New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. America is about to allow an Arab Emirates run company to purchase the rights to run our ports. Currently the ports are run by a London based company named Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., and while I would rather an American company run our ports, it isn't as dangerous as letting Dubai Ports World run these gateways to our economy, especially since it has been shown that several companies within the United Arab Emirates have been directly linked to the September 11 bombings as their financial insitutions laundered money for the terrorists who ultimately murdered innocent Americans. What have we become? Is this where free trade and our president's policies are leading us? While I think Bush ultimately wants to help make our country stronger, his policies need to be questioned sometimes. We cannot let this happen as it's tantamount to giving terrorists keys to the kingdom, helping them smuggle in whatever and wenever they want...Scary. Both Republican & Democrat senators are calling for a six week investigation before this sale is allowed to happen...let's hope they do investigate and stop it from happening. But regardless, I think it's time to slow our roll and realize what is happening to our country. Due to free trade, we have a huge trade budget deficit. Donkey's buddy Patty Buchanan wants us all to remember what made this country strong. People used to buy American because Americans made everything and the cost of goods encouraged them to buy American. Now it's wiser individually to buy foreign goods because they are so much cheaper. Why and how could this be? Back then we were self sufficient. In fact from the 1920's through the late 1960's our governement was completely financed by foreign tarrifs. Americans barely had to pay taxes at all. The governemnt was self sufficient smaller, there were less beefs we had to settle for other countries. If you wanted to buy an expensive foreign car, piece of jewelry or sweater you could go ahead and do so but the foreign country passed on the cost of the tax to you. Why are we helping grow other countries when our only interest should be Our home. Through free trade, foreign companies have pushed native industry out of busines. They drop prices down so low that no one makes a profit and then when our US run businesses go under, they can jack the prices up high enough to regain the profit they lost. Other foreign businesses are nationally sponsored and supported which doesn't and won't happen here...but it has worked enough for foreign businesses to kill American industry. We used to make televisions, radios, and other electic products. Not anymore. What do you think happened to them? Did they get bored or beaten?...Look at our steel industry, our plane manufacturers, etc...Our government is making it impossible for them to compete. Now there are detractors to protectionism and they'll point out that this era was a fluke...it was due to other factors including the growth of our population, technology advances, etc. which I don't entirely disagree with but why do we kill our own products with tax and let foreign products skate. How could this be good for our econmy? All it has done is send our own industry abroad. Our remaining industry has come to rely on illegal immigrants to sustain and you know that can't continue forever. If there was a driven tax on foreign goods, maybe some industries will return, they'll be able to afford paying American union and non-union employees, and Americans would have to think twice about buying a Honda over a Ford due to cost. It is the one thing everyone understands, what they can afford. They'd buy American again...In closing, I pray that our president comes to his senses, abandons free trade, pushes for some taxes on foreign goods (possibly as much as 25% which isn't all that much to pay to do business with the richest country in the world especially since these countries are not buying anything from us) and makes our country an economic force once more.
25 comments:
I'm sorry for posting this since it didn't contain any half witticism, sxual innuendo, etc...I forgot that is my role here at the Aurora. What a joke...
I agree that this should be stopped, but how exactly is this Dubya's fault again? This will be one of the few times where unions may come in handy. As a former Teamster in The Port of Newark, I am full aware of the control they wield and even if this deal goes through, I cant see too many camel bangers becoming stevedores. However I am with Hillary on this one. We cant let foreign controlled entities running such vital interests to our National Security Im glad she learned from Bill's mistake in handing over the Panama Canal to the Chinese
It isn't all Bush's fault as a succession of presidents has lauded free trad and encouraged it. But Bush is carrying it on and promoting it still so as the current president he is responsible...for towing a falied company line. It is atrocious what happened with the Panama Canal...but it is encouraging that Republicans and Democrats seem to be coming together a little bit over an issue that is important to Americans...it's almost shocking.
Fly you should have made this two posts, since you handle 2 different topics. you are absolutely on point here with the sale of this company. i heard that they did a 20 day investigation before they allowed the sale. 20 days is not enough. No media coverage, nothing. This can't be allowed to go through. Bush's policies on homeland security should be questioned, and have been questioned here at the aurora, especially his lack of interest in closing the southern border. I don't think this one is on him though.
As for the other point you were trying to make, i'm sorry i can't go with you on this one. Free trade is good for everyone. your premise that these foriegn companies undercut us and then jack the prices up is silly. if that was the case someone else could just do the same thing to them. Abandoning free trade is not only UN-American, it's stupid. All that would happen is it would make everything more expensive! And of course there would be retaliatory tarriffs from other countries. That would hurt our economy not help it. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but i'll tell you this, Unions are a big problem. Same with the minimum wage laws, and of course f**king with microsoft(breakup) and Walmart aren't a good idea either.
Also, we need to de regulate a lot of these industries. There's tons of problems, but free trade isn't one of them.
What is it that other countries are buying from us? China? Japan? If we imposed tarrifs they would still have to sell their goods to us...who else is spending the money on TV's, VCR, DVD players, etc...there were tarrifs before and there was still trade between the countries. The fact that the deficit is so huge is a indication of why...We don't sell as much as we buy and we need to bridge the gap. This does fall into the same equation as Port Gap because it goes back to our foreign policy as far as how we do business with foreign companies. I know what you are saying though and it could have been two posts...but they were on my mind at the same time.
Nafta is kicking the shit out of US manufacturing-especially the small business owner. Eventually we will be so reliant on other countries (ie China)for goods and services that we will be vulnerable.
Free Trade is just another word for nothing left to sell. Free trade is good for everyone, but the USA. How is losing damn near every industy to Asia good for America or good for the American worker, besides cheap prefab furniture? Contrary to popular belief, $50 DVD players are not a Constitutional right. Are cheap consumer goods worth the price of being in China's pocket? The same people that blame govt for overspending are the same people running up credit card debt, which is at its highest rate per capita in history compounded by a record low savings rate. As a man and as a country we are overspending, overconsuming and overextending ourselves...whats so wrong with maybe tipping the playing field to our advantage until we get both our gov't and personal spending under control.
As far as The MSFT/Gates fiasco...for another perspective on that storyline I would reccomend reading Atlas Shrugged
fly the end result of tariffs is higher prices. If you said we need to level the playing field,ie. forcing other countries to lower tariffs on our products or whatever i would agree with that. But it makes no sense to me to increase the prices of products we import. That will only result in higher prices for the American consumer.
Correction: We are vulnerable!!
donkey that is so ridiculous that i almost laughed out loud. You said:
whats so wrong with maybe tipping the playing field to our advantage until we get both our gov't and personal spending under control.
Get our govt spending under control? The Contract With America that brought the Republicans to power more than 10 years ago is a distant blur in the GOP's rearview mirror. Smaller, competent and restrained government has been sacrificed to the new coalition of Republican rent-seekers. So who's going to get it under control? Healthcare Hillary?
Rhino, I think it will encourage our growth...maybe we will actually make things again. Plus I have to agree with Donkey on this and I am guilty of it as well...spending on things that are unnecessary, like the next format for home movies that comes down the pipe. Like I said before, free trad only encourages groth of foreign countries...We are the only ones buying their products. Just like how we get hit with higher oil prices to offset some foreign countries wins/losses...we wouldn't be hurting ourselves if we don't buy the foreign products. The normal Joe won't be hurt...only the rich guy who insists on buying a Mercedes over a Ford...which he would've bought whether it was $75,000.00 or $100,000.00 anyway. If there were tarrifs on foreign governments, we would see a lot of companies come back in to the fold. I guarantee it.
Rhino,
Im glad I brought a little sunshine to your day.
So youre saying that balancing our budget and narrowing the trade gap are unworthy goals because they will be difficult to achieve? And why does everything have to be about Hillary? Because I agree with position on the ports, Im all of a sudden a F.O.H.? Who knows maybe Ill run for President, roll up my sleeves and get all Perot on this country
Fly that's nonsense. Everyone would be hurt by higher prices! Why do u buy a nissan over a pontiac now? Because the nissan is better thats why. helping our industry with tarriffs isn't going to make them work harder to put out a better product, it's going to enable them! If you can't control your spending, that's your fault, why should i have to pay more for my dvd player? Get yourself under control, don't expect the government to help you.
Donkey, i was using Hillary only because of her socialist health care plan of the 90's. It has nothing to do with you thinking she's hot. But keep that to yourself from now on. it grosses me out.
First of all I would never buy a new Nissan...and the point wasn't that I spend too much on irrelevance & unimportant products...We all do. Wouldn't it be better if you could buy this extracurricular product from an American company? Obviously you are more willing then me to give all your money to foreigners. Why?Our companies can't compete with foreign sponsored corporations. Don't look at the small picture so often. You would still be able to buy foreign products but with tarrifs you might not just buy it like the bag of goods you are trying to sell me now...the same standards would still be held. The product would only suffer if standards were lower. American cars have traditionally lasted longer than foreign cars anyway and guess what, it is important to me if it was made here...even if you think that's irrelevant. I'd rather pay an American's salary who in turn buys something from another American and so on and so on...if were talking Pontiacs and Nissans then I would definitely buy the Pontiac. Apologize to Mr.Iazizzle...for rizzle.
donkey just likes the former presidential partner in that yankees cap. i am with rhino on free trade. that is the american way. if there are some industries that would benefit from these protective measures, i would like to know exactly what they are and who specifically would benefit and how? i'm not saying that they are not out there, but it is very easy to say "let's be protectionist and impose tarriffs," but a little more difficult to justify it. should we impose tarriffs on japanese cars so daimler-chrysler benefits? it may protect some jobs here, and it may line the pockets of some germans there, but it won't build a better mouse-trap anywhere.
the part about the ports is very disturbing.
I am all for free trade, if its a fair and level playing field, and that just doesnt seem to be the case in my mind. CAFTA and NAFTA have not helped, the EU was formed strictly to drive the value of the dollar down, and the WTO handcuffs us at every turn. The American way is doing whats best for America.
Im waiting for Gary to chime in now with his Clinton/Bush Skull and Crossbones/ Bilderbergs theories
What was it that Bush 1 said...something about a New World Order? Well the old way was working just fine
fly what about all the dealerships? their employees? what about best buy? their employees? what about the stock holders? Aren't those American salaries too? It is you who is looking at the small picture. Our economies are intertwined. Honda has a plant in kentucky, what about them? if they're built here but they're a foriegn company? It's not that simple. Free trade is good for everyone. It creates more competition which is good for the consumer.
You say: You would still be able to buy foreign products but with tarrifs you might not just buy it like the bag of goods you are trying to sell me now..
So who gets hurt there? What about the stores i'm not shopping in? What about my quality of life. Why should i sacrifice because land rover makes a better vehicle than jeep, and i want the better vehicle? I should be penalized because jeep is not as good? And what about the companies like daimler/chrysler? is that an American company? Is it a german company? how do we figure that out?
Fly you do some big picture thinking and then get back to me.
donkey, NAFTA is not perfect, that's for sure but free trade is not the problem. If we need anything it's free-er trade. get the governments out of the way, let the consumers and the private industry work it out and it would be even better.
Are you talking about the game Mouse Trap...I could never catch that mouse. First off, the most important part to me about protectionism is that it would either get money out of the countries that aren't buying anything from us (a penalty since they are making lots of money off of us) & hopefully inspire some of the business that left us for distant shores to come back.
Rhino, Unfortunately we can't stop foreign companies from trying to bankrupt our business...I don't care if the Honda's of the world have one out of one hundred factories in the US...that's not free trade. Do you think it's a fair return? Sony and others have been held up by their countries...They can sell products under cost until we can't compete. Our businesses either go bankrupt or leave to build their business in a friendlier market. I'm not being argumentative but what else can we do to control this...seriously, tell me? What do we do to stop the Chinese/Japanese/Germans etc from killing all American industry. They do not buy from us...they aren't going to stop. If we have an all out war and foreign car makers put all of our car companies have been put out of business, where do we get our military vehicles...See WWI & II where our car makers had to stop making cars so they could make military vehicles...Will we then rely on foreign car makers to make us vehicles to use in war? What if we are at war with the countries who make these vehicles...Jeeps were good enough for us in WWI & II and hopefully they will be again. It's not as simple as you are making it either...If John Smith who works at IKEA loses his job, I hope American ingenuity tells him that maybe he should go work at an American company next time...
fly your arguments are so elementary and non sensical it borders on the absurd. i'm not sure why i'm even responding to you anymore.
sony has to sell things under cost until our companies go out of business?
why do you think you can make stuff up and i'm not going to call you on it? that's one of the stupidest things i've ever heard! if you're going to lie, come up with something believable. How is sony going to explain that to their shareholders? What you don't think they would notice that the company was losing shit loads of money? What about best buy? they're an American company, what if john smith loses his job there because i can't afford to buy a 500 dollar dvd player? And what about all the pension plans and 401k plans that more than half the American citizens are involved in that invest in these companies? F**K em?
the thing that you don't understand, is that i don't think these things are simple, i also don't think there's a problem. You cry about the American steel Industry, but our economy isn't in trouble. We make the things here if its cost effective to do so, if it's not we buy from someone else. what's wrong with that? If you want to buy American, more power to you, keep on keepin on. But
We live in a free market society, a free market economy. if the politicians stayed out of it altogether, the marketplace would work it all out. Free trade is good for everyone.
I just removed two comments because I was bated by your insults and that resulted in me calling you names like "retard" etc...but that is just childish. I will not stoop to your level. Maybe today Sony isn't a good example, not presently, they don't have to use cost cutting...there isn't any competition left for them in America. But they would have been when we still made TV's in this country. Oh, you didn't know we made TV's? We did...ask companies like Xenith and Panavision, et al. They were American companies who made outstanding products...How do I know that? My parents still have a Xenith from years past and do you know what? It's an color TV and it still works. Plasma TV's today don't last that long...You are always in such a rush to be right that you don't even try to understand the person that you are arguing with...Cost cutting isn't real? I work for an American company, a fortune 500 company and we deal with it all the time...from other corporations! Don't be silly when you mention investors and the market and think that I will be "oohed" and "aahhed"..Do you mean the same market that allowed Enron to do what it did? How now brown cow? So, brokers tend to think that they are dealing with an intelligent audience? Then how do they sell them losing stock? How do they still push it? Push it real good? If you say that you can't then that must mean you aren't very good at what you do, right? You sell stock...you've never moved a seriously flawed product? Don't answer that...I know you can't. But I also know that you've probably bragged about doing it to so many homies that it could possibly fill a priests whole weekend in the confessional. Look, I'm not asking for protectionism like we had back in the day...I'm asking for free trade with a concession. 25% isn't the world but if you are going to sell here, can't you buy here as well...and in the end, is it smart to buy all our Jeeps overseas...when Jeep was so busy during the war years? Do you want to rely on foreign companies for these kinds of things...weapons for instance? These are questions that you avoided by making fun of me with a petty response. But you didn't answer this question. Do you want to rely on foreign companies for these kinds of things during a major war? I hope you don't say yes...I hope you don't...
PS - if you want a current example of a company using cost cutting measures to put an American company out of business? Look at Airbus...they haven't made a profit in almost fifteen years. They just moved past Boeing as the world's #1 commercial aircraft maker.
Please Rhino, try to be a little more industrious before you attack me...I like you and wasn't on the attack. I politely asked you to answer a question...I have to read "fly your arguments are so elementary and non sensical it borders on the absurd."...I am sure you used spell check but please, don't make it seem like I'm wasting your time or something. It's absurd, especially since most of your posts are admittedly copied and pasted from someone else's writing...I am glad that you can read but at least I am trying to come up with original unpredicated thought...That's it for now...have a good weekend.
fly, i didn't call you any names, i said your argument was ridiculous. I still feel that way. Have a nice day.
You have a PHD in rhidonculous subject matter so you would know,I guess...peace out until we meet again young padwan.
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