The trend for freer international trade has been going on since the early 1970’s, that is when the United States started removing tariffs that protected American jobs and protected American factories.
It is pretty easy to assess. We have 200 years of history under the tariff system and about 20 years of mostly free trade. All you gotta do is look at how well Americans did while we had tariffs, and compare it to now when we dont have tariffs anymore. The United States had tariffs for 200 years, from 1776 to the early 1970’s. America, and its people, did pretty well if I do say so myself under the tariff system.
Look ahead, with our free trade policies, a few more years from now when the unemployment rate in the United States starts to really go up, a lot more than it is now, and when the federal debt starts to explode in a few years from now. The bad times caused by free trade have just begun. You have not seen anything yet.
Just wait until the last American manufacturing jobs are gone for good, and when our population gets to be over 400 million with over half the country unemployed.
We divvy up the world’s oil based on how much money a country has, and how strong its military is…that is why Communist China is making and saving tons of money via trade while strongly building up its military/navy/missiles/etc.
Most of the R&D/engineering operations of most American companies are moving overseas, mostly to Asia.
Microsoft, Oracle, Boeing, etc are all opening up offices and research centers offshore.
Not only that, but anything that is invented in America (e.g. efficient solar panels, computers, wind turbines, etc) will just be copied, stolen, and then produced much cheaper by Red China. Inventing new products does not do America any good.
To continue from my earlier post - reducing or changing consumerism.
Conventional economic development aims at increased growth year on year. This has occurred for 8 millennia, ever since humans adopted agriculture. The driving force is increased food, shelter, security, longevity, and critically - survival of our children. Our genestock.
Many commentators believe we have now hit the wall. We live on a finite planet with limited resources and a world population of 6.7 billion cannot be supplied with a First World standard of living.
Continued consumption by the wealthy nations approaches the law of diminishing returns. How much happier does that next pair of jeans really make you?
So - as individuals we need to reduce consumption - shopping - just for the sake of shopping. That will take a generation maybe. But the other really big change which frankly I think we are powerless to bring about, is to reduce the global population to 2 billion. Then we will be able to share equal quality of life using the planets remaining resources.
The trend for freer international trade has been going on since the early 1970’s, that is when the United States started removing tariffs that protected American jobs and protected American factories.
It is pretty easy to assess. We have 200 years of history under the tariff system and about 20 years of mostly free trade. All you gotta do is look at how well Americans did while we had tariffs, and compare it to now when we dont have tariffs anymore. The United States had tariffs for 200 years, from 1776 to the early 1970’s. America, and its people, did pretty well if I do say so myself under the tariff system.
Look ahead, with our free trade policies, a few more years from now when the unemployment rate in the United States starts to really go up, a lot more than it is now, and when the federal debt starts to explode in a few years from now. The bad times caused by free trade have just begun. You have not seen anything yet.
Just wait until the last American manufacturing jobs are gone for good, and when our population gets to be over 400 million with over half the country unemployed.
Don’t worry about it, because “I” am in a distinct minority among those who wish to return America to tariffs, return America to high wages and plentiful jobs, return Americans to owning, manufacturing, and spending half of the worlds wealth.
Most American voters today want “free trade”, no tariffs, where American factories are closed and moved to asia, and to lower the wages and lower the standard of living in the United States.
You, China, Mexico, other third world countries, etc. don’t have anything to worry about as long as most American voters refuse to bring back our jobs and our factories with tariffs.
Here is the latest employment numbers for the month of November from the BLS:
Total Employed -173,000
Civilian Labor Force + 103,000
Total increase in Unemployed + 276,000 for the month of November
Bringing in more people into our country while at the same time reducing the number of jobs is NOT! the way to lower unemployment. It is just plain stupid to bring in millions and millions of more immigrants if we are losing jobs. It does not make any sense.
“Of course they’re about to shoot themselves in the foot…”
China is stepping off the golden yellow brick road. This will cost them dearly. As I also said this will slam the door in the faces of millions of Chinese who are rushing in to take part of the economic growth* miracle unfolding in China.
*Note: I said growth. That means “yes everyone KNOWS China is poor right now but their economy is GROWING and the growth is actually also reaching the working class”.
Tell that to those Americans who haven’t been able to find work for TWO YEARS… and our homeless. Those who say we should not take care of our own first… well, it’s illegal for me to say what I think of them here.
Let’s put it this way, dude.
If this country continues its path toward a Plutocracy the poor people of the world, you know, the ones who depend on us buying their crap… they’ll go bust. The poor won’t be able to afford your offshore-produced TVs and the rich won’t be out buying 10,000 of them apiece either.
If this country’s currency goes bust, which it will given the rate of growth of our debt, guess what? The poor nations of the world who depend on trade with us? BUST!!!
In short? Help us help you. Or get hit by the economic Haley-Bopp.
So, you’re backing away from the statement that “Cars sold in China are required to be made in China”? You offered that as an example of China requiring domestic manufacture. It’s wrong. They don’t.
That’s past. You’ll need to give a cite that “they are”, because I just gave you a cite that “they aren’t”. They levy a tariff on cars w/ > 4 liter engines, but that’s an entirely different matter.
The United States has to create more than 100,000 new jobs each month, month after month, year after year, just to keep up with legal immigration into this country…
…PLUS, in addition to, bringing back the 9 million jobs lost in the past few years, plus new jobs for the illegals coming into this country. Do all that, and we will just barely be keeping still, be treading water.
Anyways, getting rid of American factories/American manufacturing is NOT the way to lower unemployment.
You’ve posted this claim before and it is simply untrue. There was not some single system of tariffs in place since 1776 that was suddenly removed 20 years ago. The most casual research will show you that there has pretty much constantly been a battle between free trade advocates who understand that tariffs only serve to raise prices, reducing the amount of products that comsumers can purchase and ultimately hurt the economy vs self serving and short sighted protectionists.
