A discussion on free trade

WRL

WRL

Well...the right is right
In theory free trade sounds like a wonderful economic strategy, the problem I have with it is, we have blindly plowed through with many ill advised free trade agreements, like H.R. 4444, which normalized trade relations with China. Communist China is a wonderful example of the gaping holes in our current trade policies, which is wielding severe consequences across our economy, in what seem to be threatening our global position.

Communist China, purposely manipulates it's currency, pegging it against a single currency, unlike normal currency policies across the globe, which peg's it against a basket of currencies. This allows china to produce goods cheaper, by manipulating the system. It's currency manipulation. They also set artificially low wages, further cheeping goods from it's country.

Regardless of what anyone says, the ability to produce goods is a central part of any industrialized economy, look around your own home, see just how much says 'made in china'

China's GDP for 2006 +11.1%

USA GDP 2006 3.2%

I'm afraid if we sit back and blindly adhere to ideology our global position could be threatened. We're exporting jobs and importing debt. A credit nation on the verge of collapse, bankruptcy, whatever you wish to call it.


What's so wrong with placing tariffs on chinese goods to cover the cost of an American worker? We can't force Chinese economic policy, we can't force china to adopt a decent wage for it's citizens, but by freely trading with them under these circumstances we seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot. If they won't play free and fair, what's wrong with punishing them?
 
WRL said:
In theory free trade sounds like a wonderful economic strategy, the problem I have with it is, we have blindly plowed through with many ill advised free trade agreements, like H.R. 4444, which normalized trade relations with China. Communist China is a wonderful example of the gaping holes in our current trade policies, which is wielding severe consequences across our economy, in what seem to be threatening our global position.

Communist China, purposely manipulates it's currency, pegging it against a single currency, unlike normal currency policies across the globe, which peg's it against a basket of currencies. This allows china to produce goods cheaper, by manipulating the system. It's currency manipulation. They also set artificially low wages, further cheeping goods from it's country.

Regardless of what anyone says, the ability to produce goods is a central part of any industrialized economy, look around your own home, see just how much says 'made in china'

China's GDP for 2006 +11.1%

USA GDP 2006 3.2%

I'm afraid if we sit back and blindly adhere to ideology our global position could be threatened. We're exporting jobs and importing debt. A credit nation on the verge of collapse, bankruptcy, whatever you wish to call it.


What's so wrong with placing tariffs on chinese goods to cover the cost of an American worker? We can't force Chinese economic policy, we can't force china to adopt a decent wage for it's citizens, but by freely trading with them under these circumstances we seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot. If they won't play free and fair, what's wrong with punishing them?
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It's a sad time in the world whenever simply not blocking a person is considered AIDING them.

China's goods are "cheaper" but it hurts their economy. You can't get something for nothing, WRL. They are selling goods for less than they are worth.

America's currency is also in a free fall. The Bush administration started out the same as the Euro and now, for the first time in a long while, we're below the Canadian dollar.
 
And there's a big difference between going from 40,000 GDP per capita to 40,300, and going from 4000 GDP per capita to 4400. It's a lot harder to do the first. Hurting China doesn't help America.
 
uscitizen said:
:D

Hard to tell which side is which now-a-days.
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OK. Free trade is more classicly liberal, but populists and even today just straight American liberals are starting to become the protectionists. The fact that Bush believed in free trade just turned things on its head. But I'd like you to remember, before Bush there was Clinton and Gore, and they had pretty much the same opinion on free trade.
 
Watermark said:
OK. Free trade is more classicly liberal, but populists and even today just straight American liberals are starting to become the protectionists. The fact that Bush believed in free trade just turned things on its head. But I'd like you to remember, before Bush there was Clinton and Gore, and they had pretty much the same opinion on free trade.
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Umm seems like I recall that Regan and Bush I were also pro "free" trade ?
 
Watermark said:
It's a sad time in the world whenever simply not blocking a person is considered AIDING them.

China's goods are "cheaper" but it hurts their economy. You can't get something for nothing, WRL. They are selling goods for less than they are worth.

America's currency is also in a free fall. The Bush administration started out the same as the Euro and now, for the first time in a long while, we're below the Canadian dollar.
Click to expand...


It's what I've been hearing for years now...

Few other countries have been able to match the pace of China's sustained economic growth. With gross domestic product (GDP) increasing, on average, more than 8 percent annually since 1978, China has become a major player in the global economy.
 
inflation, by all economic standards they should have collapsed. Yet if you take just the last ten years and the number jumps above double digits.

All I'm saying is if the manipulate the system, why have free unfettered trade with them.


I'm not saying I'm right, actually hoping someone can prove me wrong, but it seems practical enough...
 
I just don't want to see us cede one bit of our global position, I don't want Americans to suffer to promote the communist china.
 
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