Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That will never happen, the government needs to step in and ensure we are not sending trillions to foreign countries. The US government has always protected our markets and manufacturing, any sane government does. Only in the past few decades did we adopt this radical free trade policies which seeming only applies to us. "come, rape our markets, we don't even care if your markets have countless barriers to us". This is basically what we are saying as well as allowing companies to manufacture overseas and sell here with zero penalty, no incentive whatsoever to produce here.
What makes things worse is that as a result of our retarded economic practices we are in such a vulnerable position right now that reinstating the protectionist(yeah I know, dirty word) policies we've had throughout our whole history as a country could backfire big time.
when the government steps in, you get economic socialism. Competition breeds success and socialism only insures failure. Why produce a superior product if you have no competition?
when the government steps in, you get economic socialism. Competition breeds success and socialism only insures failure. Why produce a superior product if you have no competition?
Take away competition? I didn't suggest we do anything of the sort. Protectionism(tarriffs, duties etc.) is NOT socialism, it's nationalism and has always worked fantastically for this country, only when we foolishly took away these basic protections did things go downhill, and fast. If not for tariffs we would never have developed industry in the first place as dumping from european manufacturers would have put ours out of business(much like what China is doing today in many industries), the tariff act was one of the first bills signed into law.
Lincoln said "Give me a tariff and I will give you the greatest nation on earth,"
Roosevelt said "I thank God I am not a free trader,"
Unless something is done to protect our markets and industries we will continue on the path to ruin. I find it funny when people say protectionism is so bad because real world examples show the exact opposite. China is highly protectionist and is a great modern day example of this.
when the government steps in, you get economic socialism.
The government was designed to step in a lot more, controlled a lot more, back in the early days of this nation than it does now, and largely due to corporate influence in politics and election of the politicians. Many states enforced laws that could put a business out if they did any public harm. The CEOs were held liable on many accounts. The shareholders had equal power (requiring unanimous vote). And so on.
As is now said, and appropriately... socialize losses, capitalize profits.
Some more great quotes and facts. Sad how some of these quotes have come to fruition just as described.
George Washington -- who refused to wear a coat cut of British cloth to his inauguration and signed the Tariff Act of 1789.
James Madison, Speaker of the House, led the efforts to pass the Tariff Act of 1789. It was signed into law by George Washington. American production of cloth--cut two-thirds by British dumping in 1816--grew an astonishing 1,650 percent within four years of Madison's tariff becoming law.
Alexander Hamilton who wrote in his 1791 report as Treasury Secretary, "The wealth...independence and security of a Country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufactures. Every nation ought to endeavor to possess within itself all the essentials of national supply."
Henry Clay: "If the governing consideration were cheapness, if national independence were to weigh nothing; if honor nothing; why not subsidize foreign powers to defend us; why not hire Swiss or Hessian armies to protect us? Why not get our arms of all kinds, as we do, in part, the blankets and clothing of our soldiers, from abroad?"
Henry Clay: "Poverty befalls any nation that neglects and abandons the care of its own industry, leaving it exposed to the action of foreign powers--there is a remedy and that consists in --adopting a Genuine American System accomplished by the establishment of a tariff--with the view of promoting American industry--the cause is the cause of the country, and it must and it will prevail."
Abraham Lincoln: "Give me a tariff and I will give you the greatest nation on earth."
Abraham Lincoln, 1847: "Abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government must result in the increase of both useless labour, and idleness; and so, in proportion must produce want and ruin among our people."
Teddy Roosevelt who wrote, "I thank God I am not a free trader."
"The prohibiting duties we lay on all articles of foreign manufacture which prudence requires us to establish at home, with the patriotic determination of every good citizen to use no foreign article which can be made within ourselves without regard to difference of price, secures us against a relapse into foreign dependency." --Thomas Jefferson to Jean Baptiste Say, 1815.
"...experience has now taught me that manufactures are now as necessary to our independence as to our comfort..." Thomas Jefferson, 1816
Daniel Webster: "Protection...of our own labor against the cheaper, ill-paid, half-fed, and pauper labor of Europe, is, in my opinion, a duty which the country owes to its own citizens."
Take away competition? I didn't suggest we do anything of the sort. Protectionism(tarriffs, duties etc.) is NOT socialism, it's nationalism and has always worked fantastically for this country, only when we foolishly took away these basic protections did things go downhill, and fast.
This is not your father's neo-colonialist global economy. Back in the day when you could extort natural resources by propping up dictatorial suppliers and the only manufacturing nations you had to compete with could be counted on one hand you could play protectionist games. That ain't the way of the world any longer. Not only has the EU regained its manufacturing pre-war self, but you have the entire Eastern rim to deal with.
Some more great quotes and facts. Sad how some of these quotes have come to fruition just as described.
Oh, puleeeeze!
When all you had to do was get a load of slave picked cotton, drop it off at some weaver's cottage in Philadelphia who would sew you up some nice dudes, or could pick up a nice horse from across the way, cut down a couple of trees and you had a nice buggy to hitch the horse to, yeah, all that made sense.
This is not your father's neo-colonialist global economy. Back in the day when you could extort natural resources by propping up dictatorial suppliers and the only manufacturing nations you had to compete with could be counted on one hand you could play protectionist games. That ain't the way of the world any longer. Not only has the EU regained its manufacturing pre-war self, but you have the entire Eastern rim to deal with.
Laughable, just look at China, one of the most protectionist countries in history. For example an imported car in china costs double due to import taxes, they are using their leverage to gain an absolute trade advantage just like any good government does. Sure, those are old quotes but there are plenty of modern day examples showing how protectionism is a far superior model to follow than the so called "free trade" policies we follow in the US. The opium wars was all about getting access to Chinese markets and draining their wealth.
You do realize how bad it is that so much wealth is leaving the US, don't you? Clearly something needs to be done, we are handing the world to china on a silver platter.
An example of protectionism in the US would be the 'chicken tax' a tax of 25% on imported SUVs and trucks, this has brought many manufacturing jobs here from foreign companies and kept our domestic manufacturers highly competitive in this field.
Why people worship "free trade" is beyond me, we need to focus on advantageous trade. If it's not advantageous for us to allow unfettered access to our markets, provide no incentive for domestic manufacturing, allow our technology to flow to China at a rapid pace...Then why the hell do it?
Of course it has. But if you support the private market unfettered, you cannot be against globalization. Corpoations are raking in profits and stockholders are happy. So what is the problem.
An interesting documentary to check out is "Collapse" by Michael Ruppert. His main argument is that the lack of oil is going to cause the automobile industry to collapse, which will cause the (suburban) housing market, since people will use public transportation and it will take too much time to get back and forth so people will live downtown in apartments.
The whole outsourcing/offshoring things only supports his theory. If you really think about it, what does one really need a 2,000 Sq Ft. (or more) house for?
You can watch Movies/Television on Your PC -no need for a living room
Books & Music have also gone Digital -no need for a library or den.
With these new "Wall Beds" that fold upwards, that frees up alot of space in your bedroom.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
