Posted on 10/11/2009 9:37:58 AM PDT by BGHater
The new World Trade Center, now under construction, is often considered a symbol of American enterprise. But to some union members and U.S. businesses, it represents what's wrong with the nation's economy.
The contract to manufacture the blast-resistant glass wrapping the main tower's first 20 stories was awarded earlier this year to a Chinese firm that underbid U.S. competitors.
Now the trade tensions between the United States and China that have arisen recently over tires, steel and paper are spreading to glass.
"This new tower is going to be made out of subsidized Chinese glass, putting factory workers out of their jobs in America," said Scott Paul, director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a partnership of the United Steelworkers and some manufacturers.
On Thursday, the Alliance sent a letter to U.S. trade officials asking that they address what they see as unfair trade practices. Specifically, the group says that the Chinese government spends billions of dollars subsidizing the glass industry's energy costs.
"Our domestic glass industry is the most efficient in the world, but it cannot compete against production that is heavily subsidized by the Chinese government," according to the letter. "As a result, glass production in the U.S. has suffered in recent years, with plant closings and thousands of lost jobs throughout the country."
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke are slated for trade meetings in Hangzhou, China, later this month.
A Chinese spokesman on trade issues did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. glass industry has lost more than 40,000 jobs since 2000, according to Department of Labor figures, even as the Chinese glass industry has experienced explosive growth. Between 2000 and 2008, U.S. imports of Chinese glass have tripled.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When did FR become a bastion of protectionism?
Get the best quality materials for the best price. If you think you can avoid materials from overseas, you aren’t living in the 21st Century.
The world is a big integrated market today. Protectionism is just jingoism extended to economics.
>>I heard he left the business and went into another line work, concrete. He’s mostly in overpasses and on-ramps.<<
I thought he was in stadiums...
NY State and NY City are the most over-regulated, expensive and business un-friendly places in the USA. The State has been run by progressively left-wing Democrats for the last 50 years, and we have paid for it. A declining and rapidly aging population, a loss of most of the manufacturing base, a state-budget totally reliant on Wall Street deficits as far as the eye can see.
It’s a miracle that after 8 years, anything at all is getting built on Ground Zero.
Go ahead and add another regulation, this time about glass for buildings - and watch even more jobs and people dissappear from what is the new Eastern Bloc.
I haven’t seen anyone advocating the protectionism that China enjoys.
What do you propose?
2) Are we to become just another group of 300 million consumers who sell stuff to each other, maybe do some marketing, etc.? Might as well close down our patent office, 'cause WE won't be inventing anything anymore.
Got hyperbole? The US is still the #1 manufacturer in the world. And you conflate invention with manufacturing.
3) A big integrated market does NOT equal FAIR trade (as opposed to Free trade). As someone else pointed out, how do we compete against almost slave labor and minimal regulation?
Who said life is fair? And, whether you like it or not, the world is a big integrated market and all the kvetching in the world won't change that. Smart people learn to leverage the situation as it is to their advantage. Many smaller operations exist only because they can afford to manufacture their product overseas -- it would be impossible in the USA.
What do you propose to end this evil worldwide economy?
Anyone who loves this country will buy Chinese, or from any other non-union supplier, then give any union any discretionary funds.
No kidding, and it took 7 years to build both of the original towers. It never ceases to amaze me how useless to society most lawyers, all politicians and all unions are. They have done nothing but hold the USA back.
What a stupid thing to do.
It’s not the jobs, it’s the experience we are losing.
That knowledge gained from years on the job will be lost.
Even if new jobs were somehow created, the people who
fill them will be inexperienced.
We are allowing our industry to be destroyed in a stealth
trade war. When real war comes, as it most certainly will,
we will be without the means of production needed to
secure our own defense.
Good. "Jingoism" was a derisive term invented by a 19th century Secular Atheist who promoted neo-Socialism against the interests of the British nation. In other words, a Leftist radical.
And you're one too, spud.
>>And you’re one too, spud.<<
Hey, you can be a protectionist all you want — who are they? How about UNION members.
So, spudlet, you are a Union-supporter, which makes you way to the left af anyone who understands global economics.
This article is written by Peter Whoriskey?
Where’s the pun squad?
Uh-huh. Like yourself, right?
You got it all covered. The Hubris of the Liberal.
Be movin' to Shanghai real soon? I'm sure they'll just luv ya there. Maybe the mindset there would suit you better there, but I hate to tell ya....the Chinese are really racist, and if you happen to be non-Chinese, you won't get far at all.
Take lots of little green pieces of paper, maybe you can buy some "friends".
That’s like telling a guy who was just robbed of $1 trillion dollars, that he should shut up because he still has $1 trillion left.
Yes, there’s still manufacturing in the United States. And of course the nation would be terrible damaged by doing most of our manufacturing here, right?
Running $0.8 trillion dollars worth of trade deficits isn’t a problem at all, and who needs tens of trillions in multiplier effect dollars bouncing around in our thriving economy today? Right?
I literally hate clueless free-traitor bastards.
Absolutely. But when you look at the price, remember to consider the hidden costs. If you buy from someone local, they are more likely than someone remote to take some of that money and turn around and buy your product, so the local product might be a little bit better deal than it looks. I'm absolutely NOT saying always buy American, but consider more than just the price on the invoice in your purchasing decisions.
When the next big war comes, and we can’t get foreign-supplied gas or oil spare parts for our foreign-made aircraft and weapons, and our foreign-grown food supplies are cut off, and our foreign-built and foreign-ported merchant ships won’t carry our troops, I hope someone is still around to remind you of your love for the big integrated world market.
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