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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread

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To: TimF who wrote (26231)	5/16/2002 6:24:29 PM
From: craig crawford	Read Replies (1) of 59480

>> I think a reasonable rate for any tax is one that has a minimal impact on people's lives and on the economy << tariffs fill that bill. the oppressive and intrusive income tax that replaced tariffs does not! >> Do you want tariffs that are so low that they do almost nothing to effect trade? << no, that would be the libertarian position. i believe tariffs are an effective tool for the government to regulate the economy for the benefit of the nation. >> I never argued that congress did not have the constitutional power to put in place trade barriers, I have only questioned the wisdom of it actually doing so << i am arguing that it was the founding father's wisdom that resulted in it being put in the constitution in the first place. free traders want to turn their backs to that wisdom. >> Congress has the power to do a lot of stupid things, that doesn't mean it should actually go ahead and do them. << most of the stupid things congress does is in violation of the constitution, under the guise of their actions being constitutional. >> Congresses power includes the power to make treaties in this area. The president can only get fast track authority if congress gives it to him and then when the treaty is ready for ratification the congress can always reject it so it is congress who is still regulating commerce with foreign nations. << that is an example of congress trying to abdicate and delegate its authority. that is wrong and unconstitutional. >> No I mean help our economy, both overall and the majority of individuals rich or poor in the US. << yeah, theodore roosevelt wanted the same thing. only he and other traditional conservatives didn't see it the same way as you free traders of today. "These forty odd years have been the most prosperous years this nation has ever seen; more prosperous years than any other nation has ever seen. Every class of our people is benefited by the protective tariff." --Theodore Roosevelt >> I threw it out casually because even with this downside we are better off if we drop trade barriers. However we would be even better off if other countries did as well so if we can convince them to do so by offering the carrot of access to our markets then I would hold off on unilateral free trade. When this matter is not a consideration (if other countries offer free trade or if we realize that they never will) then I am all for unilateral free trade. When the ability to pry trade concessions from other countries is an issue then whether or not I would support unilateral free trade depends on the specifics of the situation. << the british already tried this and failed miserably. no reason for the united states to take the same path. >> And it would be even easier for them to exercise more control if they did not face competition from other countries. << i'm sorry but you are completely naive in this regard. you think free trade leads to less control by the elites? hmm...in 1949 the top 1% held 21% of the national wealth. with free trade for the last half century the top 1% now control over 40% or twice as much. it is even more extreme on a global scale. >> Free trade is itself an example of freedom. << ahh, but freedom without restraint is anarchy. if total freedom is our chief goal, then why do we want any government at all? thomas jefferson said, "It is to secure our rights that we resort to government at all." that is why the founding fathers agreed that congress should regulate commerce. to secure our rights. >> If you try to prevent someone from buying foreign goods you limit their freedom. << and this is necessarily a bad thing? how about the government preventing boeing from selling cruise missiles to saddam hussein? is that limiting freedom? is that bad? >> I don't think it has, but it is a seperate issue unless you are attacking free trade on basis that it increases our wealth and thus contributes to the destruction of our culture. << free trade absolutely contributes to the destruction of our moral fabric. theodore roosevelt told us so over a century ago. "Thank God I'm not a free trader. In this country pernicious indulgence in the doctrine of free-trade seems inevitably to produce fatty degeneration of the moral fibre.” --Theodore Roosevelt in 1895 wrote to Henry Cabot Lodge

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