TAX IMPORTS: Encourage American manufacturing, and pay off deficit.

(just a rant)

[Cringing Negativism Network]

At some point we must recognize publicly we are going the wrong way.

Our companies have become import machines. Making everything overseas. Much of it in China.

Our percentage of the vote continues to shrink.

And our government spends ever more than we make.

It is time for a dramatic change. I propose, import duties.

Have another idea, speak up. But we must do something. And rapidly. Do not just oppose this idea.

If you have an alternate say so, and let's discuss the alternate. I am not stuck on this as an approach, but we must change somehow.

Thank you for listening.

[YankeeReb]

I would suggest another solution in addition, start selling oil, coal and gas leases on federal land and offshore. The Federal government is like an old pensioner living in a splendid mansion , with no furniture and eating cat food. Start selling off and privatizing things. I don't mean to the Chinese , but to American companies and investors. Finally

CUT SPENDING!!!

[KC_Lion]

Our companies have become import machines. Making everything overseas.

Not Everything :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvK9QlQtrKI

[mnehring]

I propose, import duties.

First, you trust this administration to add in another tax? Second, you trust this administration to not just spend more if they see more revenue(sic). If they did this, we would get more import duties which would increase the costs of goods or services along with more government spending as they see the money coming in with that money in the treasury.

[AZLiberty]

Zero out the corporate income tax. Companies will repatriate trillions in capital. Roll back EPA regulations to reasonable levels. The economy will take off like a rocket.

[central_va]

Zero out the corporate income tax. Companies will repatriate trillions in capital. Roll back EPA regulations to reasonable levels. The economy will take off like a rocket.

That isn't going to happen anytime soon, if ever. But tariffs could be in place tomorrow. It is about time we started to pay the real costs of "cheap labor" and losing out manufacturing base. For the first 80 years of the USA tariffs were the main source of income. The revenue would be a side effect, and a helpful one. It is an easy "tax" to avoid. Just start reading labels where products are manufactured....

[central_va]

Zero out the corporate income tax. Companies will repatriate trillions in capital. Roll back EPA regulations to reasonable levels. The economy will take off like a rocket.

That isn't going to happen anytime soon, if ever. But tariffs could be in place tomorrow. It is about time we started to pay the real costs of "cheap labor" and losing out manufacturing base. For the first 80 years of the USA tariffs were the main source of income. The revenue would be a side effect, and a helpful one. It is an easy "tax" to avoid. Just start reading labels where products are manufactured....

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Bump.

What we are doing (nothing) now is rapidly leading ever downward.

I like your suggestions.

[T. Rustin Noone]

I see your point and agree that we are going the wrong way. The trouble with taxing imports or tariffs is that they don't work. We made a Great Depression out of deep recession in the 1930’s doing just that. In addition, the low cost of imports has actually kept the ACTUAL cost of the current economy marginally tolerable for lots of people on low or fixed incomes. If we actually had to pay for our daily goods and services at the rate supported by the American standard of living we'd all be living on cat food - made in Honduras.
I think that YankeeReb has it right - drop spending back to 2008 levels and then cut from there. And eliminate baseline budgeting. The baseline budget scheme Congress came up with years ago has contributed to more of the current fiscal nightmare than almost anything else. It reinforces failed policies at ever higher levels and discourages debating the actual value of programs.

[kabar]

Import tariffs would invite a response from the other nations and violate agreements such as GATT and the WTO. It will also raise the costs of goods and services to Americans. It would be a regressive tax hurting those at the bottom of the economic ladder.

It would be far better for the US to make itself more attractive to foreign investment and to US manufacturers abroad. We want to create an inviting business environment not a punitive one.

Lower energy prices, decreased corportate taxes, and less regulation would go a long way to bring back industry and good paying jobs to the US. It must be remembered that we can never match the Chinese and Indians in terms of labor costs and that they have both educated workers to match ours and top of the line technology in their factories. Our competitive advantage must rest elsewhere.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

What we did at the time of the Great Depression, was actually the opposite of we would do now.

Back then we made everything here.

Now we import everything. That is a huge difference.

[SeminoleCounty]

Import duties are the only way to go.....and the only feasible way to bring back American manufacturing. Our country did quite well with high tariffs and big industry

Even WalMart is realizing this....as they plan to purchase more from USA suppliers. Whether WM actually carries out this is yet to be determined, but WM admitting at any level that Free Trade Globalism does not work is a huge development

I do wonder if anyone will challenge you with facts....and not just spew out discredited theories

[ChildOfThe60s]

The US government is the number one obstacle to productivity and prosperity. Period. Everything else is just window dressing.

Absolutely nothing will work until the oppressive government is dealt with. NOTHING.

I deal with a lot of US companies, a fair number that do a lot of their own manufacturing. We can beat the pants off the foreign competition. Get the government to stop putting us through the meat grinder and the rest will follow.

[AZLiberty]

But tariffs could be in place tomorrow. It is about time we started to pay the real costs of "cheap labor" and losing our manufacturing base.

No, it's time we fixed a broken education system, a broken healthcare system, and a broken political system.

[bmwcyle]

The only way to do it is to cut spending. Taxing imports creates trade wars. You don’t win trade wars against slave labor.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

No offense, but we are currently (very badly) losing in trade.

I’m totally series.

How in the world does it help us, that we are importing BILLIONS of dollars more than we make, every single month.

The deficit is skyrocketing with China. Every single month.

What we are doing now is broken.

Make stuff here. In America!

We have become brainwashed that “free trade” is somehow an answer.

Look around you.

Just look. Go in any store. Pick up anything. What will the tag say:

“Made in China”.

[SampleMan]

Import taxes are called tariffs. If you never care to export that might work.

[SeminoleCounty]

Most nations already violate the WTO and GATT...Communist China is notorious for this. However every time we try to retaliate against Commie China....all the Free Traders start whining “Protectionism” and “Smoot Hawley caused the Great Depression” (which is liberal horse @#!&). Chairman Mao sits in hell wondering why he did not have American Free Trade sellouts as his proletariat.

And, the WTO/GATT deals allow countries that have a VAT (value added tax) to rebate their industries of their VAT when they sell products overseas...but VAT imports. The US products end up getting tariffed....while other nations products are undercut.

[kabar]

Are you suggesting we have a VAT?

Ma href="http://economyincrisis.org/content/us-left-high-and-dry-without-vat">U.S. Left High and Dry Without VAT

[kabar]

U.S. Left High and Dry Without VAT