Posted on 06/24/2003 7:34:45 PM PDT by aynfan
Sadly, an half correct but mostly wrong belief. In the stories of Robin Hood, he mostly robbed the sheriff's men of the tax monies which they had collected from the poor by over taxing them. He would take the ill gotten tax money and return it those who had been taxed, only occasionaly, robbing from a noble, and usually not much as nobles didn't carry a trunk of there fortune with them.
Yes I know Robin Hood wasn't real, and I know somone out there is going to call me a geek. I can't help it, I used to love the story when I was a kid.
Now's a fine time to find that out.
Why?
It's obvious the author doesn't have the slightest idea what he's talking about.
Either that or just making up a pile of nonsense to support his idiotic thesis.
Take the following statement for example:
"The truth: U.S. manufacturers invest no more than $2 billion a year in Mexico, and even less in China."
LOL!
$2 billion is a drop in the bucket of what's being invested in China.
Heck, I can cite references exceeding that with just a few links:
Motorola Boosts China Investment ($6.6 Billion/5 years = $1.32 Billion per year)
Microsoft says to invest $750 million in China (Another 3/4 Billion)
Corning (1/4 Billion) Invests In China (Closes US HiTech Plant, Sell-Out Of USA To Enemy Continues)
Does the author think that Motorola, Microsoft and Corning are the only 3 companies investing in China?
What about Boeing? or GE?
Do me a favor, Sonny. Don't waste my time with this drivel.
Hey, I saw some things here that I thought you could debunk, but if you want to act like a bitter sourpuss so be it. I knew some of this was wrong, you usually have the links and know this.
I didn't realize you are actually this angry and bitter, I'll make sure not to make any contact with you in the future.
Why shouldn't I be?
I live in a nation where a tyrannical government is deliberately undermining the economic prosperity of its own Middle Class.
The Zoellick/Bush Administration view the American People merely as another market to plunder: bury the consumers (and taxpayers) in debt, knock wages and benefits down to the global subsistance level.
Does THAT sound like the "Land of Opportunity" to you???
By the end of 2002, China has approved 37821 U.S-invested companies, with contractual volume of 78 billion USD, making U.S. the biggest FDI inflows of China. U.S. investment not only involves in manufacture industries , but also in tertiary industry.
Meanwhile, Chinese investment in U.S. is also very active. At present, near 1000 Chinese companies including stated-owned and private companies have been setting up in the U.S. with a total value of 1 billion. (source)
U.S. firms are major investors in China and in 1998 actual U.S. investment in China rose to almost $4 billion,(source)
During the 1995-7 period, U.S. direct investment in Mexico grew by 27%, and in 2000 nearly $9 billion of the approximately $13.2 billion of foreign investment that entered Mexico came from U.S. corporations (source)
No, it does not. I'm not some free trade zeolot. Personally, I think there's more blame to go around on this. We are overly regulated, so when some country offers slave labor, companies jump at it. Its not right nor fair, to ask americans to compete with what is essentially slaves, even worse, because we over regulate our industries, they naturally leave for where there is less regulation. Instead of everyone jumping for free trade, maybe we should also consider deregulation. I also would like to see tax breaks and incentives for companies to do there business here.
Another problem is pure selfishness and greed. I work in real estate, most of the people I know do not work in manufacturing. They simply want to buy everything at the cheapest price. If somone loses there job to china so they can get a cheaper shirt, then there attitude is so be it. Though anyone that has ever heard of Nike, can shoot holes in that line of thought. Alot of people will justify it by saying, well, it helps create sales jobs. The guy who sells me my suits doesn't care where anything is made as long as he gets his commishon.
I think free trade can work, but only, and this is a big if, and it has not been addressed yet, if we have a level playing field. We do not have a level playing field, we pretty much encourage companies to move there businesses overseas or south of the border.
What I can't understand is why you wanted to lash out at me, usually I agree with you on most issues. I knew you could correct some of the stuff in the article, instead you chose to be hostile.
My apologies. Sometimes I get grumpy refuting the same convoluted bilge over and over again. My disgust shouldn't have been directed at you. I just wasn't much in the mood for wading through the tripe presented in this article.
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.