pfony1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nathan Zachary
What bill collector? What bill? We don't have a MONEY deficit,

Sure we do. Dubya has to borrow money from foreign nations to increase all those government service jobs.

143 posted on 02/18/2005 12:28:00 PM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 138 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green
and pay more for the products they buy

Like that cheap subsidized sugar?

144 posted on 02/18/2005 12:28:01 PM PST by Toddsterpatriot (Protectionism is economic ignorance!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 137 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green
Record US Trade Deficits Spell Impending Economic Defeat

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

We buy lots of things way cheaper than we could buy them if produced domestically (which means we have both the goods as well as extra money to spend on other things, even domestically-produced things) and give the sellers money that they can't use in any other way than to buy U.S. goods and services.
145 posted on 02/18/2005 12:28:24 PM PST by aruanan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: You Dirty Rats

We can cut $34 billion in income and corporate taxes. How much Congress spends is another argument.


146 posted on 02/18/2005 12:29:07 PM PST by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 126 | View Replies]

To: Helium Rat
Here is the map I promised. Note that trade has been in surplus since the Civil War, or so I hear ( I can't seem to find any older data going back that far). Basically, it's been positive since we discovered "industry",as opposed to "agriculture". And it was how we got rich.
147 posted on 02/18/2005 12:31:14 PM PST by Helium Rat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 134 | View Replies]

Comment #148 Removed by Moderator

To: Willie Green

Mr. Hawkins said:

"This [large trade deficit] is a situation usually associated with underdeveloped countries on the brink of financial collapse."

THAT is a FALSE STATEMENT, rather easily disproved.

And Mr. Hawkins also said:

"The Bush Administration is ideologically opposed to doing anything about the deteriorating international situation."

THEREBY exposing his own ideological "agenda" -- since the recent decline in the dollar is hardly a secret.

So, what you're pushing here, Willie, is "Junk Economics".

Maybe you need to spend a few days enjoying the economies of such "Workers' Paradises" as Germany and Japan.

Oh? What's that? High unemployment and economic recessions do NOT fit your definition of "workers' paradise"?

Well, then...

Back to the "ole drawing board" for you, eh?




149 posted on 02/18/2005 12:32:52 PM PST by pfony1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green
It looks like it was 1975.
The value of the dollar has declined significantly since then.

I knew 1975, Willie. 1975 was NOT a good friend of mine -- or other living creatures who like prosperity.

Has the dollar declined since then? Or have we wrung out inflation? Perhaps you don't recall Jerry Ford and the stupid WIN buttons. Or wage and price controls? Or double digit mortgage rates?

150 posted on 02/18/2005 12:34:01 PM PST by Ditto ( No trees were killed in sending this message, but billions of electrons were inconvenienced.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: pfony1
Mr. Hawkins said: "This [large trade deficit] is a situation usually associated with underdeveloped countries on the brink of financial collapse."

THAT is a FALSE STATEMENT, rather easily disproved.

Uganda Trade Deficit Swells
And We have the SAME amount of Public Debt! 62% of GDP !!!
(Okay, Uganda's debt situation is a little better than ours.
Theirs is actually 62.2% and ours is 62.4%
So why quibble over a mere 0.2%???))

151 posted on 02/18/2005 12:35:18 PM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 142 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green

So does every other country. What's the world to do when the world bank calls in all it's debts to all the countries in the world?

As far as the national DEBT is concerned, It's been much higher than it is now, and in fact percentage wise, it's less than it has been, well within perameters. No worries.


152 posted on 02/18/2005 12:35:20 PM PST by Nathan Zachary
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 143 | View Replies]

To: Nathan Zachary
"If you don't think the rest of the world would react, your kidding yourself."

You are correct, it is to late to save the American economy. We as did Spain and England before us by adopting "free trade" policies, will decline as a world economic/miltiary power. Europe has already over taken us in the very hi tech civilian aerospace. Japan and China have over taken us in ship building. Asia has already over taken us in consumer electronics and computers. And the list goes on and on and on. Soon, India will over take us in programming. We have a good lead in medical technology but India is catching up fast.

But we have plenty of forests and farm land so our children can surivive by supplies the more advanced nations with the raw materials thier economies need. Plus, the cost of living in poor nations is much lower that of advanced so we will should be able to attrack plenty of wealthy tourists from the first world nations of the future.

153 posted on 02/18/2005 12:36:16 PM PST by jpsb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Nathan Zachary

First of all, I didn't say toss a tariff on everything. Second, Americans pay the taxes no matter where they're derived from, Third, foreign companies could not compete with us if we start lowering the cost of production.

The 60-70's were when free trade absolutists started to tighten their grip. We had all the free trade talks, we went off the gold standard for good, taxes and spending and inflation went higher and higher. These were not conservative years. These were the years when the enlightened ones took power. Nixon "we're all keynsians now". Give me Ronald Reagan and Calvin Coolidge and Adam Smith any day.


154 posted on 02/18/2005 12:37:26 PM PST by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 133 | View Replies]

To: Mase

I know. I disagree completely with Buckley on this.


155 posted on 02/18/2005 12:38:22 PM PST by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 135 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

A tariff is a tariff is a tariff, no matter what you name it.


156 posted on 02/18/2005 12:40:22 PM PST by Nathan Zachary
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 140 | View Replies]

To: Modernman
I remember the big stink when the Japanese bought Rockefeller Center (for about 3 times what it was worth).

Or when they bought Pebble Beach. Which several years ago they had to sell at a massive loss.

157 posted on 02/18/2005 12:45:15 PM PST by Phantom Lord (Advantages are taken, not handed out)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 122 | View Replies]

To: Nathan Zachary

True, but what's the goal? A protective tariff is used to cause the import's price to be higher than the domestic item's price so that people will buy products made in their own country.

A revenue tariff is an excise used to raise revenue only. The products taxed would be chosen to generate the most revenue with the least harm.

of course, these can be combined. But a protectived tariff is generally much higher, such as the 100 percent tariff that Reagan put on Japanese motorcycles to protect Harley Davidson.


158 posted on 02/18/2005 12:46:59 PM PST by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: Ditto

Oh, I rember those "wonderful times" when I got caught in big debt with a 17% mortgage. The supposed "good old blue collar days when a worker could afford a house"... NOT!!!!! I recall working 20 hrs a day to keep my last nostril above water too! Damn near lost it all back then.


159 posted on 02/18/2005 12:47:31 PM PST by Nathan Zachary
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 150 | View Replies]

To: Willie Green

Willie, debt and deficit are two different words that you seem to be confusing.

"Public debt" is not the same as "trade deficit"


160 posted on 02/18/2005 12:50:58 PM PST by Nathan Zachary
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 151 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 261-266 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson