Today's Free Trade is not about the Free Market

JEFFHEAD.COM ^ | 08/01/2003 | Jeff Head

[Texas_Dawg]

The sort of "make a buck at any cost, screw your buddy" sort of thing.

I think you need to check your understanding of the word "capitalism".

[tiamat]

Cacophonous wrote:

Hehe...remind me to never piss you off...

***********************************

LOL!

I've read your stuff.

While we might disagree, YOU are very unlikely to piss me off.

Tia

[RJayneJ]

Thanks for the heads up! };^D)

[Cacophonous]

Actually, I didn't read Willie's quotes; had no idea he threw the same one at you. Sorry about that.

As far as Marx is concerned, I wouldn't categorize his quotes as being tongue-in-cheek. He was all about the destruction of the west. He would do anything to hasten it.

[meadsjn]

Do you think by raising tariffs and taxes that obligates an American firm to do business here?

Change "obligates" to "encourages" and the statement is partially correct. If tariffs and duties did not serve some purpose, every other country in the world wouldn't be using them, but they are.

American wages are taxed and taxed and taxed. Some of the disparity in labor costs can be removed by both eliminating the taxes on American labor and charging the foreign entity tariffs for the opportunity of access to the American consumer market.

The American market is currently wide open compared to those of our foreign competitors.

[tiamat]

SIGH

Read what I wrote to Snopercod.

I don't have time for this any more tonight. I have a 4-H Fair to go help tear-dwon and animals to move.

Tia

[Poohbah]

As far as Marx is concerned, I wouldn't categorize his quotes as being tongue-in-cheek. He was all about the destruction of the west. He would do anything to hasten it.

He thought free trade would do it. He was wrong, just as he was wrong in the rest of his economics.

[Texas_Dawg]

The great irony of you and Willie using that quote to advance something so bogus, is that in order to even get to that quote you have to read through an entire speech where Marx says he "supports" free trade only because he claims it will wreak havoc on the world and lead to Communism. So in order to accept that quote, you have to agree with Karl Marx's economic theories first. (I guess this isn't so hard for someone like Willie who voted for a Marxist for Vice President in 2000.)

[Cacophonous]

I would say his prediction is coming true...

[Texas_Dawg]

I would say his prediction is coming true...

It's amazing what admiration you and Willie have for the father of Communism.

[Poohbah]

I would say his prediction is coming true...

That's what he thought, too. He was wrong...and so are you.

[Poohbah]

Why not? They're Marxists at heart.

[Cacophonous]

Have no idea who Willie voted for, except to say that we don't vote for VPs, we vote for parties.

As far as my economics, I'm a capitalist in the Adam Smith mold; I agree with HIS take on free trade. He was definitely not a "free trade" in the modern sense. He was, however, an advocate of free markets, which gets us back to the original post.

[Texas_Dawg]

Why not? They're Marxists at heart.

It's amazing how transparent it becomes once you get them talking about what they really believe, deep down.

[JNB]

IO will say this right now, that is a stupid question, a very stupid question, and you can not honestly expect anyone to take the "want to nuke China" question seriously. Of course everyones awnser is no, but there is a massive difference between wanting to nuke China and putting up tariffs against China and making China float the Yuan against the Dollar.

[Texas_Dawg]

IO will say this right now, that is a stupid question, a very stupid question, and you can not honestly expect anyone to take the "want to nuke China" question seriously.

Ummm... see post #49.

[Texas_Dawg]

and putting up tariffs against China and making China float the Yuan against the Dollar.

And if these tariffs fail to work? And if China doesn't float the yuan? Then what do you suggest?

[editor-surveyor]

"I would say his prediction is coming true..."

And I would agree. The collapse may come sooner than the naievity club can grasp.

It really amazes me how many here don't study history. Free Trade has always been a leftist issue. It was introduced here by Edward Mandel House, during the Wilson admisistration.

[meadsjn]

most of the Yellow Dog union-supporting trade protectionists on FR though, as

You've only been here a few months, but in your first few weeks on Free Republic you searched and searched enough previous user posts to know that, almost exclusively, the posters here are conservative and republican.

[Cacophonous]

Wow...post 49...

Talk about someone taking a tongue-in-cheek comment too seriously. I do hope you didn't take that seriously.