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Buy America, weaken America
usnews ^ | 3/25/06 | Richard J. Newman

Posted on 03/25/2006 8:07:17 PM PST by ncountylee

The Durabrand 10-inch portable DVD player available at Wal-Mart retails for $199.94. A group of senators would like to raise the price to $254.67. The Creative Zen Nano Plus 512-megabyte MP3 player seems like a bargain at $89.72; less so at $114.39, the price the senators would prefer that you pay. The price hikes would be the result of a 27.5 percent tariff on goods imported from China, a proposal sponsored by Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and is scheduled to come up for a vote in the Senate this week.

Schumer and Graham aren't crazy, of course—they know better than most that taking money out of voters' pockets is a sure way to be sent packing. In other words, that 27.5 percent price hike won't be coming to a retailer near you anytime soon. But as an attention-getter, it's pretty good, and attention is what the two senators, and a number of colleagues who support them, are after. The chief bogeyman they want to flog is China's communist government, which—according to Schumer and the rest—deliberately keeps its currency undervalued in order to sell more cheap imports to the United States and other countries. Reasonable economists differ on that question. The tariff, if you buy the argument, would bring prices on Chinese imports closer to their unsubsidized value, leveling the playing field for honest tradespeople in, say, New York and South Carolina, who can't possibly produce goods as cheaply as the Chinese and still earn enough wages to buy all the DVD and MP players that they need.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 109th; china; economics; globalization; trade
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

How do you stop it without political argument?


81 posted on 03/25/2006 9:12:30 PM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (Our enemies act on ecstatic revelations from their god. We act on the advice of lawyers.)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
The same thing will happen with cars. Then with airplanes.

Then what?

When we have lost all capacity to manufacture anything anymore, will we design our armed forces on Lenovo computers????????????????????????

What on earth are you talking about. A Chinese engineer designed Bowing's first seaplane in 1916 and they have always maintained ties with China. The Chinese already make parts and buy many planes from Boeing. In fact a new 600 million dollar contract. Put tariffs on China they cancel contracts with American companies. It would lay off 25,000 at Boeing alone.

82 posted on 03/25/2006 9:15:57 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
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To: 4rcane
"I recall, on Rush radio show, he talked about a tarrif during the 1930s (government policies) that destroyed the US economy."

From what I understand, our economy was already well in the tank due to the dust-bowl, and the market crash of 1929. I'm still doing research on the SH era, but am still not convinced that the tariffs actually caused problems. I wonder if we were a net exporter, or net importer at that point. That needs to be taken into account as well when predicting possible outcomes of present-day tariffs.

83 posted on 03/25/2006 9:16:00 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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To: Number57
I try to avoid Chinese-made products when possible. One thing I noticed in the Reagan radio address linked earlier in the thread is that he speaks against protectionism where trade is between FREE peoples. The ChiComs are not free.

Given a choice between China or Mexico, I'll buy Mexican-made instead because it might keep folks on that side of the border!

China is a very difficult problem, primarily because of their man power. They could lose half their people and still have more workers than we do. While we invaded Iraq to free its people, we need to work hard to bring freedom to the Chinese because right now their gov't (and its puppets like N Korea) is a risk to everyone.

84 posted on 03/25/2006 9:17:45 PM PST by newzjunkey (All I need is a safe home and peace of mind. Why am I still in CA?)
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To: TBP
"Protecting yourself against those who seek to attack and destroy you is something different from merely protecting yourself from economic competition."

Throughout history, it is shown that a strong economy is necessary to wage war. Warfare, political systems, and economy cannot be seperated, no matter how hard some would wish. Gold is the life's-blood of any army or government.

85 posted on 03/25/2006 9:19:45 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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To: jec41

Back in the 50s and 60s, far more families could afford to raise a family with just the father working as well. While Americans can afford more usesless toys such as consumer electronics, it is more difficult to afford housing, fuel, medical and send children to college.


86 posted on 03/25/2006 9:19:53 PM PST by RFT1
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To: antaresequity
I think what you meant to say was: American products are so vastly uncompetitive, that we should slap tariffs on imported goods so that Joe MetalStamper can keep making 40 $/hr wages plus meds and pension...

What you really meant to say was: "I agree with tariffs; lets tax all imported goods and drive up the cost for American consumers and discourage the emerging global economy from doing business with us. This will create American jobs and encourage third world $hit holes to pay their labor force more. What the hell are you smoking?

What the Hell did I mean to say? What I mean to say, or what I meant to say? I'm smoking Marlboros. /confused
87 posted on 03/25/2006 9:21:20 PM PST by Number57
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To: neutrino

Thanks for the picture of a great american hero, selfless to the end. It made my day. Please post it often and forever, that we may never forget the ultimate sacifice he made for our freedoms, one of which is free discussion herein.


88 posted on 03/25/2006 9:23:27 PM PST by at bay ("We actually did an evil....." Eric Scmidt, CEO Google)
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To: decal
"China will run into the same problems soon enough - you can't export your problems."

Comparing China to Japan and using that to make an asessment about the theat of China's ascendency makes no sense whatsoever. Completely different political system, military allegiances, access to raw materials, and population size.

89 posted on 03/25/2006 9:23:47 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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To: Number57
Slave labor???..the best selling car in Beijing is the VW passat, adv. price $31,000.00..and the Chinese govt. just passed a luxury tax on big cars , limos and yachts which will hurt the 100,000 millionaires in Beijing. Buick can't build cars fast enough in China, and John Deere is on their 5 th plant there..tariffs are stupid, they are a tax on consumers, China will simply retaliate, and why should consumers buy American when GM, Ford, and Chrysler don't?
90 posted on 03/25/2006 9:24:47 PM PST by JABBERBONK
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To: CowboyJay
Throughout history, it is shown that a strong economy is necessary to wage war.

Which is exactly why we need to stop doing business with our enemy and start choking off their slave-labor economy.

91 posted on 03/25/2006 9:25:16 PM PST by TBP
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To: Cannoneer No. 4

Good question.

If you look at the nations and societies in Asia, there's a situation common to many. You find ethnic Chinese, behind the scenes, own and run things.

The Chinese are brilliant businesspersons.

We, being the smug Yankees we are, for a long time saw them as third world peasants. Now we're pretty much confused and ambivalent.

That's progress, but we're about 20 years behind the learning curve.

It seems to me, the primary political belief driving conservative support for free trade, specifically with China - is that China, given enough of *our* money, will become a big Taiwan. A democracy, a great big 51st state.

That's ridiculous.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is really not much different than 5,000 years of Chinese emperors and dynasties. Sure it's brutal, and you still have got to admire that lone protester who stared down the tank in front of the Beijing Hotel.

But China's not going to become a democracy. No matter how much money we send them.

It's not going to happen.

We need to deal with that fact.

The People's Republic of China, is a significant competitor.

They are entirely capable of outmanuvering us. Imagine the Soviet Union. Without the inefficiencies of the Russian bureaucracy.

China can eat our lunch.

Nobody is going to stop them from doing so, if we don't.


92 posted on 03/25/2006 9:27:30 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: Lurker
"Now how about you try to explain to Pat how you wanted to take one of the freedoms he died to protect."

Since when did the right to prop-up a brutal foreign dictatorship make the bill of rights?

This is hogwash! Foreign trade is no less subject to regulation than is interstate trade under the US Constitution.

93 posted on 03/25/2006 9:27:47 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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To: newzjunkey
China is a very difficult problem, primarily because of their man power.

I strongly disagree. We were the manufacturing powerhouse of the friggin' world until our own manufacturing powerhouses began shipping jobs overseas to decrease costs and therefore inflate their incomes.

China's manpower is in no doubt. But take it to the next level: why not just import slaves? That would surely increase profits for many U.S. companies. And we wouldn't need to deal with pesky import treaties any longer, stupid port security... just keep them on farms/industrial subdivisions and pay them twice what they'd make in their home country.
94 posted on 03/25/2006 9:29:15 PM PST by Number57
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
We are being played. decides secretly what the basket is - and changes it very, very, very slowly.

BS somebody is playing you. Every banker and every trader knows what the basket of currencies are and at the moment Asian countries are meeting to consider adopting a single currency for the Asian Pacific countries, Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia. the Yuan is most favored. I made some money on the Yuan when it was revalued. What they want is the Yuan pegged to the dollar at a higher rate. Both the dollar and Yuan are freely traded. You can buy as many as you want. Every countries decides what their currency is based on and is then approved by the world bank.

95 posted on 03/25/2006 9:29:53 PM PST by jec41 (Screaming Eagle)
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To: at bay; All

Also our freedom to buy any product. There is nothing in the constitution that includes Americans must buy american made items, or American must have a decent paying job. A lot of people here needs to learn econ 101...


96 posted on 03/25/2006 9:30:27 PM PST by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
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To: JABBERBONK

Who's buying that Passat? The common worker?


97 posted on 03/25/2006 9:30:43 PM PST by Number57
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To: Mrs. Shawnlaw
"I thought there wasn't much money to be made putting electronic gizmos together, that's why we have them made overseas."

Actually, there used to be plenty of money in it for US workers. It was called 'high-tech manufacturing'...

Plenty of American workers made a nice living working at assmebly plants for IBM and others back in the '80's. The reason those jobs are being shipped abroad is to avoid US wage standards.

98 posted on 03/25/2006 9:31:04 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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To: Mrs. Shawnlaw

Well, as my teamster friend says, the biggest problem with the labor unions is that they have been too sucessful. Their members move to the suburbs and send their children to college. Then they get confused about voting and call themselves independants.


99 posted on 03/25/2006 9:32:24 PM PST by ClaireSolt (.)
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To: eddie willers

"“If goods can't cross borders armies will.”
–Frederic Bastiat"

What a pantload. Almost every war in history has begun between formerly peaceful trading partners. Protectionism rarely has anything to do it. Ideology fuels wars, not protectionism.


100 posted on 03/25/2006 9:32:53 PM PST by CowboyJay (Rough Riders! Tancredo '08)
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