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

Skip to comments.

The New Protectionists
opinionjournal ^ | March 10, 2006 | WSJ

Posted on 03/10/2006 12:33:17 PM PST by groanup

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

The New Protectionists - How to create a real security crisis.

Friday, March 10, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST

Dubai Ports World finally threw in the kaffiyah on its American operations yesterday, agreeing to sell them "to a U.S. entity." We hope that entity turns out to be Halliburton, if only for the torment that would cause certain eminences on Capitol Hill.

Dubai Ports was susceptible to this political stampede because it was an Arab-owned company buying port operations, which Democrats have played up as uniquely vulnerable. But this is also the second such mugging of a foreign investor in recent months, following last year's demagoguery against a Chinese company's bid to buy Unocal, a middling American oil company. If Members of Congress want a real security crisis--a financial security crisis--they'll keep this up.

What's especially dangerous here is that we're seeing the re-emergence of the "national security" protectionists. They were last seen in the late 1980s, when Japan in particular was the target of a political foreign-investment panic. The Japanese were buying Pebble Beach and Rockefeller Center, and so America was soon going to be a colony of Tokyo. A Japanese bid for Fairchild Semiconductor of Silicon Valley was seen as a threat to American defense. Those fears seem laughable now. But here we go again, with new targets of anxiety.

snip

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial
KEYWORDS: dpworld; dubai; newprotectionists; oldsellouts; ports; protectionism; wsj
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 301-320321-340341-360 ... 581-590 next last
To: unseen

You forgot to blame free trade for sunspots.


321 posted on 03/12/2006 4:50:04 PM PST by 1rudeboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 320 | View Replies]

To: 1rudeboy
The f-16 plant is a national defense plant and in that regards makes equipment to protect the nations citizens. It is a for profit company true but if maximizing profits ends up killing your shareholders what's the point in keeping the f-16 plant open? If your actions by selling the f-16 planes to not only our friends but our enemies causes us death and destruction then it would be better if your plant never existed.
322 posted on 03/12/2006 4:55:20 PM PST by unseen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 319 | View Replies]

To: 1rudeboy

No sunspots are caused by the sun's change in its electromagnetic currents and happens in a approx 11 year cycle. Which by the way is for casted to start a new cycle soon. This could impact sensitive communications like sat which could cause major problems for international trade.


323 posted on 03/12/2006 5:01:00 PM PST by unseen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 321 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
What do these two have to do with each other? We're not telling them that commerce with us is off limits. We'll buy and sell from you freely but you're not going to own or manage the store.

Thats like saying shop at our grocery store but we are not going to let you rent a parking place in the parking lot. If you can't lease docking space you can't even get in the port. Commerce is off limits if there is no way to ship it.

324 posted on 03/12/2006 5:03:21 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: rcocean
So lets see, all the countries of the world running trade surpluses are wrong.

Where did I say that? Germany has a trade surplus. Does that mean their economy is better than ours?

Massive trade deficits hurt the country as whole, drive down the value of the currency, and transfer control of the economy to foreigners.

How do trade deficits drive down our currency? Last year we had a record deficit, but our currency got stronger against the Yen and the Euro. Maybe you're wrong? And how exactly do foreigners control our economy?

The Chinese, for example, could tomorrow sell their dollars, cause its value collapse

The Chinese hold about $250 billion in US treasuries. Selling those dollars would hardly cause a collapse of the dollar.

resulting in massive inflation and increased interest rates.

Hmmmmm....if selling would cause higher rates and more inflation, buying must have caused lower rates and lower inflation. Now, were you telling us why foreigners were bad for our economy?

325 posted on 03/12/2006 5:08:51 PM PST by Toddsterpatriot ( Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 282 | View Replies]

To: oceanview; jess35; All
enquiring minds want to know.

Evidently they don't buy things to make money, they just buy things to blow them up. They just spent 50 million for Boeing aircraft to blow up. They own CSX containers and have terminals here and they blow them up every week. They blow up the millions of dollars of real estate they own in the US every month. Every year they blow up the the terminals they lease in our international airports.

I guess you're going to really be sad when you find out that a UAE company has cargo terminals at JFK and a UAE company has been awarded a DOD contract to service US Navy ships.

They are going to blow them up in 6 months. I can hardly wait for their next purchase. Hope they buy congress.

326 posted on 03/12/2006 5:21:29 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: oceanview
if you are so wise, tell us why they want to buy a US company that makes turbines for military engines? what interest could they possibly have in that?

What US Company that makes military turbines for military engines?

327 posted on 03/12/2006 5:29:25 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: unseen
If your actions by selling the f-16 planes to not only our friends but our enemies causes us death and destruction then it would be better if your plant never existed.

Thank you. If the above is the case, then I would not sell my F-16's to the U.A.E., shut the line down, tell my workers to take a hike, and pray to the Lord Almighty that the F-16's I already have will never need to be quickly replaced.

Then I would get lambasted on Free Republic for not having any concern for my manufacturing workers, my manufacturing base, and the security of my nation.

We might as well hand our keys over to the ChiComs.

328 posted on 03/12/2006 5:29:26 PM PST by 1rudeboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 322 | View Replies]

To: jec41

I'm not sure of the name, I heard that the issue of this acquisition was also on the table for CFIUS. maybe someone else knows details.


329 posted on 03/12/2006 5:35:05 PM PST by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 327 | View Replies]

To: LowCountryJoe

what "very people" - most republicans were against this port deal too.


330 posted on 03/12/2006 5:36:17 PM PST by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 252 | View Replies]

To: panaxanax; All
I would rather be labeled a "National Defense Protectionist" than a Globalist!

The American Revolution was fought to allow free trade and to abolish taxes. If you don't like free trade just tear up the Constitution and throw it away.

331 posted on 03/12/2006 5:40:01 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: unseen

Yes, and thank you for pointing these facts out. You see in today's "free trade" system, "free people" become
a thing of the past. Free speech, free thought and freedom of association go by the wayside in order not to "offend" "free trade partners".


332 posted on 03/12/2006 5:40:45 PM PST by hedgetrimmer ("I'm a millionaire thanks to the WTO and "free trade" system--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 320 | View Replies]

To: jec41

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-ports0302.artmar02,0,3171289.story?coll=hc-headlines-nationworld

its a london based company with plants in the US, making components that serve DoD projects.


333 posted on 03/12/2006 5:43:21 PM PST by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 327 | View Replies]

To: unseen; All
But since you are tired of facts I will not bore you with any more. Just keep saying to yourself....free trade is good, free trade is good and don't let little facts get in the way of your world-view.

Yeah, protect-ism worked real good 1929-1950. I lived half of that period. You should have lived the other half.

334 posted on 03/12/2006 5:45:42 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: oceanview

The British Navy already uses these ports along with the US.


335 posted on 03/12/2006 5:57:27 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: oceanview
what "very people" - most republicans were against this port deal too.

Really? Then what's this whole 50.1% of Free Republic member opinion about who answered "Bad" or "Really bad" to the following question: "Is the failed port deal bad for America?" More inaccuracies on your part, oceanview?

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=142;results=1

I wonder about you people and whether you really know the definitions to certain simple words - words such as "most".

336 posted on 03/12/2006 6:02:44 PM PST by LowCountryJoe (I'm a Paleo-liberal: I believe in freedom; am socially independent and a borderline fiscal anarchist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 330 | View Replies]

To: unseen; All
Free trade has depressed wages in this country and increased individual's taxes. It has shifted the burden of taxation from Foreign companies to American citizens. The price of the foreign goods in most cases are sold slightly below the price of American goods. American companies must either cut costs (think pensions, healthcare, wages) or cut jobs to compete with the lower cost of foreign goods because the foreign countries do not have programs like social security, environmental regulations, or a standard of living of an American in most cases. The requirement of cost cutting by American businesses and outsourcing further erode the tax base in America shifting more of the responsibilities for the expense of our way of life on the individual backs. This causes Congress to increase taxes to pay for all the programs that we have in the US. I won't argue the merits of these "programs" I'm against most of them. In sum, the concept of Free trade pushes the tax burden from the company level to the individual. Since you now have to pay .40 a gallon of gas in tax you have less money to spend on you own needs and thus you must charge your Visa. Also Free trade cause a net outflow of wealth from this country giving America less power in the world.

Dang, you should have told us that before we fought that old war The American Revolution for free trade. Then we wouldn't have had to write that old Constitution essay.

337 posted on 03/12/2006 6:10:28 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: LowCountryJoe

freerepublic is hardly representative of all republicans who voted for Bush. not even close.


338 posted on 03/12/2006 6:11:22 PM PST by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 336 | View Replies]

To: jess35; oceanview
why do they want to buy a company that makes engine parts for the military? answer the question - WHY!

To make money!!!!!!!!

339 posted on 03/12/2006 6:22:18 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: unseen; jess35
That is the free traders line of BS.

The constitution?

340 posted on 03/12/2006 6:33:06 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 107 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 301-320321-340341-360 ... 581-590 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