Rare Earth Ruckus - Are we at the mercy of China's mercantilist mandarins?

Reason ^ | November 23, 2010 | Ronald Bailey

[Quix]

Most orientals are great at getting opponents over barrels.

The Chinese are artists at it.

[slowhandluke]

The sane action would be (and would have been) to simply tax any imported rare-earth minerals or products made with them that didn't come from a mine up to EPA standards. And charge that mine for the cost of EPA monitoring. This gets us much closer to an even market.

Having EPA rules that only affect US mines and wells without any penalty for importing from dirty mines elsewhere is simply economic suicide - but I do think that was the primary intent. It's so silly that I have to ascribe it to malignity.

[slowhandluke]

Free trade does have a downside

We have a mockery of free-trade with China. They get to sell us rare earths from dirty mines, but the EPA won't settle on any rules that allow mining here.

They can sell whatever they want here, but we can't sell there unless we hand over blueprints for both product and factory.

Free-trade works between free-traders. It doesn't work if it's a one-way street.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[GOPJ]

Astronomers think there might be a considerable amount of rare earth metals in the asteroid belt. Of course, it seems that the US is no longer enterprising enough to go get them...

On the bright side, we're able to provide 'counseling and emotional support" for the criminal and homeless.../s

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping; post; links; thread. Very interesting.