Ahem... why was I not flagged to this thread?
Posted on 08/16/2002 9:04:00 AM PDT by Budge
Our Tigger Of A President
President Bush reminds me of Tigger, the bouncy, high-energy pal of Winnie-the-Pooh. The president's own doctors have recently pronounced him to be in superb condition. Let us all rejoice in that. Unfortunately, the president seems to possess Tigger's mindless optimism and self-confidence.
When Congress recently forfeited its constitutional duty to set trade policy by passing fast-track legislation (the new Orwellian euphemism is "trade promotion authority"), Mr. Bush announced that he would accomplish magic with this authority. He will increase the number of American jobs, increase American exports and raise the living standards of all American families.
Bosh and hog slop.
I don't accuse our Tigger of a president of lying. I just accuse him of being ignorant. After all, the effects of free-trade policy are not a mystery. Mr. Bush should have asked for a report that answered these questions:
1. How many good American jobs have been lost due to (a) American firms moving their manufacturing jobs to cheap-labor countries; and to (b) cheap foreign imports?
2. How many good jobs have been created by an increase in American exports?
3. How many viable farms did we have before the era of so-called free trade, and how many have survived?
4. How do you explain the enormous and continuing record trade deficits if, in fact, free trade results in more American jobs?
The answers to all of these questions present an argument against free-trade agreements, not one in favor. Of course, free trade is a false banner. What has been the policy since the John F. Kennedy administration has been managed trade, falsely labeled as free trade.
Free-trade agreements would be simple to write. We would only have to say: Our tariffs on all imports are, say, 6 percent. Sell you what you can to any American who wishes to buy.
When the so-called trade agreement, however, runs to 20,000 pages of fine print or more, then you know that what has been negotiated is a series of trade deals, usually favoring those segments of the American economy with the most political clout. And we all know that in our times, political clout is spelled m-o-n-e-y. More than the devil resides in the details these days; so, too, does political corruption.
I believe in old-fashioned free trade, in which a small tariff is imposed for revenue purposes. I don't believe, as a rule, in protective tariffs — tariffs so high as to prevent other manufacturers or farmers from competing with Americans. But there must be exceptions. Some industries necessary to national security — and certainly agriculture is one of those — should be protected. Any nation that allows its agricultural base to be destroyed by cheap imports is committing suicide in the long run. So, too, with stuff needed for the strategic forces of the country.
I also believe that there should be a third category of tariffs — punitive tariffs. Any American company that dumps its American workers into the unemployment lines and moves its manufacturing facility to a cheap-labor country should be assessed a punitive tariff of at least 100 percent when it tries to export into the United States.
It's simply another example of corporate corruption for an American firm to pay foreigners $3 or $4 to cut and sew a pair of blue jeans it will sell to Americans for $50. Such "imports" should be slapped with a tariff high enough to double their retail price in the United States.
Trade policy, of course, is more than tariffs. It should be the goal of the U.S. government to encourage Americans to make and buy everything possible here in the United States and to import only what cannot be feasibly made here. That, of course, is not on the radar screen of either President Tigger or his cohorts in Congress.
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© 2002 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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Do you like using Leftist arguments?
Eye
Double Guh
urrrrrr
Oh wait......this is great
instead of "dubya"
lets make it "Double Guh"
funny?
Huh? What does the number of farms have to do anything? If he said the tonnage of goods grown he would have at least framed an intelligent question.
bush is not a conservative white knight, as much as we all hoped he might be.
He's a politician, nothing more, nothing less.
We all need to decide for ourselves if being a politician and a menber of the "R" party is sufficient reason to vote for a candidate.
If what you want is a conservative white knight, vote for one, do not vote for a politician.
If on the other hand, you feel that you can vote for anyone who has an "r" next to their name, because that is the only way to get the perceived power of majority, then vote for the politician.
You probably should have done more research.
Ahem... why was I not flagged to this thread?
Speak for yourself. Tigger's an embarassment to the family, always hobnobbing with bears and rabbits.
I believe in anyone or anything that puts money under my pillow.
You want proof he's a moron? Look in your wallet.
Funny. I got a nice tax cut last year and have more money in my wallet this year.
Check the price on the pumps.
They aren't much higher under Bush as they were under Clinton. As a matter of fact, I seem to recall paying over $2.00 a gallon when Clinton was boinking his intern.
Try to buy health insurance.
I have a job which affords me full health coverage.
Try to get a good job with a high school education.
And what do you define as a good job? I can think of several people in the company I work for who have 'just' a high school diploma and are middle to upper management. Instead of thinking you deserve something, why not try to earn it.
Try to retire.
Try investing wisely.
Noted and filed.
Click!
Ah, there's the old dilemma, no? Spontaneity vs. dependability, security vs. the thrill of danger.
Not that I blame you ladies... it's absolutely the responsibility of us men to read your minds.
I know that you think that your above statement is funny, but JMO, your "cat" personna is going a bit to far.
You are acting like Andy Kaufman, the only difference is that your schtick is "feline" rather than "professional wrestling".
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