Do We Need To Bring Back Tariffs On Imports?

[danberkeley]

I am well aware government can not best set economics policies. It is just that we can not get the government to stand back and let the market do what it does best.

I would be all for letting the market determine the economics of our country, but the way things are going right now, it is impossible that will happen.

So now, how do we keep our industrial base when the government is more or less pushing it all overseas?

And, according to thou, what is it that the market does best?

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

equals the reason so many jobs go overseas. There was a time in this nation when american workers weren't afraid to get dirty, it was called the industrial revolution, which spawned our greatest period of manufacturing.

I agree.

Today, we make other nations work in the soot and filth of factories to produce goods for us to buy, and instead we can work in office buildings and service industries.

I don't like that elitist talk. It's a service economy now, because our manufacturing base is going down the drain; Americans are now importing more than ever before, no longer are we exporting as much due to our inferior government policy.

If you think tariffs will bring production jobs back to the US, you are just plain wrong. The american people no longer will work in "dirty" "unsafe" production industries = inefficient production = costs more to make stuff = foreign manufacturers can do it more efficiently.

You're right and wrong.

1. Yes, tariffs suck

2. How do you know they won't return once government gets out of the way? The Chinese are not our serfs.

 

[Dr.3D]

And, according to thou, what is it that the market does best?

It regulates itself.

 

[danberkeley]

It regulates itself.

This is a bad thing and, therefore, we need governmental economic policies that have, historical, made our economy worse?

 

[No1ButPaul08]

Contrary to popular belief, US manufacturing is not in decline, in fact, far from it.

http://www.freetrade.org/files/pubs/pas/tpa-035.pdf

Declining employment in a sector that is producing record output is hardly credible evidence of doom. In fact, the two indicators taken together are evidence of rising labor productivity, which, as the source of long-term increases in living standards, is something to cheer. As Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter put it in his influential book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations, "A nation’s standard of living in the long term depends on its ability to attain a high and rising level of productivity in the industries in which its firm compete." When manufacturers can produce more output with fewer and less costly inputs, that’s called progress

 

[Jason T]

Apple designs Ipod
Apple pays Chinese workers $5/per to make Ipod
Apple sells Ipod in every country in the world making $80/per profit
Apple hires 1,000s of American workers for high paying service jobs

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We're a service economy now. If we want to economically competitive around the world, we need to outsource. Why do you think the majority of profits of transnational companies come back to America?

The transfer from an industrial based economy to a service based one is not easy, but it's vital. Through the 90s, we'd lose 4 million jobs a year, but we'd gain 4.2 million.

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There are 2 major problems when you look at our 'out of whack' trade deficit.

1) When Apple sells an Ipod in Europe, it's not considered an American export, even though more money is coming back to Apple than the factory in China. Billions upon billions of dollars are pumped into the US economy every year by us selling outsourced products in foreign countries.

2) A huge portion of our imports is oil and other commodities that aren't abundant in the US. There's not much you can do about what is or isn't under our land.

 

[Dr.3D]

This is a bad thing and, therefore, we need governmental economic policies that have, historical, made our economy worse?

This is a good thing and we need to stop the governmental policies that have screwed up our economy.

Now while we are doing that, just how do you plan on keeping our industrial base from being sent overseas?

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

Apple designs Ipod
Apple pays Chinese workers $5/per to make Ipod
Apple sells Ipod in every country in the world making $80/per profit
Apple hires 1,000s of American workers for high paying service jobs

----------

We're a service economy now. If we want to economically competitive around the world, we need to outsource. Why do you think the majority of profits of transnational companies come back to America?

The transfer from an industrial based economy to a service based one is not easy, but it's vital. Through the 90s, we'd lose 4 million jobs a year, but we'd gain 4.2 million.

------------

There are 2 major problems when you look at our 'out of whack' trade deficit.

1) When Apple sells an Ipod in Europe, it's not considered an American export, even though more money is coming back to Apple than the factory in China. Billions upon billions of dollars are pumped into the US economy every year by us selling outsourced products in foreign countries.

2) A huge portion of our imports is oil and other commodities that aren't abundant in the US. There's not much you can do about what is or isn't under our land.

I do agree. Great analysis, but won't you agree that reducing our government's hand in our economy will lead to a much stronger, and more robust US economy?

 

[electronicmaji]

I say yes; if any taxes should be levied to help fund the goverment it should be taxes on non citizens and imports.

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

I say yes; if any taxes should be levied to help fund the goverment it should be taxes on non citizens and imports.

Hmm no. It should be a mixture of user fees and voluntary contributions.

 

[No1ButPaul08]

I say yes; if any taxes should be levied to help fund the goverment it should be taxes on non citizens and imports.

This tax on the foreign business gets passed on to the citizen consumer.

 

[danberkeley]

This is a good thing and we need to stop the governmental policies that have screwed up our economy.

Now while we are doing that, just how do you plan on keeping our industrial base from being sent overseas?

let me digress. if we had tariffs in accordance with the Constitution, I would be fine with that. I wouldn't oppose them to extent i oppose other regulations and taxes such income tax and antitrust regulations. However, we can not blame lack of a stricter import tariffs for our failing economy. I would propose that stricter import tariffs would hurt our sectors of the economy that depened much on imports.

 

[electronicmaji]

This tax on the foreign business gets passed on to the citizen consumer.

It should be done in such a way that it is impossible for it to get passed on; if foreign businesses refuse to follow that way we don't let them sell their goods here. There is plenty of competitition in the international markets for exporting things here. We are sovereign; we can set the rules and if you don't follow them we can just as easily stop your exports.

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

It should be done in such a way that it is impossible for it to get passed on; if foreign businesses refuse to follow that way we don't let them sell their goods here. There is plenty of competitition in the international markets for exporting things here. We are sovereign; we can set the rules and if you don't follow them we can just as easily stop your exports.

Why should government even involve itself in the economy in the first place? You protectionist, not allowing foreign competition in the US will do nothing but hurt American consumers.

 

[sratiug]

Hmm no. It should be a mixture of user fees and voluntary contributions.

If a tariff was the only federal tax allowed, wouldn't that be voluntary?

 

[electronicmaji]

Why should government even involve itself in the economy in the first place? You protectionist, not allowing foreign competition in the US will do nothing but hurt American consumers.

Money for the goverment has to come from somewhere mate. Be it foreign pockets or local pockets. Your choice.

A country can not exist without a goverment. At the very least you need a policing force. Anything else would be mass chaos.

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

If a tariff was the only federal tax allowed, wouldn't that be voluntary?

No, because all it does it hurt the economy. Why bother? Do tolls deter peoplefrom drving? No. We're better off with domestic user fees that go straight to government's coffers.

 

[No1ButPaul08]

It should be done in such a way that it is impossible for it to get passed on; if foreign businesses refuse to follow that way we don't let them sell their goods here. There is plenty of competitition in the international markets for exporting things here. We are sovereign; we can set the rules and if you don't follow them we can just as easily stop your exports.

You must really like paying high prices for goods

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

Money for the goverment has to come from somewhere mate. Be it foreign pockets or local pockets. Your choice.

heh. I did bring up user fees, mate. Voluntary contributions would be ideal.

A country can not exist without a goverment. At the very least you need a policing force. Anything else would be mass chaos.

There is no country, there is only us, the people. We can fund police with a system of voluntary contributions. no prob

 

[electronicmaji]

heh. I did bring up user fees, mate. Voluntary contributions would be ideal.



There is no country, there is only us, the people. We can fund police with a system of voluntary contributions. no prob

Voluntary Contributions won't work; if it were voluntary no one would give; the amount given would fluctuate each year.

To keep prisons and Policemen employed; to keep our streets safe; you need a steady and reliable source of spending.