U.S. Furniture Makers to Seek Protection From China Imports

Wall Street Journal ^ | 7/15/03 | Dan Morse

[Texas_Dawg]

A group of American makers of wood bedroom furniture is preparing to seek protection from the U.S. government to stem a surge of imports from China that the companies say has ravaged their industry.

John Bassett, president and chief executive of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co., Galax, Va., and a spokesman for the group of 14 furniture makers, said the American Furniture Manufacturers Committee for Legal Trade intends to file an antidumping petition this fall with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

[MEG33]

That's what drives a lay person like me mad.I am conservative.I want what's best for the continuation of America..land of opportunity for all Americans..I know that we are the most fortunate people on earth.I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath.A socialistic America would not be America.How to handle the new economy vs the industrial economy is a challenge.Marx promised utopia..and delivers hell.

[harpseal]

Indeed. It is rare to find two economists that agree on anything. Part of the reason is that secondary effects are hard to predict. The other part of the reason is that most economic theories are just that. Theories.

people should read more than one economist. I have read Keynes and I have read Friedman both thought they understood the reason for teh Great Depression both had some good points but both were flawed.

[epow]

Well, I'm not trying to take sides in the free-trade vs tariffs debate. I admit I don't know enough about economics to make any serious comments on that issue. What I do understand to some degree as a former salesman and as a manager of factory workers is the psychology of customers and hourly rate workers. If our industrial base, and the employment opportunities dependent on those industries, continue to decline at the present rate due to free trade or anything else, there will be a high political price to be paid by those who the victims of that decline believe are responsible. The natural inclination of the hurting workers will be to blame Republicans.

I want the US to remain a free capitalistic nation, but if the far left gains control by capitalizing on the anger and frustrations of millions of displaced workers, that won't be the case for much longer.

[harpseal]

That's what drives a lay person like me mad.I am conservative.I want what's best for the continuation of America..land of opportunity for all Americans..I know that we are the most fortunate people on earth.I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath.A socialistic America would not be America.How to handle the new economy vs the industrial economy is a challenge.Marx promised utopia..and delivers hell.

The solution to this is an extensive reading course in economics include John Maynard Keynes, Adam Smith, Alexander Hamilton, Milto Friedman among teh authors. Read American history and the great tariff debates from the early 1800's through the early 1900's. Include Ludwig von Mises among your readings and include Hitler, Lenin, Marx and Engels to see what evil truly is becuase unless you recognize it it can not be easily avoided. There is a link here to the tariff schedule of the USA at present. Check it out for yourself.

It has been said the most important ting is an educated electorate. education is something gained from reading not just attending classes taught by professors who have their own axes to grind.

[epow]

By the way I also am not a free trade or union thug

Yeah, I kinda guessed that by the tone of your posts, both on this thread and on many others over the years we have both been here. To paraphrase a former vice presidential candidate, I knew unionthug Mr. Harpseal, and you are no unionthug.

[MEG33]

Aren't we going to get fined over the soft lumber at least?Canada took it to some arbitration board and the world is yelling over the "payoff to the union" steel deal.This is one thing that has me confused.Europe has subsidized more than airbus.We subsidize farming,they do ,too.Food is one of those "national defense" items.Thanks for all the interesting input.

[Capriole]

Two years ago, in August of 2001, the Chinese minister of defense openly threatened to nuke Los Angeles and San Francisco if we defied them on the matter of Taiwan. It was a front page, above-the-fold story in the Washington Times. Thanks to certain commercial decisions taken during the Clinton administration, the Chinese do have the capability to reach our shores with their weapons. And as for the difference in our capabilities, the minister of defense said at the time that Americans value life far more than does the Chinese government, which is indisputable. He pointed out with justice that since China has a population of 1.2B, they can spare a few million. We cannot bear such a loss. So, yes, apparently the Chinese are prepared to duke it out with us. In any case, do you really question that they are our enemy? They make little secret of it and work assiduously to thwart our aims.

[Capriole]

What would YOU suggest would be an "acceptable lifestyle" for blue-collar workers? I'd be interested to hear what you think this should be.

Eagle, I don't know. Don't take offense, I have a humble income myself and have scaled my lifestyle way back, with some hard decisions about what an acceptable lifestyle is for me and my kids. But I do know that we don't seem to be able to afford our own products anymore. If many trades are making $25 an hour plus benefits, how can we compete with the Chinese? I have no idea what the answer is.

[Capriole]

I'm sure your wife knows what she's talking about, but I can't believe that Chinese goods compare in artistry to the work of Henkel-Harris, Stickley, Baker, and the other great American manufacturers of furniture so beautiful it takes your breath away. Some of our great national brands have gone away already; do we want to lose the rest and have no options at all except to buy Chinese?

[RightWingNut]

I'm glad you mentioned New Balance still makes a shoe here in the U.S. I'll be sure to check it out soon !! Thanks !!

[RightWingNut]

I noticed that also. Plus a few other posters seem to lack the intellect to argue their points will nothing more than name calling or being obnoxious.

I would rather not say anything, than to prove to all the other posters that I lacked the intellect to carry on an intelligent debate.

[harpseal]

The WTO authorizes retaliatory tariffs against American products if we do not submit to their rulings. i do not kjnow of a sigle instance where the WTO has ruled in favr of the USA. maybe if we had all 50 states Guam and Puerto Rico asnd the US Virgin Islands as members we could get a favorable ruling but even then I seriously doubt it.

[MEG33]

I just read about the retaliatory tariffs that will be on our exports.I was googling those names you suggested.It was suggesting the steel tariff should be recinded.I think it was a libertarian site.Mise?Anyway it seems there are no easy answers to go search out!I never plan on the US getting a break.It's the price of being the most powerful nation.How else are they going to "put us in our place"?France did a number on us and is doing it again with occupation troop pressure re India.

[Protagoras]

I'm pretty sure Texas_Dawg is a commie troll, but now I know why you are incapable of inteligent debate or critical thinking, you are a public school teacher!

Commies don't favor free trade so it's not likely he is one. And I'm incapable? LOL

And for the record, I'm not a government employee. Nor am I in favor of their interference in business. Lassiez Faire is the leaning of freedom lovers, not your use of government thugs to further your own financial goals.

My grand mother used to call folks that could read words and write words but were not able to understand what was written as educated beyond their inteligence.

You are lucky not to have met her.

I feel lucky about that.

Serveral posters have gone to great lengths and presented excellent arguments as to why "free trade" ain't what we got.

And I'm one of them. I never said we had free trade. Perhaps you flunked reading comprehension as well as economics 101.

You surely got an "A" in Advanced Insults though. :^}

[Protagoras]

I'm glad you have reported that Milton Friedman agrees with me. That's a high compliment.

I'll stand with Milton anyday, and dismiss your books and lectures and Nobel prizes. You do have those don't you?

PS, I like Milton, he's a nice man. (and Rose is brilliant as well)

[Redleg Duke]

Congratulations! You make absolutely no sense at all! You must be either a liberal or a libertarian...a paranoid one at that.

Quick...behind you...in the shadow...someone is following you...RUN!

[jpsb]

I've been posting on the internet since 1991 ish. So yes I have learned how play hard ball.

Here at FR I am very polite, site rules and all. But I did notice that you and what's his name refused to engage in serious debate, prefering to mis-characterize, and ridicule instead. So you kinda brought out the best in me.

I can discuss issues or I can flame. I can even understand your arguments and see the merit it them. You would be well advised to understand that posters responding to you have well thought out ideas too. You might even learn a thing or two if you'd open your mind to diferent world views. Keeps yours and defend it for sure, but open your mind, harpseal and jeffhead are two of the best posters here at FR.

[Protagoras]

I have no problem with Jeff, and I wouldn't with Harp either if he/she kept to the subject instead of personal attacks. Same goes for you.

Contrary to what has been said, I never start the personal attacks, but I return fire. Which is one of my personal failings, I should ignore morons who start that crap.

As to keeping an open mind,,,I'm open to any new idea. I'm afraid however, at my age, that I haven't heard any new ones in decades. And I have carefully concidered the old ones and come to the conclusions which I now espouse.

The free trade vs protectionism debate is as old as the hills. I have heard every argument ever advanced on either side. If you have a new one, I'd love to hear it.

I won't be changing my mind anytime soon to embrace government control of non-coercive exchanges between individuals.

[jpsb]

Ok, I'll try. I like tariffs as a means of raising revenue for the federal govenment. As an added benifit it helps to protect American industry. I would very much favor ending income tax and using tariffs instead. If that means reducing the size of government then that is also fine with me.

Ain't gonna happen, but I can dream.

[harpseal]

I also like Milton but even he never took the stand that Smoot Hawley was the sole cause of the Depression coming to America. I still suggest you learn some History as you say you teach it. Further you should read more than one book in your life it might help you.