# Is the Donald right to get riled up about our balance of trade with China and Mexico? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 1, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154 "2015-10-01T16:29:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/41 "2015-10-21T13:44:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That fallacy, I do not think it means what you think it means. One never knows. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/42 "2015-10-21T13:49:06Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > 1. The name of the Chinese currency is Renmibi. The name of the unit is the Yuan. It’s a bit weird. I think pretty much everywhere else the name of the currency is the same as the name of the unit. The name of the United Kingdom’s currency is “Pounds Sterling,” but a unit is just a “Pound.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/43 "2015-10-21T13:49:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It is okay to [beat my Wife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate)as long as I do it less frequently than Leroy does? No. And the list you just posted backs up exactly what I was saying; that the US unemployment rate is comparatively low. Of course the target unemployment rate for any country is 0%, I’m just trying to bring some perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/44 "2015-10-21T14:03:43Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The name of the United Kingdom’s currency is “Pounds Sterling,” but a unit is just a “Pound.” Sterling is just a differentiator. On that basis, every country that uses a dollar has a different currency name and unit name. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/45 "2015-10-21T14:07:12Z")
> [@XT](#): > > He’ll get China to…um…build something…at China’s expense…that will, er, solve the problem. Just like the wall he will get Mexico to build to stop illegal immigration (and trade…or something)… Don’t underestimate Trump’s ability to eliminate the trade deficit. Four years under his rule and Americans won’t be able to afford Chinese goods anymore. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/46 "2015-10-22T02:45:58Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > No. And the list you just posted backs up exactly what I was saying; that the US unemployment rate is comparatively low. > Of course the target unemployment rate for any country is 0%, I’m just trying to bring some perspective. Actually, I understand that the target unemployment is more like 2-3%, otherwise it’s difficult to grow the economy due to a shortage of labor. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/47 "2015-10-22T15:59:57Z")
There’s no perfect analogy, but one that’s used from time to time: I pay my barber a lot of money to cut my hair, but he doesn’t give me any money. I buy things from my local grocer, but he never buys anything from me. I tip the waitresses at my favorite restaurant handsomely, but they never give me a dime. So, am I running a “trade deficit” with those people? If so, is it something I should be furious about? Should I boycott the barber, the grocer and the waitresses until they start giving me as much money as I give them? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/48 "2015-10-22T17:19:27Z")
I think more alone the line that if I drive from Little Rock to Memphis to pay less for groceries, my taxes go towards helping Tennessee instead of Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/49 "2015-10-23T02:32:30Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > Actually, I understand that the target unemployment is more like 2-3%, otherwise it’s difficult to grow the economy due to a shortage of labor. Ah yes, that makes sense. That _really_ puts the US unemployment rate in perspective. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I think more alone the line that if I drive from Little Rock to Memphis to pay less for groceries, my taxes go towards helping Tennessee instead of Arkansas. Is this a point against trade deficits, or just the whole concept of trade itself? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/50 "2015-10-23T03:06:26Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > 1. The name of the Chinese currency is Renmibi. The name of the unit is the Yuan. It’s a bit weird. I think pretty much everywhere else the name of the currency is the same as the name of the unit. \renmi **n** bi\. Yuan just means “unit of currency”, it’s a generic term. E.g the US dollar in Chinese is “meiyuan” (“meiguo” being the US. Literally means “pretty country”). Of course when they talk about their own they don’t feel a need to specify whose it is, if you follow my meaning :o. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154/51 "2015-10-23T21:22:35Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There’s no perfect analogy, but one that’s used from time to time: > > I pay my barber a lot of money to cut my hair, but he doesn’t give me any money. > I buy things from my local grocer, but he never buys anything from me. > I tip the waitresses at my favorite restaurant handsomely, but they never give me a dime. > > So, am I running a “trade deficit” with those people? If so, is it something I should be furious about? Should I boycott the barber, the grocer and the waitresses until they start giving me as much money as I give them? I may be wrong on this, but I think that you are running a deficit with _them_. Hopefully, your job pays well and you are running surplus with your employer, and a net surplus overall. Otherwise, you should consider eating in more often and cutting your own hair. I don’t know how well that analogy holds up to imports and exports. Perhaps our domestic growth is more than sufficient to make up for a net trade deficit. IOW, I don’t know if trade deficit == unhealthy economy, Donald Trump’s rightwing populist dog whistles not withstanding. (Ooo, Halloween costume idea…) Rob [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-donald-right-to-get-riled-up-about-our-balance-of-trade-with-china-and-mexico/733154.md?page=2)