>> I do not regard myself as left wing or for unilateral disarmament. But what are you suggesting? <<
i wouldn't dare to presume your ideology. i am simply trying to assert that free trade ideologies come from a liberal or libertarian left, not from the conservatism of the right. there is a misconception about that these days, because so many republicans advocate free trade. protectionism has roots in conservatism and it's only in recent decades that many republicans have abandoned protectionism in favor of free trade.
>> That the Enrons and all the other crap going on is just allowed to go ahead?? <<
i never suggested anything of the sort. thomas jefferson pointed out, "That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
well enron is a perfect example of people not disciplining themselves. when people refuse to discipline themselves, the only recourse to society is for government to intervene. so what makes you think i am not in favor of intervention against enron? many people on the right believe in some dogmatic adherence to free trade because they equate free trade with laissez faire--or less government regulation of commerce. i will be happy to explain the flaws in this approach and why i don't think true conservatism advocates free trade if you're interested.
>> The USA is not innocent of the various crimes you mention about those "other countries". There has been some sharp practitioners on your side of the Atlantic too <<
that is why i accept the sovereign right of those other countries to impose tariffs to protect their interests just as we have a right to protect ours.
>> The USA is not only willing for them to rob their own citizens, but also let them run amok in the world once it's not seen to harm USA citizens??? <<
i'm not sure what you mean here.
>> I am suggesting the USA step up to the plate along with it's allies in ensuring "fair trade". Something we both agree on. <<
sure. who isn't for at least the notion of fair trade? saying you're for fair trade is like saying you're for peace. president bush explicitly stated that he didn't think our steel industry was being competed with fairly, and these steel tariffs were imposed to help make the competition more fair. what is so wrong with that?
>> Tariffs going up all over the place will lead to a major world wide depression imho <<
only if countries have structured their existence around free trade. if every country practiced protectionism taken to its furthest extreme, every nation would have to become self-sufficient, because there would be no trade between nations. so is it really a question of protective tariffs being the source of the problems or the solution?
i'll make an analogy. if i had it my way, there would be no social security in america. if i had it my way there would be no welfare in america. but our society has created a bunch of dependants and we have made promises to them. now i think it would have been better if welfare or social security had never been implemented in this country in the first place. what would happen if congress passed laws abolishing welfare and social security effective tomorrow? of course there would be total chaos because people have structured their lives around those programs. well you can't make the argument that free trade is ideal simply because abandoning it would cause depression. eliminating welfare is ideal if you ask me, but of course you could not do it in one day. if you eliminated it in one day our country would probably go into depression or who knows what else. probably revolution. well the same thing goes for a policy of tariffs instead of income taxes. it would be ideal, but you could not do it in one day. it would be a shock to the system. so the best course of action is to gradually move back towards a policy of protective tariffs and less income taxes, just as we should gradually go back to a country without welfare.
>> The bad guys everywhere will abuse it <<
abuse what? tariffs? i thought yours and other arguments are that tariffs reduce trade, which hurts everyone. if it hurts everyone, why would the bad guys want to hurt themselves?
>> Bureaucrats will run amok with new power and money even more then they are now. I would think we are both against that idea. <<
what bureaucrats? what money and power are you referring to? |
