The European Union (news - web sites) said Wednesday it has selected U.S. products to punish with tariffs next year if Washington doesn’t quickly repeal an antidumping law ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization
and
The list submitted to the WTO this week targets “vocal U.S. sectors that could help Congress focus its mind on compliance,”
from Yahoo
What do you think?
I think boycotts have a long history, and can sometimes be a useful way of getting the target’s attention.
How is this “mucking around with US politics?”
Well…I have no idea what you are talking about…but…we are signatories to the WTO.
So you play by the WTO rules or you get out.
Is that clear?
Well, it’s not a boycott, of course. Just retaliatory trade action. We’ve done it – most recently, to some particularly tasty French condiments (I wanna say in 2000 or so). The value of the affected products was mimimal, but they went straight to French pride and oh-by-the-way a lot of French politicians had constituents affected.
Prolly not an ideal system, but it manages to work out stuff over time. This is nuthin’.
We’ve behaved like international pricks for the past 4 years, and we’ve let America slide into a position where the euros can give us a good rogering:
Dollar Trades Near Record Low; No Agreement Seen to Stem Slide
Senate OKs $800B Debt Limit Hike
It’d be inhuman of them not to take advantage of the situation.
Raising our debt ceiling by 800 billion takes our debt up to what? 8.2 trillion??
How the hell do you pay that off???
Well I know its hard for you to read Reeder. But we will be here for a while. When your done write us back.
Europe isn’t doing anything to US that we haven’t done to them.
Let’s tidy that up, shall we?
“Well, I know it’s hard for you to read, Reeder, but we will be here for a while. When you’re done, write us back.”
Good point.
Please point out a situation when we have manipulated European Union politics.
You have not yet demonstrated that this economic pressure is in any way “manipulating [US] politics.”
And just in case you missed it:
As Manhattan pointed out, the fight over GM foods
On a slightly less economic front:
US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war
Well, we’ve already shown that multi-billion dollar debts can be paid off in under 20 years. Not too worried about it when wartime spending will decrease eventually.
THey aren’t mucking around with our politics, they’re fucking us like we’ve fucked most of the world over with our protectionist tariffs, quotas, dumping legislation and retaliatory economic acts over the last 200 years or so.
To the OP:
When come back, bring an understanding of the world economy, free-trade, protectionism, politics, and economic history-it could really help you out on this one.
Sam
Well, to be fair, your politics need more than a little mucking around with. On a more serious note: of all the things to get upset about, this is what you’re pitting? That’s like complaining to someone you knocked all the teeth out of, about him scratching your knuckles in the process. Or something.
I have suspected you are an idiot. Unfortunately there can no longer be any doubt. Pick up some reading material; Warren Buffet wrote a couple of good articles on the impact of deficits. When you are done, send the articles to the White House.
By the way, Greenspan Jr., it’s difficult to pay of debts with a trade deficit. Is that going to fix itself as well?
Huh, can someone clarify all the Reagan bashing about record deficits and debt, yet Bush somehow “squandering” it?
No, dear Waverly, you are the idiot. Or ill-informed and a partisan hack. Pick one. Your simplistic and childish insults would concern me, but that would insult idiots, simpletons and children.