Report says tariffs helped U.S. steel rebound

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | September 20, 2003 | Jeffrey Sparshott

[expat_panama]

Steel tariffs imposed by President Bush last year probably had a slight negative impact on the economy, the U.S. International Trade Commission said in a report released last night.

But the tariffs also gave steelmakers a chance to regain footing in a competitive world market and did not drastically harm small steel consumers, the report said.

[expat_panama]

The report said that tariffs helps a few at the expense of the many.  So the 'compassionate' part of 'compassionate conservative' amounts to a tax and spend welfare state.  I suppose the 'conservative' part means stuff like we've moved the war on terror overseas.  Am I being too picky to insist on leaving out the 'compassionate' part?

[yankeedame]

The report said that tariffs helps a few at the expense of the many. So the 'compassionate' part of 'compassionate conservative' amounts to a tax and spend welfare state...

Amen! I read the head-line and immediately thought, "Big fat deal!"

[harpseal]

ping

on or off let me know

[harpseal]

The question is on net did it help teh American economy overall tariffs are now and always have been a reasonable tool of the Federal government

[dufekin]

Why don't we expand the "compassionate" part to cover, say, outsourcing to weasels and other countries that aren't major US allies? Instead of just giving "corporate welfare," as some may call it, to one industry, why don't we treat all industries equally? Tax foreign labor, foreign services, and foreign goods. Give these jobs to people already in the United States of America. Even if the jobs go to illegals, at least some of the money will returned into the American economy when the illegals buy food and housing.

Then we'll have enough money to continue cutting taxes. Oh, yeah, and don't give any more need-based assistance, including Social Security, to illegals. And quit the goofy prescription-drug benefit. Really. Just get over it; we still can't afford it. We'll sacrifice it for the good of the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, Libya, Sa'udi Arabia, France, and Yemen (after we liberate their countries from their oppressors.) Woops, the French are their own oppressor. Skip the weasel frogs then. We'd win the war, but they'd surrender the peace.

[maui_hawaii]

The report said that tariffs helps a few at the expense of the many.

BullSh#t. It said no such thing.

[maui_hawaii]

Link to the report

[TopDog2]

BullSh#t. It said no such thing.

Thanks for pointing out that inconvenient fact to the free-traitors...

[maui_hawaii]

People want to believe what they believe and thats that.

[maui_hawaii]

Overall sales and profits increased, while capital investment fell, for most steel-consuming industries in 2002/03 (the year following the imposition of the safeguard measures) compared with 2001/02 (the year preceding the safeguard measures).4

....

Many responding firms had difficulty distinguishing between the effects of the safeguard measures and other changes in market conditions.

[Paul Ross]

Note the self-contradictions in the opponents of the steel tariffs:

But the tariffs are unpopular with a large segment of manufacturers.
"What the president did is, he completely disrupted the market overnight," [Wrong, the tariffs were predictably necessary, with 3/4s of the bankruptcies occuring on GWB's watch...another little 'present' from Clinton] said Mike Lynch, vice president of government affairs for Illinois Tool Works, a company that makes plastic and metal fasteners and has 24,000 employees in 37 states.
"From our perspective the problem wasn't price, it was availability, chemistry and quality. In some cases we're still not finding the quality we need," Mr. Lynch said, indicating that U.S. companies often supply a product that is inferior to foreign suppliers that were cut out of the market by the tariffs."

Note this brazenly self-contradicting pile of crocodile dung by Lynch. The Tariffs didn't impede the sale of the foreign 'quality' steel one iota. They aren't quotas!!! He just didn't want to pay the new PRICE!!!! And this after he denied that price was the issue.... Anybody notice the similarity to CLINTON-SPIN-CONTROL DIALECTIC???

[bvw]

IOW, Mr Lynch wants the cake that will eat him. It looks so good!

[Ciexyz]

Mr. Bush took a brave stand on this issue. His actions have helped steel states, but the Democratic unions still won't come out and back him! Very sad. However, individual union members have noticed, and these are the voters that Bush is targeting. There are plenty of union voters (not just steel union voters, but all unions) that are voting for Mr. Bush--like me.

[bvw]

Tariffs are good. Bad tariffs are bad.

What's a bad tariff? No tariff, for one. Or an excessive tariff on a country that shares our legal traditions, ethcial traditions and morals.

[SSN558]

There are plenty of union voters (not just steel union voters, but all unions) that are voting for Mr. Bush--like me.

Government spending has also helped U.S. steel manufacturers this year. One project I am involved in will use over 3 million pound of the stuff. That's just for an environmental project, military spending will consume billions of pounds of steel this year.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!