Container port for illustrative purpose.
Posted on 08/21/2003 5:57:37 AM PDT by Rebelbase
Anti-terror tariffs
Dear Editor,
My reason for writing you is to ask you to follow through with an idea of mine and hopefully help enact it into law.
This past Sunday I was watching the CBS program “60 Minutes.” One of the segments concerned the problem oceanic shipping containers pose as a potential terrorist method of bringing a nuclear bomb into the US. According to the experts interviewed, this is the easiest and most likely method that terrorists will use to detonate an atomic bomb in the US. Presently there are over 6 million shipping containers off-loaded at US ports each year. Unfortunately only 2 percent, or about 120,000, are opened and inspected by customs or any other government agency. There are just not enough personnel available to do so.
Accordingly, that leaves over 5.8 million containers as potential bomb carriers. That is really shocking.
I have come up with an idea that would allow for all 6 million containers to be physically opened and searched at no cost to the government. In addition, it would create a new work force of probably 50,000-plus well-paying jobs and generate over $6 billion in revenue. In addition, it would effectively impose a mandatory duty on all imports, which you and I know is justified if we look at the devastation that imports have done to the furniture and textile manufacturing segments of our state and country.
I suggest that the US Customs Department charge a $1,000-per-container inspection fee on every container entering the United States. This fee would be used to completely fund the cost of inspections. If we assumed that a four-man team could fully inspect two containers a day or about 500 per year, it would require 48,000 inspectors. Allowing for at least 2,000 support personnel, we would need at least 50,000 workers. Because these workers would require high intelligence and skill levels they should earn at least $30 per hour. At 40-hour weeks plus benefits, I estimate the cost per worker to be over $75,000 per year, all paid by the foreign manufacturers. Even so, this would still leave over $2.25 billion to cover all other costs. Any revenue not used would be used to compensate American workers displaced by foreign imports.
I also suggest that we impose import fines and penalties on any container found to contain any import violation. This would also help stop drug trafficking, counterfeit goods, and many other contraband or dangerous goods smuggled through in containers. Fines and penalties should vary from very small for minor infractions to millions of dollars for containers that contained any type of mass destruction contraband. Fines and penalties should be imposed on the manufacturer/shipper, the country of origin and the shipping company handling the container in order to encourage all parties involved to police their own parts of the process.
As previously mentioned, these added fees and fines and penalties would add to the cost of imported goods thus helping to level the playing field and making American-made goods more competitive.
The only argument I can see against such a system would be that our exports might also be subject to inspection fees. This is true, but since we import far more than we export, the net effect would still be positive. In addition, since the US poses no terrorist threat to any nation, there would be little need for a country to do so other than as retaliation against fees on their exports. I would suggest that we might set our inspection fee schedules based upon the history of the country of origin and the shipper, with “good” countries and shippers eventually paying lower inspection fees and “bad” countries and shippers paying high fees or even banned if so justified.
I am sure that there are many details that would have to be tweaked to put this plan into effect but I think it’s quite doable. In addition, if we don’t create a total inspection program of some sort and a terrorist group does attack via shipping container concealment, the consequences will be devastating.
I am also sending a copy of this letter to Sen. Dole and Sen. Edwards to ask for their help in implementing this idea. In addition, I am sending a version of this letter to the High Point Enterprise.
Please let me know what you think of my idea
It would create a larger government by implementing the proposal, and possilbly lead to incredible graft and corruption among the inspectors as well as drive up prices of imported goods, to what levels I don't know.
Comments?
First of all, that 60 Minutes report was a re-run from over a year ago.
Secondly, do you think that after you raise these tariffs that the foreign shippers will just continue to ship at the previous level?
I guess you don't really care about all the "little men" who you would be laying off through that move. How would you explain that to their families?
And we have plenty of people and money in the government already who can do this job.
Clearly I care more about their jobs than you do. You'd be laying off far more jobs than you'd create.
Container port for illustrative purpose.
Ahh, the real reason always comes out. National security? Ha! What a load.
I'm every bit as much for our national security as you are. We have plenty of money and people in our federal government to do this job already.
It was a joke.
Appealing to some emotional crap on an economics argument like you do is done for absolutely one reason: to feel better about yourself. Period.
Your economic plans cost far more jobs than they protect. That is simple fact. You can raise all the tariffs and taxes you want, but your "Turd Worlders" aren't the only ones that pay for them.
I'm all for enforcing our laws.
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