Posted on 11/02/2010 5:11:48 AM PDT by expat_panama
Big business interests are hopeful that a Republican takeover of the House -- now looking more likely than not -- will thaw free-trade deals that have languished since President Obama took office. Those agreements are on a short list of priorities the White House has in common with GOP leaders.
But a rising protectionist tide brought about by the sour economy is threatening to complicate the task. And business groups in Washington are already preparing for the possibility that a new Republican majority stocked with populists from Rust Belt districts and beyond will present a less receptive audience than they once anticipated.
"We're going to have our work cut out for us," says Christopher Wenk, the senior director of international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Even under the current Congress, Republicans have proven more inclined to register protectionist sentiment. That was on stark display in late September, when 99 Republicans joined 249 Democrats in approving a measure to strengthen the administration's hand in pushing the Chinese to let their currency rise.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Well they don’t represent socialist like you.. Comrade..
“Free Trade”. = RINOS. = Karl Rove. = La Raza.
The anti-American boondoggle now known as “free trade” represents everything WRONG with the Republican Party.
Ah. The commie card.
You do realize don’t you - we have a massive, one-way 50 billion dollar a month bilateral trade deficit with the largest Marxist nation in world history.
Money which is directly being used to (rapidly) build up that Marxist nation’s huge and ever more capable military forces to eventually perhaps be used against us, and against freedom.
Right? Comrade...
Exactly. In addition, end the deficit spending. The only reason China can maintain its low currency exchange rate is because the U.S. Government borrows back all the money we send over. If that money had to be exchanged on the open market, prices for chinese junk would sky-rocket.
I'm a for free trade - I resent anyone telling me who I can and cannot do business with. Free trade is beneficial for both parties, therefore I can see restriction for trading with our enemies when national security is an issue. We just have to accept the consequential economic harm those restriction bring.
“The longer we keep sending our jobs overseas, the less “low cost” all those imports will be.”
In the meantime, I’d like to keep making a living and employing a staff, and not subsidizing overpaid union thugs, who keep telling us that subsidizing them is patriotic.
Or we could stick them with the highest corporate taxes in the world. And then pile on more and more regulations. That'll make them keep their HQ in the US as well as hire more US workers.
Because we've seen how difficult it is to open an HQ in Bermuda and avoid half of our government BS.
Hey, again, Toddster. Long time, no flame.
What difference would it make at this point? Hurt our manufacturing base? Hurt our exports? Hurt our cost as consumers? Ha.
Let them go. Eff them. That’s their attitude toward us.
Agreed. Incentives and less regulation/taxes to employ American workers and stiff, on-going penalties for out-sourcing to foreign countries.
High profits with high American employment with high wages should be the policy goal. But how you keep employers from being to greedy, employees from being too lazy, and politicians from being too corrupt is the problem.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'll stop complaining about the over taxation, over regulation, and over unionization until they're eliminated.
It's strange that anyone would consider it wrong to be seen as wanting to protect America. The problem may be one of focusing on personalities when we should be focusing on issues. I mean, everyone wants a strong America and everyone wants freedom. Not everyone wants import tax hikes.
Bad math, the last refuge of the scoundrel.
What difference do our highest in the world corporate taxes make?
Hurt our manufacturing base?
Yes, our high taxes hurt our manufacturing base.
Hurt our exports?
Yes, our high taxes hurt our exports.
Hurt our cost as consumers?
Yes, our high taxes hurt our consumers.
Let them go. Eff them.
I'd rather not tell our manufacturers, exporters, consumers and workers to eff off.
It's strange that you totally twist and distort the meaning and use of the slur word "protectionist". It just a cheap slur like "racism", used by people who excuse all these one-sided trade agreements, to avoid any real discussion of the issues.
And the only things being "traded" between most of Asia and the US is American jobs, manufacturing facilities and processes, for cheap labor, lax regulation and access back to the US market.
Nicely put.
Or like saying “limited free will.”
Like I said, the problem is we face serious issues and too many are just focusing on personalities.
--or 'just a little bit pregnant'.
OK, you've made me agree with you. I'm denouncing the free traders and we can now join forces and cut import taxes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.