Is The US Becoming A "Banana Republic"?

I do not think that banana republics export financial services electronically. Nor, do I think that they have negotiated lucrative deals like the Bush admin has to sell power plants and water treatment plants in exchange for toys and call center jobs. Bush is shifting some things such as soybeans home for alternative energy. Also, I just read that he has proposed massive fish farms in the seas to shift the biggest item (after oil) in current accounts back stateside. Funny, imbalance isn't really about manufacturing, at all.

Expensive! It is more than we presently have and can only be accomplished, sadly, in decades. Foreign investment in America now is absolutely essential because of the dwindling economic ability (money) within the USA. Too much has moved and a main detrement is taxes.

Some changes that are needed to start a move back:
1. Dismantle the present income tax system and institute a fair system of taxation. For both business and individuals, maybe we can bring back the businesses that moved out and have an environment to start more. [that might be the size of a small paperback book - my wish/day-dreaming here]
2. Allow individuals to invest in themselves, savings and retirement. [Kinda is a natural follow-on to #1.]
3. Create a mechanism that allows business to regulate itself with a much smaller but needed oversight by government. Government intervention should be only when there is a clear and present danger to all of us; not to say how many inches must be between the rungs of a ladder.
4. Government must be 'whittle down' to its optimal "fighting" size. Its taxation needs must be to be based soley on the few things the Constitution says it is to do and not extrapolated out because something happens to come close or just 'looks like a good fit.' Possibly even limiting the expenditure to run said govenernment for these purpose to less than 10% of GNP or some definable and measurable factor. [Haven't work all that out in my own mind yet - just know it's too big and not working well.]

These are just a few items which will help move our manufacturing/industrial base back into competition with their foreign counterparts. We also must allow for technology, our massive steel mills are a thing of the past and so to may be 'massive' American companies dominating everything.

Isolationism would be wrong just as globalism is wrong. Both in moderation maybe. Foreign money (old name - Other Peoples Money) should always welcome though.

"It is more than we presently have and can only be accomplished, sadly, in decades."

Correct. Undoing the deterioration will take considerable time. But a couple things you forgot:

5. The withdrawal from GATT/NAFTA/CAFTA/WTO that will give us maximum flexibility.

6. The implementation of tariffs on a gradually increasing scale that'll start companies that have moved overseas to use the considerable profits they're earning now to reinvest back in the United States before they become too high. They'd rather earn some profits than no profits and they'd prepare for it. That in turn will increase the demands for steel etc...so the massive steel mills that "are a thing of the past" might return out of sheer demand. Especially if imported steel is made more expensive.

Good adds, thanks. I like #5 as long as we don't over do it immediately and become isolationist. As for #6, I like it, however until we can manufacture all the "things" we Americans want that are now produced overseas ... I'd take this one slowly. Also this is what I hoped to accomplish, in a different manner, with my #1.

As far as massive steel mills of the past, I believe are in the past. The micro-mills are more efficient at that same production. We must use technology to our advantage and stop being a passenger on the trip.

Also I think that if we would begin to produce more of our own oil & gas needs (toward energy independence) ... this would take us several steps in the right direction. This could also add substance to the security of our nation as well as our citizens. I'd probably make this #7.

"As far as massive steel mills of the past, I believe are in the past. The micro-mills are more efficient at that same production. We must use technology to our advantage and stop being a passenger on the trip."

Micro-mills are not used, and will never be (they lack the capacity another reason they're called micro-mills), for large ship-building components such as keels, heavy armor plate, and other very large and thick steel items. One thing we need is the rejuevenation of ship-building through setting a mandatory retirement age on warships and auxillary vessels (and possibly even civilian vessels). Part of our independence from oil goal should be the phase out of conventionally-powered Navy ships for nuclear-powered ones.

I don't know that much about the steel mini-mills, I do know that in the 70's the big steel went bust and micro-mills were the new 'flavor' of the day. I also know the the steel mills of my boyhood (Pittsburgh, PA along with McKeesport, Homestead, etc) that I grew up around and worked in are gone and those behemoths aren't returning.

Nuclear power I have no problem with as long as safety is primary and used wisely.

1. When I flew a 777 last week.

2. When I opened the copy of Road to Serfdom last week.

3. Whenever I buy cheese, detergent, cereal, and even fish.

4. The "Korean" car I drive has half of its components sourced from GE and GM.

It goes on and on...

What is so important about physical goods that the brain dead can manufacture. We still have the number one consumer economy in the world, low unemployment, highest standard of living for a nation over 5 Million, etc.

We are doing quite well. I really don't give a sh-t if the GI Joe with Kung Fu grip is not made in the USA. Neither do most consumers.

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