Posted on 05/30/2008 5:01:11 AM PDT by Invisigoth
I rarely write a column that receives more criticism from my conservative readers than from my liberal ones. And it is even rarer when the column in question approaches a topic from what is supposed to be a “conservative” perspective, as it usually does.
Yet this is precisely what happened recently when I wrote a column titled “Memo to the Democrats: We Need Free Trade with China.” It targeted the leading anti-trade voices in the Democratic Party, particularly Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and continued by explaining why free trade with China does indeed benefit the United States, at least economically.
As usual, I heard plenty from my liberal readers with inquiries as to why I detest “working-class” Americans so much. (Is there a non-working class?) Yet, disappointingly, the feedback from the same conservatives who normally appreciate my pro-life, anti-tax, and pro-war columns was just as negative. Now this would be understandable if their concern was one of national security. Some (though not I) might suggest that we should cut trade relations with China solely in order to slow down their progress, though the logical argument would concede that we would be taking an economic hit as well. But no. The conservatives I heard from disagreed with my column because they were absolutely convinced that free trade with China was economically harmful.
Let me first make it clear, in order to avoid giving us conservatives a bad name, that free trade is a conservative cause, despite what some of its detractors might say. It is perfectly consistent with other conservative causes of keeping government out of the economy. In other words, free trade makes economic sense.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
The underlying problem with free trade is that it doesn’t exist.
China is re-enacting the glory days of the robber barons in the US, and the heirs of the robber barons (and the top managers) are drooling over the prospects.
Too bad they don't realize the Chicoms are using the "free trade" to expand and modernize their military to the point that they can engage in a program of lebensraum down the road. I only hope they go after Siberia, but I think it will be Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. A new "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". Oh, and Japan? Remember Nanking? Payback will be a cast-iron b*tch.
And the irony of the leftists supporting the sweatshop-based, environmental-catastrophe-based Chicom economy is delicious.
Cheers!
National security trumps economic efficiency. The world’s a big place, if we really need lots of cheap stuff, there’s Malaysia, India, Latin America (minus Venezuela and Cuba), the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, S. Korea and more. Now, if we get cut off in a conflict, we are in a bad way because we rely on a country that has nukes aimed at us, will only allow churches that recognize the Communist government as supreme, and tells people, with physical and extreme financial and legal coercion how many children they can have.
Memo to Paul Ibrahim: Reagan never gave in to the Commies, and neither will we.
At least we’re still stickin’ it to lil’ ol’ Cuba. That’ll teach those Godless Commies.
Who is the idiot (Paul Ibrahim) and what editor allows somebody to spew such garbage? Won’t be surprised to see these fools claim that genocide and forced abortions (both of which are actively encouraged in China) are “conservative virtues” too.
With “conservatives” like these, who needs enemies?
Tell us what YOU think of this garbage, Invisigoth? Do you agree or disagree with Ibrahim?
Our tariff rates don’t need to be at zero. A five to ten percent tariff on all the worthless knicknacks from China would bring in a lot of revenue.
As tariff rates have gone down, income taxes have gone up. Indirect taxes are always preferable to direct taxes.
Our tariff rates don’t need to be at zero. A five to ten percent tariff on all the worthless knicknacks from China would bring in a lot of revenue.
As tariff rates have gone down, income taxes have gone up. Indirect taxes are always preferable to direct taxes.
Your are correct...free trade does not exist, becasue our gov’t is too busy picking the winner’s and loser’s of industries here in the states.
Health-care, prescription med’s, insurance...good! Manufacturing, drilling for oil, mining for coal...bad!
You get the idea.
Hello from a fellow Buckeye resident.
I’m the editor who “allows somebody to spew such garbage,” thank you very much.
He makes the case for free-trade and economic liberalization as an extension of free-market principles that benefit our country and expand such principles abroad.
If you don’t think Paul is a conservative, read his back catalogue of columns:
http://www.northstarwriters.com/paulibrahim.htm
What’s he’s doing here is challenging current conventional wisdom among conservatives about best application of conservative thinking to the issue of free trade with China. There is no reason for you to get so angry about this. A good commentator should challenge all kinds of thinking, including by those on his own side.
My opinion doesn’t matter. I would write my own column if I wanted to express it here. My job is to bring news, opinions and features to readers, and so I do.
If you want to see the social chaos that having anything to do with China...come to Flushing, NY. See how a rather nice American town within NYC became a crowded dirty ginza. Thanks to the Democrats and liberals we can now rename our town “Saigon”!
Your town will be next if this is allowed to continue!
Napoleon was correct, let China sleep for when it awakes the world will tremble.
there should never be free trade unless it is free on both ends. One directional free trade is not free trade.
Ping to post #17...what do you think?
Would you be open to having me write a rebuttal to Paul Ibrahim’s article?
We have a reader forum where people can (and often do) let our columnists have it:
http://www.northstarwritersforum.com
You have to register to post, just like on here, but you’re free to have at it.
Since we are first and foremost a syndicate, and our business is to distribute our columns to newspapers, we don’t have a letters to the editor section or anything like that - and we don’t distribute guest columns because everything we put out is by agreement with our contracted columnists.
So that’s why we started the forum.
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