[Cringing Negativism Network]

I haven't decided.

I believe strongly in free enterprise and consider myself Republican-voting libertarian on most issues.

However I have spent some time in China, and frankly am more than a bit worried, by the naivety I see here among my own countrymen and women, about that nation.

History is repeating itself. Once, long ago, Britain was in our position - China was draining the British treasury with inexpensive quality exports. Britain responded with opium, and a war ensued.

Current trends are *all* in China's favor. We are slowly but clearly losing our capability to make things. To design things. To create. To work. To save. And to learn.

China is replacing us.

And we squabble philosophical arguments, about whether it's fair or not. Whether we should stop the process before we have entirely forgotten how to do ANYTHING anymore.

That part I'm pretty clear on.

We need to stop the damage first.

The political arguments can come later.

[Stellar Dendrite]

"However I have spent some time in China, and frankly am more than a bit worried, by the naivety I see here among my own countrymen and women, about that nation."

please elaborate a bit, share your experiences.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

How do you stop it without political argument?

[jec41]

That part I'm pretty clear on.

We need to stop the damage first.

The political arguments can come later.

You can stop any damage but in the long run China has four times the market place and four times the people. Last year they graduated 500 thousand engineers, we graduated less than 70 thousand. Over half of the US PHD's sought employment in other countries. We are now 24 out of the top 25 countries in math and science. Many of Americans now oppose science and think it not necessary. If we want to stay prosperous we are going to have to improve education.

[LenS]

Well, the PRC better attack soon, because their one child policy is rapidly aging the population. Plus, imagine the political difficulty when every Chinese soldier killed in battle is the sole remaining descendant of six other people (four granparents, two parents). In a country where ancestor worship thrived for several millenia, getting one's only child/grandchild killed isn't going to be very popular.

[Rate_Determining_Step]

> Current trends are *all* in China's favor. We are slowly but clearly losing our capability to make things. To design things. To create. To work. To save. And to learn.

You make a key point central to your argument here. I think the point is false, but accepting it in the context of a protectionist argument gives rise to the following question:

If your assertions are correct, will insulating us from competition by expropriating the wealth of our countrymen the proper way to address the flaw you see in our work ethic?