China's $6 billion soybean buy benefits Minnesota

AP ^ | January 28, 2011

[Will88]

Your admiration for the ability of totalitarian regimes to direct and control the limited prosperity of a large population is obvious, as is Thomas Friedman’s.

[nwrep]

"Asphyxiation due to greed".

Well, one person's "greed" is another person's "Laws of Economics." One cannot really envision a situation in which the world's biggest market is somehow ignored or purposefully deprived by the world's biggest economy. Remember that capitalism is amoral. And secondly, China's masters have become adept at playing the same game of sympathetic governance and benign control of their people that the West has come to accept and tolerate. As long as they are not outwardly committing evil acts, and say the right things in public fora, the West will continue to do business with them.

Lastly, by relinquishing its manufacturing and industrial capacity, the US has become unable to define the trajectory of business engagements with China in the field of infrastructure. The Germans have stepped in to fill the void.

[driftdiver]

JFK? Nuff said, New York is a filthy city

[driftdiver]

You mean the slave filled factories and the organs harvested from political prisoners?

[nwrep]

Well, my ability or Friedman’s ability is not the issue, frankly. The issue is America’s ability to compete. We will not improve the ability for American children dumbed down by PC public school education to compete in the global economy by lobbing rhetorical taunts at Chinese income disparity. In fact, such self-absorbed hectoring will only make the current system of sub-standard US education more entrenched. The ire should be directed at a society that elevates pop stars and sports stars as worthy of emulation instead of entrepreneurs and capitalists, and not at Chinese governance.

[1rudeboy]

We buy advanced electronics from them, they buy Soybeans from us. Makes sense for trade between a technologically advanced country (China) and a country which is primarily an agricultural supplier (US) to the high-tech economies of Asia.

Clearly, our soybean producers do not manufacture enough electronics. Maybe a Five Year Plan is in order. /s

[FreeAtlanta]

The only agricultural product we should get from China - and, that I would trust, somewhat - is tea.

[GAB-1955]

And the electronics we buy from China isn't that advanced; it's consumer-based stuff. India, Taiwan, and Japan make it. The Chinese use cheap labor to make it cheaper than anyone else. But advanced? No.

[1rudeboy]

Last time I checked, the U.S. was the #1 producer of soybeans in the world. Who knew that it would take a conservative on a conservative forum to take that fact and shoe-horn into the opinion that we’re doomed, and piss on a whole lot of farmers in the process?

[Toddsterpatriot]

China holds about 20% of the US debt so they receive about $80 billion a year in interest payments from the US.

Or 6.5% of our debt.

Source

[GeronL]

If this story came during a food shortage, there would be riots.

[aposiopetic]

Now don’t go and confuse us with the facts.

[GeronL]

If you left Shanghaii for the countryside you’d find yourself transported back into the 1800’s

[PA Engineer]

I just returned from a trip to China. Flying from Shanghai and landing into JFK gave me the distinct impression of leaving an advanced country (immaculate transportation, well-behaved citizens, extraordinary service standards, polite English) to a third world country (USA) riddled with rude employees who do not speak good English, ill-behaved crowds, and filth everywhere.

Yep. That was my same experience flying back to the US on Continental into Newark.

[jpsb]

I have garlic growing in my garden. :)

[darth]

Woke up very early this AM with a nightmare that the meteor story is TRUE. Don’t know if it’s 2012 or when, but the rising price of food and oil along with hoarding by governments is EXACTLY what I would expect if a meteor strike were imminent.

If we had real leaders they would be drafting everyone to construct shelters, slaughtering most livestock, planting every field fencerow to fencerow, and storing every necessity to keep the maximum number of people alive for years in the shelters.

Am I paranoid or is something really up? My gut tells me something could be afoot.

It’s always a good time to prepare. I hope my fellow Freepers are doing so.

BTW, when I was an aerospace engineer I actually was involved in a study of the effects of a major, Extinction Level Event (ELE). Humans CAN survive, but they must have provisions sufficient to stay in underground shelters for YEARS.

First, the shelter must be built to survive earthquakes of incredible magnitude since the shockwaves will ring this planet like a bell. Military style log or concrete bunkers under 20’ of earth will survive such shockwaves.

They will require a way to filter and COOL the air supply (pumping air through wellwater can do both) because an ELE will heat the atmosphere to at least several hundred degrees. Later, it will get very cold as the dust and smoke block out Solar heat.

Would our leaders really stock shelters for the elite while keeping the peasants in the dark to avoid panic?

[investigateworld]

Full disclosure: I'm long on wheat.

I grew up amongst the southern tribes Navajo and Apache, and they believe it. The northern tribes where I now live believe it.

And If I'm wrong?

Oh well,my grandkids will have a small ranch to ride horse and trail bikes.

As to the elites? Looking out for number ONE?

Why did the Bush family buy umpteen thousands of acres in So. America?

Why is Ted Turner the largest landowner - outside of.gov ? And even in a poor economy - food prices continue to go up. There are some very wealthy people and all the power and influence that money brings - all believe the Earth's population should not exceed 500 million. One shaman (or Elder) of the Navajo tribe told me that the Earth will lose 80% of it's people. That still leaves (approx) 1.2 billion...(See Georgia Stones)

Now take a look at our foreign aid programs, both official and NGO.

What is the first thing they do when they try to help?

Destroy the local farm economy and put folks in camps (where they quickly become dependent on outside supplies.

[aSeattleConservative]

Well, one person's "greed" is another person's "Laws of Economics."

I'm sure drug dealers, abortionist and even pimps use that excuse to justify their evil ways.

Remember that capitalism is amoral.

Since Humanist Ludwig Von Mises and his various Libertarian/Ayn Rand Objectivist followers such as Ron Paul have become involved in American economics, capitalism has become not "amoral", but "immoral".

Capitalism (the free market) works best with Christian-Judeo ethics used. If you don't have Biblical based morality, then more government (the government that Libertarians like yourself HATE) will take it's place.

[investigateworld]

FULL DISCLOUSER; I'M LONG ON WHEAT

Another bit of info I confirmed today: All these "Save the worm/earth/whales/rare flower types? They are buying land in various locations to save the above listed plants/animals or whatever.

But notice just where these now tax exempt properties are located: Always in valleys, always with surface water,always with timber - all tax exempt. So when the SHTF, they'll have a bug out location.

[investigateworld]

And the distiller grain output keeps the price of pork and beef lower.

Full disclosure: I'm a partner in a Mexican restaurant that sells pork and beef.