Octopus Overlords

hepcat wrote: All of it is protectionist nonsense. If we impose barriers to trade, our trading partners will do the same. While we may gain some jobs by avoiding import competition, we will lose export-sector jobs (which tend to pay about 16% more than import-competing jobs, on average). Trump is playing on workers fears and feeding into the notion that specialization and free, voluntary exchange - which we all do on a daily basis to our individual and, thus, collective betterment - is somehow contrary to our best interests.

hepcat wrote:

Rip wrote:http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/17/cramer-i ... trade.html

Whether or not your agree with Donald Trump's overall message, his view on U.S. trade makes sense, said CNBC's Jim Cramer.

"I'm with Trump on this. Look, we lose on every trade deal. I ask all these people from either party: name me one trade deal we have had a surplus on in the last decade. They can't name any," Cramer said on "Squawk Box" on Thursday. "I always find it amusing to think people don't seem to mind that we lose in these deals because we're able to export a lot of premium products that are not made necessarily by people in our workforce."

Cramer said the only person to discuss the trade deficit before the election was Trump.

All of it is protectionist nonsense. If we impose barriers to trade, our trading partners will do the same. While we may gain some jobs by avoiding import competition, we will lose export-sector jobs (which tend to pay about 16% more than import-competing jobs, on average). Trump is playing on workers fears and feeding into the notion that specialization and free, voluntary exchange - which we all do on a daily basis to our individual and, thus, collective betterment - is somehow contrary to our best interests.

hepcat wrote:Protectionist tariffs don't really work the way Trump wants you think they will.

Tariffs on passenger and light truck tires made in China are here to stay.

The U.S. International Trade Commission voted at 11 a.m. on July 14, 2015, and affirmed both the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations. This means the tariffs now are final, and will remain in place for at least five years. The cases will be reviewed in 2020.

The tariff rates, as set by the Department of Commerce (DOC) on June 12, 2015, stand. The ITC does not have the power to adjust the rates. Its role simply is to determine whether the production of these tires in China harms the U.S. market. To review those rates, read this: DOC affirms tariffs, increases rates for nearly all tire makers

Looking outside the low-cost radial and entry level tire markets—the majority of which are imported—new plants and expansion projects are popping up in various parts of the U.S., with South Carolina getting a large piece of the investment pie.

For the year ended August 2012, tire makers earmarked $2.75 billion for expansion projects in North America, and in the following 12 months announced planned expenditures of $1.8 billion.
...
Many tire makers believe it's important to have production near the region where the tires will be sold, thus saving heavily on logistics, shipping costs and inventory needs.

“Yokohama's strategy is to employ local production for local consumption as much as possible,” said Alan Easome, senior director, new plant development, for Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi. “With growing demand in the U.S. for our products, it only makes sense for us to look toward production in the U.S.”
...
James Hawk, president and general manager of Toyo's manufacturing site in Georgia, remembers not too many years ago when there was a mass exodus of firms looking to locate in low-labor sites such as China, Indonesia or the Czech Republic.

“What they were chasing was labor costs,” Hawk said. “They were trying to mitigate or eliminate the legacy part of the labor costs.”

While labor and other costs may have been cheaper overseas, it forced those tire firms to carry more inventory, deal with currency fluctuations and ship products halfway around the world, he said, noting logistics costs aren't getting any cheaper.

Isgrimnur wrote:

While labor and other costs may have been cheaper overseas, it forced those tire firms to carry more inventory, deal with currency fluctuations and ship products halfway around the world, he said, noting logistics costs aren't getting any cheaper.

hepcat wrote:Protectionist tariffs don't really work the way Drumpf wants you think they will.

RunningMn9 wrote:

hepcat wrote:Protectionist tariffs don't really work the way Drumpf wants you think they will.

Another interesting read:
Stuff about Trade

I'm not sure that LM will agree with it given his predilection against free trade agreements, but it offers data and he doesn't.

Isgrimnur wrote:I would recommend reading First Contract. It's a sci-fi take on how a backwater economy moves up the economic food chain. Instead of Japan in the 50's, China in the 70's, Taiwan in the 80's, it's Earth after the aliens arrive.

And if that's not enough to give it a look, it's by Greg Costikyan, RPG designer extraordinaire.

Isgrimnur wrote:I would recommend reading First Contract.

Zarathud wrote:Enjoy Costikyan, so I'm reading too! There ate also a short series of tories in the Paranoia universe he edited.

Jaymann wrote:

Zarathud wrote:Enjoy Costikyan, so I'm reading too! There ate also a short series of tories in the Paranoia universe he edited.

That is pretty paranoid if they think they have to eat the Tories.

Zarathud wrote: There ate also a short series of tories in the Paranoia universe he edited.

Holman wrote:

Rip wrote: She on the other hand hasn't really been attacked on many issues.

Clinton's lucky no one has ever attacked her. Some politicians live a charmed life.

The media rarely gets a chance to speak to Hillary Clinton, so when they’re so fortunate, the average American would think journalists would take full advantage of the opportunity.

Many Americans want to get to the bottom of the “homebrew server” email scandal and FBI investigation. Others want to know Hillary’s role in abandoning four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

When Clinton graced Boise, Idaho’s Mix 106 with her presence this morning, instead of trying to get serious answers, the hosts had a different agenda.

Their softball questions included:

“If you get a laid back night at home, what is it for you: pizza or burgers?”
“For your birthday, do you like a gift card or something a little more personalized?”
“When you’re watching Charlotte and you get to be grandma for a while, do you follow the rules of mom and dad or do you like to take some of those grandparent liberties?”
The Mix 106 hosts weren’t done. Instead of pressing the Democratic front runner — who has had only one press conference in over 100 days — about anything of substance, she instead was probed over something *everyone* cares about.

“What’s your favorite romantic comedy?” the host asked her.

Clinton responded, “Oh my gosh! You know, there’s so many that I love. I love the ‘Princess Bride’. You know, I’ve seen it like 25 times or something over the course of my life.”

“That’s a good one,” the host said.

Isgrimnur wrote:If you're expecting hard-hitting political journalism from an adult contemporary radio station, you've got bigger personal issues.

Rip wrote: Education has gone a long way. They have been educated by the people who made promises and didn't deliver. That kind of education doesn't fade.

Rip wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:If you're expecting hard-hitting political journalism from an adult contemporary radio station, you've got bigger personal issues.

I have no choice since she apparently never interviews with anyone who does hard-hitting political journalism. By coincidence I am sure.

That said I would bet anything that if Trump did an interview with them he wouldn't be getting such questions.

Rip wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:If you're expecting hard-hitting political journalism from an adult contemporary radio station, you've got bigger personal issues.

I have no choice since she apparently never interviews with anyone who does hard-hitting political journalism. By coincidence I am sure.

That said I would bet anything that if Trump did an interview with them he wouldn't be getting such questions.

LordMortis wrote:It's the games that go into the TPP that are the problem.

RunningMn9 wrote:

LordMortis wrote:It's the games that go into the TPP that are the problem.

I can't speak specifically to that beyond the fact that those that I am familiar with that are knowledgeable about Trade, aren't opposed to the TPP.

LordMortis wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:I would recommend reading First Contract. It's a sci-fi take on how a backwater economy moves up the economic food chain. Instead of Japan in the 50's, China in the 70's, Taiwan in the 80's, it's Earth after the aliens arrive.

And if that's not enough to give it a look, it's by Greg Costikyan, RPG designer extraordinaire.

Not just RPG designer but Paranoia! creator. That's a huge resume mark in my book. So much so, I'm tempted to order the book and let it sit on my shelf, begging to be read, next to 100s of other novels I haven't read yet.

Isgrimnur wrote:Just from reading the headlines, it's almost as if countries wouldn't sign a trade agreement unless they expected to benefit from it.

Isgrimnur wrote:Whether a country benefits from it or not depends highly on your viewpoint.

RunningMn9 wrote:It is entertaining to have virtually everything that the National Review is writing now, hell bent on savaging Trump.