Here I thought Obama would HELP our reputation overseas.

[Preacher]

Way to "fix" our reputation Obama!




Protectionism... great, what is next, a return to the 18th century trade wars?



http://uk.reuters.com/article/econom...51C2FG20090213

Some in canada seem to think Obama is hurting our rep worse with this

Sanger writes about the 'cost of distraction', the past eight years of the wrong war in the wrong place that alienated the beleaguered superpower from those who should have been its allies. Now the threat of increased U.S. protectionism threatens trade wars and the further decay of interdependence. Canada is potentially a part of the Pan American, Euro- American bloc that because of lingering cult of national sovereignty is ineffective. The several countries of Europe have adopted an international flag that they fly in common.. Not so Canada, the U.S.A. and Mexico. One of them especially, to our common peril, resists international agreements as it for too long maintained racial segregation.

http://www.citizen.on.ca/news/2009/0...lumns/026.html

Japan seems quite upset over it.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...t_10815648.htm

China is quite torqued about it as well.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...t_10790328.htm

Or did Obama just not understand that "Buy American," when made into a law, equates to protectionism and trade wars...

But it was PALIN who was the big threat because she was inexperienced.

___________________________

Yes, I know, that idea was jettisoned... but only AFTER A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL UPROAR... which for some reason, the AMERICAN PRESS IS KEEPING QUITE.

[xfl2001fan]

Wait for it...

<liberal representative> But Bush...blah blah blah...and Palin/McCain would have been worse...blah blah blah

In 5, 4, 3, 2, ....

[revefsreleets]

Only problem is we don't actually MAKE anything anymore, so, even if Americans would pay a little more for better quality goods (they won't), there's nothing to buy anyway.

This is about 30 years too late.

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by revefsreleets

Only problem is we don't actually MAKE anything anymore, so, even if Americans would pay a little more for better quality goods (they won't), there's nothing to buy anyway.

This is about 30 years too late.

Exactly. We don't make SHIT anymore. Might as well be a "buy Chinese" clause.

[Dino 6 Rings]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Exactly. We don't make SHIT anymore. Might as well be a "buy Chinese" clause.

Well we do still make products here in the US, the problem is, because we as a nation have taken it upon ourselves to actually protect the environment, and do our part to not pollute like some other nations (India, China, South America) it is actually so expensive to make safe products on our own soil that the cost is so high when passed on to the consumers that it becomes basically unaffordable.

Whereas other Countries who don't do their part, or take seriously Pollution and doing things the right way, are able to mass produce the same type of products at lower cost because they don't follow any Environmental Guidelines.

[Preacher]

Originally Posted by Dino 6 Rings

Well we do still make products here in the US, the problem is, because we as a nation have taken it upon ourselves to actually protect the environment, and do our part to not pollute like some other nations (India, China, South America) it is actually so expensive to make safe products on our own soil that the cost is so high when passed on to the consumers that it becomes basically unaffordable.

Whereas other Countries who don't do their part, or take seriously Pollution and doing things the right way, are able to mass produce the same type of products at lower cost because they don't follow any Environmental Guidelines.

DING DING DING

Throw in the cost of labor from unions driving up wages to exorbitantly high costs, and you have in a nutshell the problem is this nation.

[Dino 6 Rings]

Its a catch 22, make it here, the right way, for more cost and not be able to sell it to the people because the cost makes it unaffordable and you go out of business because no one buys your product...

or

make the product in a country that doesn't have the high environmental standards and high cost of production, then import it and sell it to the people at a cheap cost, allowing them to afford it, but costing those same potential buyers jobs by having the product manufactured over seas.

[Preacher]

How sad is it when CHINA has to teach THIS ADMINISTRATION our OWN history?

In the 1930s, sweeping trade wars sharply slashed international trade and contributed heavily to the decade-long Great Depression, as most economists have concluded. The worldwide protectionist tide was triggered by the U.S. Smoot-Hawley act in 1930 that raised tariffs on foreign imports by an average of 20 percent.
"In logical thinking, such a huge mistake will not be repeated," said Zhang Xiaoji. "But today's world trade rules are not perfect ... Politicians can easily turn to protectionism in the wake of rising unemployment amid deepening crisis."

(see last link on original post).

[X-Terminator]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Exactly. We don't make SHIT anymore. Might as well be a "buy Chinese" clause.

Yep.

Most of the HDTVs you buy are made where? China. iPod? China. My Toshiba laptop? China, via Taiwan. Even the parts for many American cars are made overseas. Try finding a phone, cable, satellite or ISP that doesn't have most of their customer service call centers going through India. Companies are outsourcing damn near everything because labor costs are so high in this country. Imagine what we'd pay for a computer or TV if most of them were made here. Make sure someone's nearby with smelling salts to wake you up after you faint.

[revefsreleets]

HDTV's? TV's! All electronics! Even American companies have their stuff manufactured where it's cheap. Hell, many of the electronics on our most sophisticated weaponry are foreign made.

That's why this is just much ado about nothing. We're all in this mess together.