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The Trade Deficit Isn’t a Scorecard, and Cutting It Won’t Make America Great Again
NYT ^ | 3/27/16 | Neil Irwin

Posted on 04/02/2016 11:57:02 AM PDT by Jim W N

It is true that a trade deficit subtracts from a country’s gross domestic product. G.D.P. measures the value of goods and services produced within a country’s borders, so when a country is selling less stuff abroad than it buys from abroad, the country is making less stuff, and as a result there are fewer jobs. This piece of the Trump theory of trade is true.

Read the rest in the link.

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; US: New York
KEYWORDS: constitution; culture; foreign; government; neilirwin; newyork; newyorkcity; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes
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To: Iron Munro

Yes, that’s true, but the brain-vomit of Satan’s useful idiots can be found anywhere. It surely wouldn’t be much of a loss to think of FR as something of a refuge.


41 posted on 04/02/2016 1:13:33 PM PDT by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: factoryrat

You fundamentally don’t seem to either understand freedom or believe in freedom or both.

Either way, you cannot explain how tariffs address the core issues of why businesses are fleeing this country and the resulting slow growth of GDP.


42 posted on 04/02/2016 1:14:36 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Iron Munro

You cannot explain how tariffs address the core issues of why businesses are fleeing this country and the resulting slow growth of GDP.


43 posted on 04/02/2016 1:15:47 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Jim 0216

Here’s an idea: let’s employ the same laws here in the US that china and mexico employ with regards to imports into their countries. And, while we’re at it, throw in their labor and business laws also.

The US has no comparative advantage when dealing with communist regimes. You cannot compete against slave labor, and you cannot compete against foriegn governments that subsidize investment and use slave labor.


44 posted on 04/02/2016 1:26:46 PM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: factoryrat

Who does Chevy get its ass handed to it by BMW and Honda?

Those cars aren’t being made by slave labor


45 posted on 04/02/2016 1:50:21 PM PDT by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: MadIsh32

2016 sales to date:

Chevrolet 473,000
Honda 319,000
BMW 71,000


46 posted on 04/02/2016 1:54:37 PM PDT by nascarnation
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To: Jim 0216
Tariffs and protectionism...   ... make matters worse.

Agreed but it sure seems like we're in the  middle of an insane protectionism/tariff craze on the FR --over the years this sort of thing comes and goes but now w/ Trump/Sanders it's gotten to be a bit much.  The way it works on the FR is the import taxers descend on a thread and declare anyone not following the party line is a traitor --then they try and find out where you live.  Kind of makes sane people want to keep a low profile.

Meanwhile we wait for the crazies to sober up while we also look for some other forum where folks want tax cuts and free enterprise. 

47 posted on 04/02/2016 2:00:32 PM PDT by expat_panama
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To: factoryrat; Jim 0216; 1rudeboy; Mase; Toddsterpatriot; 1010RD; SAJ
...let’s employ the same laws here in the US that china and mexico employ...

This is what I was just saying about all the freepers now wanting tax hikes and big gov't. 

48 posted on 04/02/2016 2:04:07 PM PDT by expat_panama
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To: dsc

I get what you are saying about the lefty propaganda postings.

Too much is undesirable.

But sometimes those articles promote some good discussion and insights.

As long as the volume is kept within reason.


49 posted on 04/02/2016 2:20:44 PM PDT by Iron Munro (Noah: 'When the animals began to pair up by specie and stand in line, I really took notice.')
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To: Iron Munro

“But sometimes those articles promote some good discussion and insights.”

Yes, and I usually don’t say anything; the past few days, though, I’ve been hitting one NYT article after another.


50 posted on 04/02/2016 2:36:43 PM PDT by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: tophat9000
The Founding Fathers (well, a good portion of them), saw tariffs as a means to generate revenue.

Those who see them as a method to "save jobs" have been drinking populist Kool-Aid.

51 posted on 04/02/2016 2:59:27 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Jim 0216

The Triffin dilemma first began to show itself in the Eisenhower administration. The European allies we were assisting with the Marshall Plan were holding on to more dollars than we could support with our current gold reserves.

Triffin results from the conflict between domestic monetary policy versus an ambitious foreign policy. The solution was either to put the US into recession or to end the dollar’s role as world reserve currency. Even Keynes had warned against making the dollar the reserve currency back at Bretton Woods in 1944 because of the pressure it could put on the dollar.

Kennedy inherited the problem and his decision was to devalue the dollar which showed up with the end of silver coinage and silver certificates. The inflation simmered on during LBJ with the French demanding gold for their dollar holdings, and finally came to head when Nixon drove a stake through what was left of Bretton Woods by ending the dollar’s last link to gold.


52 posted on 04/02/2016 8:25:52 PM PDT by Pelham (A refusal to deport is defacto amnesty)
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To: MadIsh32

The chevrolet division of GM produces more cars and trucks than BMW and honda combined. Apples to oranges. Besides, all of their pats suppliers are based in china and mexico anyhow. Stop those container ships coming from china, and NONE of those cars get built. The strikes and slowdowns on the west coast ports had all of the “domestic” automakers going into full blown panic mode.


53 posted on 04/02/2016 9:39:48 PM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: Jim 0216

>> The mostly unconstitutional $4 trillion FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

It owns the debt making it at least a $20 trillion liability.

>> Tariffs and protectionism do NOTHING to address these root causes and actually make matters worse.

I hope you’re not implying Trump is a protectionist.


54 posted on 04/02/2016 9:44:48 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

His answer of tariffs is definitely protectionist and exercise in futility.


55 posted on 04/02/2016 10:15:39 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Jim 0216

Definitely not.

Trump argues for the balanced trade that has been non-existent for decades; thus, the debt. His contention: politicians make crappy deals. That’s not protectionism.


56 posted on 04/02/2016 10:25:48 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: heights

bkmk


57 posted on 04/02/2016 10:35:23 PM PDT by AllAmericanGirl44 ("You see you don't have to live like a refugee" Tom Petty or obama?)
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To: Gene Eric

His actual proposals are for tariffs. Call it what you want but tariffs are protectionist and are an exercise in futility.

You cannot explain how tariffs address the core issues of why businesses are fleeing this country and the resulting slow growth of GDP.


58 posted on 04/02/2016 10:46:14 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Jim 0216

Protectionism concerns fair competition. So how is it fair that U.S. industry is subjected to excessive manufacturing and employment regulations while foreign industry is not?

I totally support foreign competition. That’s what stopped the U.S. auto industry from dealing in rust. But allegiance to foreign industry is no better than allegiance to domestic, unionized manufacturing.

And let’s not forget, the GM bailouts didn’t resuscitate U.S. properties — it saved the foreign investments. Is that fair given it was our tax dollars that gave those operations relief?


59 posted on 04/03/2016 9:52:52 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

I hate forced “fairness” and forced “equality”, the bywords of socialism and tyranny.

“Fair” is the enemy of free.

“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.” - Milton Friedman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKxCWheH5Vk


60 posted on 04/04/2016 8:33:29 AM PDT by Jim W N
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