Interesting article. But it seems to me that this is one area where the government has a legitimate role to play—but of course doesn’t.
Our government used to stockpile critical raw materials and ensure that our military hardware was made in the U.S.A., so a potential enemy could not suddenly cut off our ability to defend ourselves.
That is no longer the case.
What’s needed here, it seems to me, is a reasonable tariff on rare earths, so it is affordable to mine them here. And we might make a deal with Canada, exempting them from all or part of the tariff.
But we are probably too hooked on cheap Chinese goods to do that, thanks to Clinton, Bush, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Interesting article. But it seems to me that this is one area where the government has a legitimate role to play—but of course doesn’t.
Our government used to stockpile critical raw materials and ensure that our military hardware was made in the U.S.A., so a potential enemy could not suddenly cut off our ability to defend ourselves.
That is no longer the case.
What’s needed here, it seems to me, is a reasonable tariff on rare earths, so it is affordable to mine them here. And we might make a deal with Canada, exempting them from all or part of the tariff.
But we are probably too hooked on cheap Chinese goods to do that, thanks to Clinton, Bush, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Actually...good ideas. We need to start putting tariffs on Communist Chinese goods to counter their tariffs and trade barriers.
Even though we have so much stuff coming in from Communist China...we still have an upper hand. Commie China has no domestic market...and the US is the largest market on the planet. What will the Commie Chines do? Sell to the EU? Good luck with that.
If we hasd real leadership, and not Liberal Globalists in both parties, we can hold the upper hand with Communist China
You would have to put one hell of a tarriff on them to equal the cost of opening a mine in the US. What is the cost per unit of overcoming the EPA, OSHA, the EEOC, the Labor Relation board, lawsuits from environazi’s and NIMBY’s, greasing of state officials, greasing of local officials, and now.....compliance with Obamacare?