Posted on 10/07/2010 5:27:05 PM PDT by Kaslin
Free Trade: While blaming corporate greed for jobs fleeing overseas, the administration remains silent on foreign tariffs that block our exports and make possible the looting of American technology.
It's enough that corporations such as Caterpillar, one of the premier manufacturers of heavy equipment in the world, already are forced to operate under the world's second-highest corporate tax burden. They also face the looming threats of higher costs under ObamaCare and ever-more-stringent environmental regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Despite these burdens, which are reason enough to flee these shores for friendlier business climates, such companies still manage to make a profit, something our government is not likely to do for generations due to this administration's spending of our grandchildren's inheritance. Some face yet another burden: an unlevel trading field approved by our government.
On Sept. 29 Caterpillar announced it was building its 12th factory in China, this one to build mini-excavators. To be fair, Cat is also building new factories in North Carolina, Arkansas and Texas to produce its famous earth-moving and other equipment for domestic use and export around the world. But why a 12th in China? Why can't it build mini-excavators here and export them to China?
China puts a 30% tariff on imported excavators. It has a similar high tariff on other vehicles, from mining machines to Ford cars, GM trucks and even Harley-Davidson motorcycles. China was allowed to declare such vehicles a "strategic sector" by Larry Summers when he oversaw China's entry into the World Trade Organization as President Clinton's Treasury secretary. Summers would later serve as President Obama's economic adviser, a job roughly equivalent to being cruise director on the Titanic.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
EPA, OSHA, to name two.
For this reason, I predict this thread will skyrocket to 20 comments.
Somebody want to weaken us. I wonder who...
:-)
They are systematically forcing corporations and companies from American soil by regulating the hell out of them to the point where the only way they can survive is to move. thereby taking with it jobs. The republicans better be prepared to be unrelenting, NO bipartisanship. The demands are clear WE WANT ACTION on all fronts
So they can develop some of the market there in partnership with local companies - instead of ceding the market entirely to local companies who become global companies with great products and clout. Smart CAT.
Yup. Livable regulations.
“The CAT’s in the kettle at the Peking Moon”
Ping
It’s probably because we require foreign companies to manufacture here before they can sell their products here. sarc tag applied.
Not just that. I am an idea guy and a trademark(s) owner who has had Americans using Chinese companies to copy my stuff and put my trademarks on their crap. After 8 years without any help from our government we are near to taking our products and ideas to China so we can have them made at 1/10th the cost and compete in this world turned upside down. If there is going to be no protection even for the most basic of American ideas in this country then it forces all of us manufacturers overseas to at least compete on this new playing field. I won’t call it level because dealing with the Chinese is like throwing yourself into a pile of snakes and hoping you don’t get bit by the poiseness ones.
Something here just doesn't make any sense.
Either you're not moving into Chinese markets or they're not as bad as you say. OK, I personally don't think you're a moron so maybe you're really beginning work with the Chinese after all because you see some opportunities there --but that's my guess.
Why would we expect the same incompetent fools who run the White House economic policy do any better at international trade? Only in government does a colossal screw up like this earn you a better job in the future.
Or fewer.
I was planning to guess 15, but I took a conservative number.
Wait, almost there.
Why does CAT do this? First, it’s like Harley production in Brazil. If all the parts are shipped for final assembly in Brazil, the duties start magically disappearing. China just took this a step further and wants the unit itself built and partnered in China.
It’s a little suspect to point at the U.S. car companies on this as most of the big players are there, too (VW huge investment, Honda, Toyota, Peugeot, etc). VW owns 18% of that market...never hear these ‘why?’ stories out of Germany, though. Why, they must be robbing VW blind. But, China’s vehicle exports are incredibly low — about 5% of the 5.7 million vehicles produced.
Really don’t think it’s the U.S. regs stopping them as much as the duties placed by the govt...hmmm where do we hear about that a lot...lol.
Hope that counted.
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