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2006-10-29 Southeast Asia

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Posted by Steve White 2006-10-29 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Sheesh. Another totalitarian state-controlled economy to ankle-bite, triangulate, and dilute the forum away from the only system which rewards individual effort: capitalism.

Is that immediate reaction completely wrong?

My BS detector pegs regularly regards "international" forums. I do not have confidence (lol, it's a boggle where my cynicism originates) that the US gains more than it loses in such things. The WTO strikes me as something a State Dept asstard would love, so my first reaction is that it's a negative indicator - take the opposite view by default. I understand what it's supposed to do, from the link, but still my doubts stubbornly persist, lol...

Perhaps some of our obviously well-tutored RBers can make simple for / against cases regards the WTO to counterbalance the standard and expected propaganda version available at their site.

I'm just looking for the 90K ft view of reality here, not expecting anyone to write a book. From what I've seen in the news, it seems to work against the US, especially very large & successful US Corps, such as the EU mugging, threatening, and successfully black-mailing MS, and I'm wondering if that view is accurate. The UN of Trade, with all of the connotations that entails, describes my cynical view fairly well.

TIA to anyone who tosses in some learned real-world info.

Posted by .com 2006-10-29 10:09|| 2006-10-29 10:09|| Front Page Top

#2 I've been saying for years that we are simply going to have to give up manufacturing cheap items. It can be done cheaper in other countries. We have lost it, it is gone, get on with bigger and better things. That kind of manufacturing is not the mainstay of a mature economy, it is for developing economies and underdeveloped countries. Not everyone can make brakepads for a living. Not everyone can be in manufacturing.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2006-10-29 18:21|| 2006-10-29 18:21|| Front Page Top

#3 Not everyone can be in manufacturing.

Perhaps so, but manufacturing still represents a strategic asset in times of war. Even in relative peace the ability to fabricate high speed integrated circuits is critical to national security. We must not rely on any other nation, ally or foe for mission critical components. America must always be able to produce its uniforms, ordnance and other warfighting materiel.

Far too much of our manufacturing base is being eroded by China and other WTO participants who do not interact on a level playing field. China is by far the worst of them, but has bought off such a huge portion of our government as to be relatively immune.

Should we ever go back to another real World War, our lack of massive manufacturing base will come back to bite us hard. Why communist Vietnam is being granted accession into the WTO is a big WTF. I'd wager it has more to do with post-Vietnam War angst than any realistic economics.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-29 22:01|| 2006-10-29 22:01|| Front Page Top

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