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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (1869)	8/18/1998 8:16:00 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

Competition. There are winners and losers. The US government neither controls nor is responsible for either of these "lost" industries. JLA

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (1869)	8/18/1998 8:34:00 PM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

If you knew anything about the sellout of the US television industry in the 70's by Nixon/Ford/Carter, you would have known that there was a deal by the U.S. and Japan regarding Soviet Union and China. In exchange for Japanese support for issues re: the Soviet Union and China, they sold out the US television industry of which there were over 50 manufacturers. This was not a economic misunderstanding issue, but the US dealing from a weak posture as it did throughout the 70's. Nixon/Ford/Carter/dem Congress of the US were in a period of appeasement as the US public did not support global intervention. In the Reagan era, the US funded surrogates as the Soviets did in the 70's. The Afghanistan freedom fighters were the first of these. This did not require overwhelming US public support as in the case of direct intervention.

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (1869)	8/19/1998 10:38:00 AM
From: j_b	Respond to of 13994

<<the complete obliteration of the consumer electronics industry in the US by Japan Inc (during the 80s) was an example of a real lack of understanding >> An example of whose lack of understanding? Definitely the American companies. What would you have the government do? If they impose tariffs, the free market people complain. If they don't, the America first people complain. It is not governments place to protect businesses from their own stupidity or lack of foresight. I agree that America lost much of its manufacturing base, and will continue to lose more. I disagree that the government carries any of the responsibility for that loss. Remember - it's a global economy. If labor is significantly cheaper, or other countries don't enforce the environmental protections we do, manufacturing (a labor intensive operation in many cases) will move. Would you have the government abandon the minimum wage or environmental laws? If not, what?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (1869)	8/19/1998 12:01:00 PM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

You really don't understand business or economics. "Less Thorough" (as he is known) is a political economist and a socialist. And Less has been shown to be completely wrong about the 1980's. Is was during the 1980's that tax and regulatory changes made the US market a much more free market. It was during that period that the US built the comparative advantage it now has in high tech and consumer industries and it is the model emulated throughout the world today. The US electronics industry was eviscerated in the 1960's and 1970's when major companies refused to plan for the LT as a result of their myopia and bad government policy (disincentives). Such giants as RCA refused to dump their large investments in old tech such as "tube" plants and let tiny upstarts like Sony market the first transistor radios. RCA instead bought a car rental company and became a defense contractor. RCA was bought in the 1980's by GE who sold the electronics to Thomson (FR). Thomson was/is state-run and has been a large failure. As for Japan, Less Thorough wanted US to emulate them (state direction) and opposed the Reagan reforms. Japan is in dire crisis today. And Less is Thoroughly discredited.