Tiananmen Square
Posted on 07/28/2012 4:02:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are currently fighting over who is the more patriotic. Obama slams Romney for having outsourced jobs to China during his Bain Capital days. Romney punches back by labeling Obama “Outsourcer in Chief.” The latest is that both John Boehner and Harry Reid are voicing outrage over America’s made-in-China Olympic uniforms. “Burn them!” thunders Reid.
Republicans and Democrats strangely agree that outsourcing is unpatriotic, and that the moral and patriotic thing to do is to “Hire American” and “Buy American.”
Well, no. Not in a thousand years. The fear of outsourcing and international trade is economic nonsense and moral blindness. More than that: this anti-profit attitude is un-American.
Despite the ongoing Europeanization of America, America still symbolizes the land of freedom, entrepreneurship, profit-making, above all, individualism.
But collectivism is the premise of “Hire/Buy American”: we are to view ourselves and others not as individuals, but as units of a nation. Businesses are urged to pay more in labor costs, simply to hire workers who are American; consumers are urged to forgo Walmart’s low prices, pay more, simply because the pricier goods were made by “our guys.” This is not rational patriotism, it is not Americanism, it's primitive tribalism.
American individualism means making buying decisions on the basis of economic merit, giving no regard to the nationality or race of the seller. Let’s not hide behind patriotic-sounding slogans. Let’s name things straight for a change: giving preference to American sellers over foreign sellers is the same mindless injustice as giving preference to sellers who are white over those who are black.
Economic nationalism is as morally outrageous as racism. Buying on the basis of nationality or race is the same collectivist evil: judging men and their products by the group from which they come, not by merit.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I wanted to learn something about the depth of your knowledge of trade. Apparently it is pretty shallow since you didn’trespond.
The implosion of Maoism released the pent up energy in China. America did not do that.
You’ll be pleased to know what I read this morning. That is, China is mot experiencing population growth but likely decline. The rigid one child law coupled with the female trend to delay child birth has the fertility rate far below that required for replacement. The economic growth trend may be dampened by the decline.
Lastly, I’ll concede some of what you say is true except it is not our doing. The modernization of China is a natural historical event. Once the severe bonds of communism were thrown off, it couldn’t be repressed. While not gone, the repressive failed collectivism is no more.
The challenge is to learn to deal with the reality......... China is.
If I save 10 cents on a dollar buying cheap slave made imports, only to have my taxes go up to feed and house our unemployed, did I save money?
What precisely are you ranting about...... slave made imports?
Rude, better put some ice on that, I know that left a mark.
The stupid, it burns!
Manufacturing costs are not half in China. Labor is on average 10% of the finished good’s retail price.
Tiananmen Square
Hop on board, everyone! Let's take the logic trail to the strawman!
Soviet Union had free trade right up to the day the Nazi's invaded in 1941. Actually train shipments of raw materials from the USSR to Germany continued for days after the invasion because business is business. Then Stalin woke up from a drunken stupor and canceled trade after he realized the Nazi's were actually invading.
That’s an inexact science, and it’s too intertwined with politics on the international scene anyhow, so it’s better to know a country’s foreign policy. Or do you not focus on foreign policy? Any claims that China will abandon communism for the free market are false. Or was that sixtieth anniversary military parade where Hu Chin-t’ao appeared in grey Mao dress not a wakeup call?
Indeed. Free trade is completely separate from a free market. Both Nazi Germany and the USSR were non-market economies that practiced free trade with each other. Non-market economies are mercantilist at their core though, and if allowed free trade with a free market will strip that market bare.
So, while we are on the “logic trail,” tariffs would have prevented World War II?
Germany was prohibited from almost all things military.. the Soviet Union offered them a way..
"The Soviets offered Weimar Germany facilities deep inside the USSR for building and testing arms and for military training, well away from Treaty inspectors' eyes. In return, the Soviets asked for access to German technical developments, and for assistance in creating a Red Army General Staff."
(From a wiki source.) The Soviets with German technology helped build another German war machine even before Hitler.
Today of course there are no such duplicitous and evil schemes.. the Communist Party has indeed faded away and the workers in the paradise of the democratic Republic of China don't care about being a great power they just love to make inexpensive and great things for the Americans. . . . all is well.. except for the problems caused by the "protectionists nut jobs." :)
I tried coming up with a good meme snowclone to match this, but nothing’s coming to mind right now that would be really witty.
Today of course there are no such duplicitous and evil schemes.. the Communist Party has indeed faded away and the workers in the paradise of the democratic Republic of China don’t care about being a great power; they just love to make inexpensive and great things for the Americans. . . . all is well.. except for the problems caused by the “protectionists nut jobs.” :)
No, tariffs actually cause wars sometimes. That is why we have a military, more specifically a Navy, to act as a deterrence. Sometimes, well always, the US worker should be protected from the Free Traitor™, willing to sell out the average 'Joe' to communists in this case.
My guess you think Nevil Chamberlain was on "the right track" when dealing with the Nazi's.
Is that where the logic trail leads? Dude, invest in a GPS receiver.
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