U.S. Liquidating Its Best Companies

Economy in Crisis ^ | June 29, 2013 | Thomas Heffner

[DannyTN]

We should use it. I want to use it to make the things we buy more affordable, for some reason, you want to use it to make the things we buy less affordable.

No you want to make things cheaper, not affordable. Affordable assumes Americans still have jobs and can buy the cheap stuff.

Raising the tariffs will make things more affordable but not as cheap. They'll be more affordable because Americans will earn more and be able to buy more of the higher priced American goods.

Cheap is not affordable to the 25% of Americans already thrown out of work.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Raising the tariffs will make things more affordable but not as cheap.

How many jobs did GWB's steel tariffs create?

[DannyTN]

"How many jobs did GWB's steel tariffs create?"

Did GWB also apply tariffs to all products that used steel? And all the products that could be substituted for steel?

I'm not suggesting a single industry approach to tariffs. Nor am I suggesting tariffs on raw or parts and not on finished goods.

If tariffs are applied it needs to be on finished goods not raw materials or not just raw materials. Otherwise you create an incentive to off-shore production.

[DannyTN]

"How many jobs did GWB's steel tariffs create?"

Did GWB also apply tariffs to all products that used steel? And all the products that could be substituted for steel?

I'm not suggesting a single industry approach to tariffs. Nor am I suggesting tariffs on raw or parts and not on finished goods.

If tariffs are applied it needs to be on finished goods not raw materials or not just raw materials. Otherwise you create an incentive to off-shore production.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Did GWB also apply tariffs to all products that used steel? And all the products that could be substituted for steel?

Just steel. How many jobs?

If tariffs are applied it needs to be on finished goods

So you'll raise prices on American as well as foreign goods.

[DannyTN]

If there is sufficient competition in the American market, American prices will not increase.

The price level in the U.S. doesn't matter. It's the relative affordability. If pencils go to Ten cents a piece, but we can afford to buy 1 million of them, that is better than pencils costing One cent, but because we don't have a job, we can only afford to buy 10.

You want things to be cheap. I want things to be affordable. Affordable means we make enough to be able to buy them.

"Cheap" imported stuff is unaffordable to 25% of Americans right now because they no longer have jobs.

[Toddsterpatriot]

If there is sufficient competition in the American market, American prices will not increase.

Is there sufficient competition in the US oil market?

If we take the suggestion of a fellow Freeper and place a 100% tariff on imported oil, will the price of US oil remain unchanged?