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The OP is not saying is necessarily saying it's a bad thing on its own.
I think he is saying that in the process, we are losing who WE are as Americans - but he wants to be sure that he doesn't lump himself in with Trump or the negative connotation of nationalism.
I kind of agree with the overall sentiment, even though we are probably not in agreement on how to get there.
I didn't bring up Trump because I didn't want to make this another partisan thread were people jump to their fighting positions.
It was how our government was funded, before the 16th Amendment came along.
Now the regulatory big brother, and the welfare state, has cause tariffs to be necessary, to protect American JOBS. (Proven by TRUMP)
Smoot Hawley went a little too far.
The Tariff Act of 1930, commonly known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff or Hawley–Smoot Tariff, was an act implementing protectionist trade policies sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley and was signed into law on June 17, 1930. The act raised U.S. tariffs to 60% on over 20,000 imported goods
I don't want tariffs replacing taxes, I just wish America wasn't becoming a society built on consumer demand like the media, government, and private sector wish us to be.
Every state has abused its people at some point or another, all I'm saying is that we have no sense of purpose beyond personal enrichment.
Even if having more expensive goods sourced locally meant a poorer society, at least we could have a connectivity beyond money and stuff.
So China does not have the right to compete and develop? China must remain an isolated, poor country and it is good for world peace? How does that work for North Korea and Iran?
Delivering low cost products to American people is necessarily a bad thing?
China (and other countries) should compete but on level ground with other members of the WTO.
Hypothetical situation:
If one country uses slave or child labor vs country that require fair pay and no child labor, it isn't fair competition. If one country steals Intellectual property while one has to continually invest/pay royalties for intellectual property, it isn't fair competition.
Cheaper products to the American people? At what cost? Loss of manufacturing and shrinking middle class?
We are a very short sighted nation; we whine about loss of manufacturing but at the same time whine about tariffs imposed on another nation for unfair trade dealings.
China (and other countries) should compete but on level ground with other members of the WTO.
Hypothetical situation:
If one country uses slave or child labor vs country that require fair pay and no child labor, it isn't fair competition. If one country steals Intellectual property while one has to continually invest/pay royalties for intellectual property, it isn't fair competition.
Cheaper products to the American people but at what cost? We are a very short sighted nation; we whine about loss of manufacturing but at the same time whine about tariffs imposed on another nation for unfair trade dealings.
I agree.
The problem for me is that while we gain high paying service jobs, it turn our workforce into objects that we move to different cities for work. When we do that a sense of community is loss and we become cogs in a machine.
More wealth is not always a good thing. I'd rather have less competitive businesses that charge higher prices while still have a sense of national identity.
I think it is a good move, but even then what if tariffs remained for a long period of time, or what if the supply chain from China was ruined and prices go up?
Americans would never accept that.
I believe the US media are largely undermining Trump's efforts insofar as trade is concerned. The endless of talk doom and gloom, and how Trump is always making the wrong move no matter what he does... all of this has an impact. It sends a message to the leaders of these other countries that they should not trust Trump, which in turn strengthens their position and makes them more confident to keep holding out.
Sadly, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy in many ways.
I believe the US media are largely undermining Trump's efforts insofar as trade is concerned. The endless of talk doom and gloom, and how Trump is always making the wrong move no matter what he does... all of this has an impact. It sends a message to the leaders of these other countries that they should not trust Trump.
Sadly, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy in many ways.
Soy Bean farmers are already turning on Trump. If this was Korea or Japan, the farmers would feel like patriotic heroes taking the hit.
But in this country people only care about their own material well being, there is no sense of greater purpose in life.
China (and other countries) should compete but on level ground with other members of the WTO.
Hypothetical situation:
If one country uses slave or child labor vs country that require fair pay and no child labor, it isn't fair competition. If one country steals Intellectual property while one has to continually invest/pay royalties for intellectual property, it isn't fair competition.
Cheaper products to the American people? At what cost? Loss of manufacturing and shrinking middle class?
We are a very short sighted nation; we whine about loss of manufacturing but at the same time whine about tariffs imposed on another nation for unfair trade dealings.
What is your evidence that China uses child labor?
There is no doubt that it happens occasionally, as in all ("developing") countries, but how do you know it is common? China has the well-known one-child policy, and do you really think the tiger moms send their only child to work at 14? I know they are flooding in US universities though.
The minimum wages in China are set by law and publicized, and they match the level of economic development of China.
China made it very clearly that they trade their market with foreign technology, from the very beginning. Foreign companies all know it and do it at will. Otherwise why would China let them in?
If the manufacturing jobs do not go to China, they may go to India, Mexico, Vietnam... Have you notice that your clothes and shoes are made in these countries now? The companies won't make it back to the US.
I’m sick and tired of my 401K stagnant and paying higher prices because people aren’t willing to change with the times.
Free markets, free trade and free men!
No.
Many Americans have nothing in the stock market, and those who do leave their well being in the hands of corporate wealth.
Obama raised the stock market by protecting wall street and passing neo-liberal economic reforms.
Free markets have nothing to do with freedom. Is AT&T a symbol of freedom, is Amazon?
Freedom comes from people having control over their own lives and having a sense of belonging. Free Markets make goods cheaper and people more materialistic, but that is not freedom. They also organize the workforce to move the population around to where there are jobs. People don't have communities anymore, and they only care about themselves.
Is this the type of country you want to live in? There is a reason depression and suicide are up.
In countries with an identity and communities, people with history who work together, folks feel like they are part of something bigger.
Libertarian economists want to convince people like you that beauty, culture, belonging, and community don't matter, only your material well being.
So buy less if goods are too expensive, we shouldn't have to destroy our local jobs and families for money.
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