Free Republic

OK let me offer an idea, contrary to what seems now to be the thought of everyone in both parties. Americans need to make things.

At Siemens’ high-voltage equipment plant about two hours’ drive from Mexico City, workers move about the polished floor, assembling and testing parts of circuit breakers for use in electrical substations. Until a few months ago, the 160 parts for these enormous devices, with protruding poles that give them the appearance of stage props from a set of Frankenstein’s workshop, were assembled in India or China. But today, the assembly is carried out in Mexico. By March next year, most of those 160 parts, which currently come from Germany and Asia, will be produced there too. The company has also chosen...

While President Barack Obama has attacked Mitt Romney for advising businesses that outsourced jobs, many of the executives on the president's own jobs creation council run or advise companies that import cheaper overseas goods instead of buying American alternatives, U.S. trade records show. Commerce Department import records reviewed by the Washington Guardian show the companies affiliated with the 23 active and 3 ex-officio members of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness imported 12,366 shipments from China alone -- totaling more than 20 billion pounds in weight -- during the 18 months since they began advising the White House in...

One of the reasons for the popularity of political rhetoric is that everybody can be right, in terms of their own rhetoric, no matter how much the rhetoric of one side contradicts the rhetoric of the other side. President Obama constantly repeats how many millions of jobs have been created during his administration, while his critics constantly repeat how many millions of jobs have been lost during his administration. How can both of them be right — or, at least, how can they both get away with what they are saying? There are jobs and there are net jobs. This...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday she hoped India will do "even more" to cut its purchases of oil from sanctions-hit Iran as there was adequate supply available from other countries such as Saudi Arabia. Speaking in the city of Kolkata on a visit to India, Clinton said there would be a decision in about two months as to whether India would be given a waiver from sanctions over Iran oil purchases. She also said she was apprehensive about the possibility of a conflict between Iran and Israel. …

Author explores the global goodness of nature’s beloved cloveThe outrageous success of Twilight in recent years has resulted in authors pitching every kind of vampire-riffing book they can think of, from teen romance to paranormal thrillers. Liz Primeau went another way: She wrote a book about garlic. The bulb went off, so to speak, for Primeau in 2009 — but not because of garlic’s folkloric ability to repel vampires. “China dumped on us, flooding the market with cheap low-quality garlic and undercutting local agriculture,” the author recalls. “When I read that, that was sort of the finishing touch. I’ve been...

Washington has agreed to allow the importation of M1 Garand rifles from Seoul, reversing its earlier decision to ban the shipping of the weapon used by South Korean and U.S. soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior defense official said Wednesday. “The U.S. government approved the imports of some 86,000 of the rifles,” said Lee Sun-chul, deputy defense minister for force and resources management. “The historic firearms are expected to be sold to American Korean War veterans and their families in time for the 62nd anniversary of the Korean War, which falls on June 25 this year.”

WASHINGTON — As the housing bubble entered its waning hours in 2006, top Federal Reserve officials marveled at the desperate antics of home builders seeking to lure buyers. The officials laughed about the cars that builders were offering as signing bonuses, and about efforts to make empty homes look occupied. They joked about one builder who said that inventory was “rising through the roof.” But the officials, meeting every six weeks to discuss the health of the nation’s economy, gave little credence to the possibility that the faltering housing market would weigh on the broader economy, according to transcripts that...

Online giant Amazon.com Inc. is planning to open two distribution centers in the Richmond area next fall that would employ a total of 1,350 people, state and local officials said Wednesday. The $135 million investment in Chesterfield and Dinwiddie counties is Virginia's largest single economic development deal since 2004 in terms of jobs created. The official announcement by Amazon and Gov. Bob McDonnell is expected this morning.

Republicans and Democrats, liberals as well as conservatives, have bought into anti-Chinese trade demagoguery. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that tariffs against China are a "key part of our 'Make It in America' agenda." During his 2010 campaign, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called his Tea Party-backed Republican challenger, Sharron Angle, "a foreign worker's best friend." In a recent news conference, President Obama gave his support to the anti-China campaign, declaring that China "has been very aggressive in gaming the trading system to its advantage," adding that "we can and should take action against countries that are keeping...

China only has about 30 percent of the world's rare earth metal deposits, but thanks to clever planning it today controls 97 percent of the world's production of these scarce resources. Deposits of this family of 17 elements -- vital to power electronics found in televisions, smart phones, electric vehicles, and a variety of other devices -- are found in California, Canada, Australia, and Russia, but it will take years to bring them online. In short the world is at China's mercy for now when it comes to rare earth supply. And China's biggest rare earth metal producer -- the...

Solyndra Tied to Asian SuppliersLou Kilzer Sept. 23, 2011 **SNIP** Chief Financial Officer W.G. Stover in court documents blamed Solyndra's demise on attractive funding subsidies and extended payment terms provided to its foreign competitors by their governments. But Solyndra, which began shipping solar panels in July 2008, has tapped more than 60 foreign manufacturers to provide it with panels and related assembly goods, the Trib found through an analysis of shipping records maintained by ImportGenius, an international company that tracks imports into the United States. During the past 12 months, Solyndra received 154 shipments of goods, primarily from companies in...

40 Signs The Chinese Economy Is Beating The Living Daylights Out Of The U.S. Economy It is time to face the truth. The Chinese economy is simply beating the living daylights out of the U.S. economy. Whether you want to call it a rout, a slaughter or a thrashing, the reality is that the Chinese are absolutely embarrassing America on the global economic stage. At this point, the Chinese are playing economic chess while the Americans are playing economic checkers. China is poised to blow past the United States and become the largest economy in the world. Not only that,...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — U.S. import prices climbed 2.2% in April, the Labor Department said Tuesday, marking the first time prices have climbed over 2% in consecutive months since June 2008. The April advance follows the 2.7% jump in March and was stronger than the 1.6% gain that economists polled by MarketWatch had anticipated. Prices of imports are up 11.1% compared to April 2010. Imported fuel, accounting for 80% of the April 2011 gain, shot up 6.7% on the month. But excluding fuel, import prices also are up, rising 0.6% on the month and 4.3% over 12 months. Industrial supplies and...

Back at the end of January, we talked about a proposal from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), to outlaw the importation of many popular shotguns, on the grounds that these shotguns were not "particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes." Application of this "sporting purposes test" is relevant because under provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968, importation of firearms is generally illegal, except under such excemptions as the firearms in question having "sporting purposes." This started with a "study" the BATFE conducted (pdf file) that found (surpise, surprise) that many shotguns now...

...If on any given day you find yourself walking through the hallowed halls of ATR, you will find the staff pining away for the sweet taste of “Mexican Coca-Cola” or any other bottle of Coke not produced in the U.S. and thus not tainted with sticky un-refreshing taste of corn syrup. The reason for the difference lies in the U.S. Government’s efforts to keep sugar prices artificially high by restricting the amount of sugar that can be imported to the U.S. This result is the price of sugar in the U.S. being one-half to two-thirds higher than in other countries...

President Obama on Wednesday will call for a one-third cut in oil imports by 2020, part of a plan he says will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum. With rising gasoline prices at home and political turmoil throughout the Middle East, Obama will seek in a speech at Georgetown University to rally Americans — and bickering lawmakers — behind a program that draws about half of that import cut from energy savings and about half from greater energy production, according to Obama aides who briefed reporters Tuesday.

The U.S. Marshals Service has "arrested" a Chinese ship after a crane aboard the vessel damaged a towering new container crane at APM Terminals in Portsmouth. The arrest came after the Virginia Port Authority and its operating affiliate sued the Chinese company that made and delivered two new cranes. The suit in Norfolk's federal court seeks $14.65 million in damages. The court then issued an arrest warrant for the ship. While still berthed at APM Terminals, it's now in federal custody. "From the time that it's under arrest, it belongs to the United States Marshals Service - until the courts...

HELENA, Mont. -- An unruly passenger who was removed from an Amtrak train later made a threat that led to the train’s evacuation, an Amtrak official said Tuesday. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said Hussein Abdi Hassan, 24, was removed from the train in Browning shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday. While being interviewed by authorities, the Minnesota man “somehow threatened the safety of the train," he said. Nothing dangerous was found. The train was stopped between Browning and East Glacier. Passengers were taken to a middle school in Browning, where they were set up with sleeping bags and air mattresses.

Chinese Exporters Going Down, Western Importers Ambushed February 14, 2011 By Russ Winter “An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.” -Albert Einstein At long last the mainstream media and Chinese advisories are picking up on the China export bust story that I have warned about for months. The New York Times ran this economic story of the decade last week, while infomercial commentators like CNBC and Bloomberg are sleeping through this bust. The twist on the story is that Chinese suppliers are in a triple world of hurt. American buyers resisted attempts to pass on price increases of...

On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released a Study on the Importability of Certain Shotguns, which proposes that “military shotguns, or shotguns with common military features that are unsuitable for traditional shotgun sports” be prohibited from importation. This would apply to all shotguns—not just semi-automatics. As in previous “working group” studies on rifles, the study fails to give proper credit to the widespread use of these guns in newer shooting sports, or to their adaptability to hunting. The study underscores the need for Congress to change the firearm importation law. That law requires the...

At first blush, the mercantilists' call for "free trade but fair trade" sounds reasonable. After all, who can be against fairness? Giving the idea just a bit of thought suggests that fairness as a guide for public policy lays the groundwork for tyranny. You say, "Williams, I've never heard anything so farfetched! Explain yourself." ___________ Mercantilists have absolutely no argument when we recognize that trade is mostly between individuals. Mercantilists pretend that trade occurs between nations such as U.S. trading with England or Japan to appeal to our jingoism. First, does the U.S. trade with Japan and England? In other...

Chinese Government Predicts Plummeting Exports Ahead Vincent Fernando, CFA Sep. 7, 2010, 4:21 AM If anyone is terrified of trade protectionism right now, it's China. While increased protectionism would likely hurt both China and developed economies such as the U.S. and Europe, China probably has the most to lose since it requires economic growth just to maintain political stability. Thus in the face of mounting pressure abroad, China is promoting itself as a major global import consumer, which it is: China Daily: "China's processing trade (bringing in goods and exporting finished products), which is the bulk of its exports, could...

China's abrupt growth slowdown is sending a chill through Asian economies and as far away as Australia and Africa as its voracious demand for imports fades. Beijing is cooling its economy with lending and investment curbs after explosive 11.9 percent first-quarter growth fed fears of overheating. Growth is slowing more sharply than expected, cutting demand for American and European factory machinery, industrial components from Asia and iron ore and other raw materials from Australia and Africa. The timing is awkward for exporters that were buoyed by China's quick rebound from the global crisis and are seeing sales elsewhere weaken. The...

The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace. So why are we witnessing such fundamental changes? Well, the globalism and "free trade" that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some...

SHANGHAI (AP) — Toyota Motor was assessing the impact Friday from strikes that hit two of its China-based parts suppliers, the latest unrest among migrant workers who are the backbone of the country's industrial sector. Workers at a plastic parts factory of Toyota Motor Corp. affiliate Toyoda Gosei Co. in the northeastern city of Tianjin went on strike Thursday, forcing the plant's production line to shut down in the afternoon, said Toyoda Gosei spokesman Tomotaka Ito, at the company's headquarters in Aichi, Japan. That walkout followed a one-day strike by workers at another Toyoda Gosei unit and Toyota supplier, Tianjin...

SANAND, India (AP) — Tata Motors inaugurated a factory Wednesday to produce its super-cheap compact Nano car, nearly two years after violent farmer protests forced the company to relocate. The new factory in India's business-friendly Gujarat state promises to unleash production of the pint-sized car, which Tata plans to export to Europe, and eventually the U.S. Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi together drove the first car — a sunshine yellow Nano — off the assembly line shortly before 1p.m. "We owe you a great debt of gratitude for having made this happen," Tata said...

Beware or buy American!

Our only salvation is to out-innovate the rest of the world. In March, I spoke at the World's Best Technology (WBT) conference in Arlington, TX, addressing a large venue of venture capitalists and other parties interested in my company’s new wastewater treatment system, the Water Phoenix. This national conference is part of the Arlington chamber leadership’s grand plan to bring high-tech innovative companies to the region. It is an attempt to create and nurture a culture of dynamic innovation — not unlike that created by Silicon Valley in CA, the Research Triangle in NC or Loop 128 around Boston. Many...

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States has set preliminary anti-dumping duties ranging from 90 to nearly 175 percent on about $30 million worth of electric blankets from China, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday. The ruling is a victory for Jarden Consumer Solutions, a Florida-based subsidiary of consumer products company Jarden Corp (JAH.N). It filed a petition earlier this year asking for protection against its Chinese competitors. The relatively small case is of one several ongoing U.S. investigations into charges that Chinese companies are selling their goods in the United States at unfairly low prices and benefit...

AP IMPACT: Toxic metal in kids' jewelry from China By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 11:22 a.m. LOS ANGELES — Barred from using lead in children's jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States, an Associated Press investigation shows. The most contaminated piece analyzed in lab testing performed for the AP contained a startling 91 percent cadmium by weight. The cadmium content of other contaminated trinkets, all purchased at national and regional chains...

More than six months after government officials seized his rare vintage military aircraft, Claude Hendrickson said he is still in the dark about why the airplane was confiscated and when and if it will be returned to him. Until the 1952 airplane -- believed to be one of only a handful of Douglas AD-4N Skyraiders in the U.S. -- is released from federal custody, Hendrickson said the aircraft will slowly deteriorate because he can't maintain it. ---- Virginia Dabbs, spokeswoman for Customs and Border Patrol, said she could not comment on Hendrickson's claims. "We don't harass people," Dabbs said.

FYI, The NASA press release below refers to 'holiday' or 'seasons' greetings six times. No mention of Christmas, of course. [comment deleted]! In a bizarre historical turnabout, religious activity on the space station has now become almost entirely dominated by the Russians. They fly icons blessed by priests (http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6673) Photos: http://hochu.vkosmos.ru/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ikona.jpeg and http://www.svet-valaama.ru/photoalbom/2006_05_icon_from_space/2006_05_icon_from_space_01.jpg Also http://www.interfax-religion.ru/img/2308.jpg I haven't seen anything remotely similar from the American side. What have I missed? For the next manned launch this Sunday, also expect Russian Orthodox priests from the newly-built church in Baykonur (news story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10729300) to bless the rocket and the crew. File photo: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mp59h1-TVgE/SsKiot99hvI/AAAAAAAAAnA/1QV6t9vIfrs/s400/Best+Soyuz+Bless.jpg...

Trade Data Points To L-Shaped Outlook by: Wildebeest December 13, 2009 At first glance the contraction in the trade deficit for October looks positive. I'm generally wary of seasonally adjusted data -- not because seasonal effects don't exist but because I prefer to see the raw data and the algorithm used to do the smoothing. Non seasonally adjusted data for the trade in goods is available here. A seasonal plot of the trade deficit, derived from 22 years of data, is shown in the next chart. From that chart we see that October is typically a larger deficit month. That...

Just what you needed: higher prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released this chart today, showing the fall and rise of import and export price indices from October 2008 to October 2009. As you can see, prices fell when the recession was in full swing last year, which is great, because when everyone's poorer, falling prices are helpful. Well, were still pretty poor, but here come higher prices roaring back: BLS: The price index for all imports rose 0.7 percent in October, led by a 1.8 percent increase in fuel prices. The rise followed a 0.2-percent increase in September. The...

Container Trade in TEUs* 2009 Year-to-Date*TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container **Preliminary estimate   Loaded Inbound Loaded Outbound Empties Total Containers January 200,588 88,510 110,197 399,295 February 149,299 92,781 75,962 318,042 March 186,450 117,674 70,007 374,131 April 199,051 112,976 96,678 408,705 May 208,591 121,064 89,900 419,555 June 206,358 114,107 92,882 413,347 July 221,719 108,420 102,874 433,013 August 249,920 130,623 112,796 493,339 September 224,924 109,337 106,103 440,364 October November December Year-to-Date 1,846,900 995,492 857,399 3,699,791 YTD % Change -23.8% -26.3% -24.2% -24.6%

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – James and Maria Ivory's dreams of a relaxing retirement on Florida's Gulf Coast were put on hold when they discovered their new home had been built with Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes. It got worse when they asked their insurer for help — and not only was their claim denied, but they've been told their entire policy won't be renewed. Thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys',...

Nutrition and public policy expert Marion Nestle answers readers' questions in this column written exclusively for The Chronicle. E-mail your questions to food@sfchronicle.com, with Marion Nestle in the subject line. Q: I saw you on "The Colbert Report" (Aug. 19) talking about sugar policy. Explain, please. I don't understand why sugar policy is a topic for Comedy Central. A: Neither did I until I saw Stephen Colbert douse himself with 5 pounds of sugar over the impending "crisis." We have a sugar crisis? According to processed food manufacturers, we are about to run out of sugar. Horrors! Earlier in August,...

PARIS (AFP) – The leaders of France and Germany called Friday for the United Nations to support a carbon tax on imports from countries who fail to back international efforts to fight global warming. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arguing that states that fail to back a deal at a climate summit in Copenhagen in December should be held accountable. "It would be unacceptable for the efforts of the most ambitious countries to be undermined by the carbon emissions released by lack of or insufficient action by other countries,"...

Obama decides to impose tariffs on Chinese tire imports for 3 years WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama has decided to slap punitive tariffs on all car and light truck tires entering the United States from China. Obama had until Sept. 17 -- next week -- to accept, reject or modify a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling that a rising tide of Chinese tires into the U.S. hurts American producers. A powerful union, United Steelworkers, blames the increase for the loss of thousands of American jobs. The federal trade panel recommended a 55 percent tariff in the first year, 45...

DORRIS, Calif. -- Agents from the Siskiyou County-Wide Narcotic Task Force were assisted by the California Department of Justice, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol in the service of a search warrant at the Elm Motel in Dorris, California. Drug agents learned that a shipment of opium had been intercepted by U.S. Customs en route from Thailand on its way to the Elm Motel in Dorris on Highway 97, just south of the California Oregon border. The opium had been hidden in the hollow handles of broomsticks that were mixed in with baskets and bamboo items. Drug agents...

Port Tracker report projects retail imports to be at lowest level since 2002 Container trade imports will fall 20 percent in August and September and another 18 percent in October, pushing overall retail imports for 2009 down to the lowest level since 2002, industry forecaster IHS Global Insight said in a report released Thursday. In its Port Tracker report, released with the National Retail Federation, the group said the sharp pullback in peak season shipping will leave import shipping volume measured in TEUs down 18.8 percent in 2009 compared to last year. The 12.3 million 20-foot-equivalents IHS Global Insight estimates...

There seems to be little sympathy among Asian shippers for the plight of liner shipping; so much so that some of the Asian shippers’ bodies have expressed doubts over cries of poverty by the lines, according to Shippers’ Voice. As the shipping lines struggle to keep their heads above waters in the present economic scenario, Asian shippers warn that they will avoid shipping lines perceived to be “hostile” to them, pointing out that times are even more difficult for shippers with a large number of exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers having pulled down shutters. They are particularly sore about various...

It's the worst year in history for the industry: Two Detroit companies went bankrupt, and even the Japanese are losing money. But nothing stops those Koreans. Hyundai and Kia are expanding their lineups, a new Kia plant is to open in Georgia, and they are setting most ambitious goals. Their cars may not be the best, but they are improving--many get on the "recommended" list in Consumers Reports--and they are getting major help from the home country's weak currency. The two are connected under the name Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Hyundai is larger and owns a 39% controlling stake in...

TRANSPACIFIC lines are preparing to tear up annual contracts signed less than two months ago in a desperate bid to shore up their finances. The 14 members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement issued a stark warning to their customers that freight rates agreed for service contracts signed in May were not sustainable over the typical 12-month term and may have to be renegotiated. In an unprecedented move, that reflects the plight of the industry, the TSA issued a statement saying members had adopted a voluntary across-the-board increase of $500 per feu effective from August 10. This will apply to rates...

One could be forgiven for thinking that contracts in shipping are no longer worth the paper they are written on. First we had charterers in the dry bulk sector simply walking away from unfavourable contracts at the top of the market. Now in container shipping we have lines on the transpacific trade trying to unilaterally increase rates on annual contracts just months after they were agreed. It would certainly be interesting to be a fly on the wall when shipping line sales people meet major US shippers and try to explain that they now, in effect, want to tear up...

Slight April gain over March gives weak signal for peak season Container volumes at U.S. ports edged up in April compared to March, but remained well below the volumes recorded in April 2008, according to the monthly Port Tracker published by the National Retail Federation and IHS Global Insight. The second half of 2009 appears to be trending the same way the first half progressed, with containerized imports creeping up compared to the month before, but down noticeably from the same month last year. It therefore looks like the back-to-school shopping season this summer, traditionally the second busiest period on...

U.S. exporters will see ongoing equipment shortages in the months ahead, and the container shortages could become even worse if imports from Asia do not pick up significantly during the peak shipping season. The equipment imbalance is occurring at an especially bad time for shippers of agricultural products because exports are starting to pick up after a lackluster first quarter. If exporters can not secure more empty containers for their products, the export boom will be snuffed out before it gathers steam. Agricultural exporters in the U.S. interior are at greatest risk. "Eastbound cargo isn't delivered where westbound cargo is...

There's something rotten in Homestead. It's the odor in Jason and Melissa Harrell's house, which was built with defective, Chinese-made drywall redolent of strong paint or rotten eggs. The smell got so bad that the Harrells felt forced to move. They now pay rent on top of their mortgage. ''What it boiled down to is, I had to choose between my financial health and my children's physical health,'' Melissa Harrell said. When the sulfurous stink in Gary and Andrea Suhajcik's Boynton Beach home wouldn't go away, the builder offered to rip out the walls, wiring, plumbing and molding in hopes...

US drivers who own a car made overseas are more likely to be satisfied with their purchase than domestic car owners, a poll showed on Tuesday. Seventy-seven percent of poll respondents who own a foreign car said they were happy with it versus 69 percent of American car owners.