Date: 7/31/2003 7:29:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 22852
I myself would levy a large fee, tax or whatever you want to call it on all companies that import into the United States. I would give major benefits and perks to companies that stay here in America and make American made products and employ Americans and only Americans.  |
Date: 7/31/2003 7:38:00 AM
From Authorid: 46530
And what a backward view you have on business. The UK has lost most of its major industries. Coal, gone, steel, all but gone and owned by a dutch company, wood, manufacturing, textiles, all gone. Even our call centre jobs are being shipped out to India. Are we iun rack and ruin, generally not, we still have the third largest trade budget and fifth largest economy in the world. The US doesn't need to "fine" companies for importing, otherwise nothing would be made, the materials have to come from somewhere, and doing what you suggest would mean that the world would think of the US as even more tyranical than it does now. The world stage is what every country plays on nowadays, and that is as it should be. If the US erred on the side of excellence, as much of UK industry has had to, then its trade wouldn't diminish too much  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 7:45:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 22852
I may be backward as you say and maybe even selfish, but I sit here and see all around me the people who have devoted their lives to a company and they loose everything, I see children go hungry, I see people loosing their homes, I see once proud men cry with shame because they can not find a job and take care of their families. We also have lost countless jobs to India and it is sad indeed. To be honest, I feel every country should take care of their own and the only time another country should step in is in the event of a disaster and then the other countries can offer help. |
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Date: 7/31/2003 7:50:00 AM
From Authorid: 46530
OK, lets say that the US does what you says (which it does in a lot of ways already) and levies against those that import, or that export to america. The prices would have to drop in the US because your economy would flood with the goods produced, this is because no one would BUY from america. This means that companies have less profit therefore making redundancies. This spirals so that more and more companies are making less and less money. Eventually a level is reached whereby you have maybe six or seven large companies making all the goods needed for the US. But you still have no trade with any other country. Don't you think this would damage the US far more? Yes, countries are being damaged in ways we haven't had to think of before, whereby the world market opens up cheap labour in several parts of the world, but they dont have the technical experience that we (The western world) have in abundance. Job losses hurt, but it isn't the end of the world, it is just the world turning once again. |
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Date: 7/31/2003 7:50:00 AM
From Authorid: 54247
Wish I knew the answers. My husband and I, for years, try not to purchase foreign imports - almost impossible today - even major companies sell products (even cars) and then in the fine print you notice "made in ***" - sadd. RAT |
Date: 7/31/2003 7:58:00 AM
From Authorid: 18527
IT companys like Hewlett Packard and Compaq are outsourcing OVERSEAS... I think the gov't should prevent this. 1 in 10 IT jobs is now going to India and Russia, and people I know who spent years in college can't get jobs.  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 7:59:00 AM
From Authorid: 46530
And another thing... do you know where most of the products you make were invented? Almost everything in the world is an import of some kind. Even your space program is based on technology developed by the Germans in WWII, the US got the scientists involved when they found them in their sector of West Germany after the war. You would also have a bit of a problem producing things like precious metals and diamonds, virtually all of which you get from South Africa. Oil is another thing you would have to stop. Saudi and Pakistan being two of your major suppliers. The web would have to be shut down, as all traffic goes through international suppliers to be delievered to your PC, even if you are sending messages next door. Almost everything you use, or touch comes from somewhere else in some fashion. It is cheaper nowadays to buy coal from Australia and ship it accross the world than it is to dig it up in your own back yard. The world is changing. The population of the world needs to change with it |
Date: 7/31/2003 7:59:00 AM
From Authorid: 58611
Well I agree in the sense that I would like to see America focus more on itself and fixing problems here at home than worrying what everybody else is doing! I talk to business's all over America on a daily basis at work and I am still hearing about how slow things are and people are having to close thier stores and work from home and the internet. Its sad, very sad. And I think more needs to be done to keep jobs here as well as increase the economy. And people wonder why so many people are turning to illegal ways to make money nowdays...you gotta feed your family somehow, and no one seems to be doing anything to help.  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 8:00:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 22852
Farleys, you are right, I admit that, but I am looking at this as an emotional woman (dangerous I know) who is watching families here suffer unlike anything I have seen before. I volunteer at the school system here and it breaks my heart to see these children not have new clothing, new shoes, school supplies, or even a new hair cut and lets not forget not being able to afford to go to a Doctor. I mean yes there is so much more to business and economics and I do not know much about it and that is my point.. either do all the people loosing their jobs.. all they know is that they are loosing their jobs because their jobs are going overseas.. This builds anger and hatred towards their government and other countries and other people. I myself and worried that some of these people will "crack" and then what will happen? |
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Date: 7/31/2003 8:05:00 AM
From Authorid: 18527
Here is an idea, eliminate welfare, lower taxes and start a "New Deal" kind of economy, hire people to pick up trash or fix potholes or trim hedges in National Parks... |
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Date: 7/31/2003 8:10:00 AM
From Authorid: 46530
What will happen? People will adapt, even if that means moving to another area. This has happened in most countries in the world, america just lagged behind because it CAN be almost independant from the rest of the world. The thing about america is it has enormous amounts of land (there are only about four other countries in the world with as much landmass being russia, china, Canada and australia) but you have an advantage over those countries, being that you have a fairly small population (about 300 million) a temperate climate and quite a few different geological areas, giving you very good natural resources of many kinds. The main thing that is happening now is that populous countries such as India, China and russia are getting back on their feet after the last century, and are taking to commercialism faster than we wanted them to. They are intelligent, well educated and want jobs, they also want less money than we do. So what happens? Companies think of their base-line and export the jobs to the lowest bidder, and that is inevitably to the middle and far east. Next it will be Africa is my guess. This doesn't inevitably mean that the west loses everything. As I said before, we can do things that they cannot, for now. We just cannot be as complacent as we have been in the past |
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Date: 7/31/2003 8:11:00 AM
From Authorid: 46530
Tourism can generate lots of money Kethria, but the problem is that the Airlines of the world are in huge decline, so how are people going to get to America? |
Date: 7/31/2003 8:41:00 AM
From Authorid: 48858
I'd rather be here, in the States, than Japan. They are going to implode.  |
Date: 7/31/2003 8:45:00 AM
From Authorid: 24856
We indeed live in one of the most powerful and "resourceful" nations on this planet. Sadly, we are losing in many other ways......If my memory serves me correctly, good old Ross Perot was totally against moving jobs out of the country....and we did not have the opportunity to vote on it....wonder why? Of late, my feelings are that the government is no longer for the people as it was once established....it is no longer a service but a means of greed. I in no way want to offend anyone here, this is only one small opinion. I agree we need to be less concerned about goodwill to other countries and take care of our home front. If I were president? I certainly do not quality for such a position...that is why the president surrounds himself with intelligent staff....depends on who is running the show as to how the country will be operating.......  |
Date: 7/31/2003 8:45:00 AM
From Authorid: 54987
Yeah I definitely agree. Why are we spending billions a month 'freeing' Iraqis when the money could be better spent at home freeing our own people. If I was president I would say enough is enough. Lets fix things in our own backyard. Stop exporting to cheap labor countries and give our own people their pride back. So what if things are a little more expensive... What price pride? We have committed to recontructing Iraq and Afghanistan... meanwhile we are deconstructing ourselves. I'll step down from my soapbox now.  |
Date: 7/31/2003 8:47:00 AM
From Authorid: 12823
People told God to get out of this country and He did- taking His blessing with Him. On another site I frequent, I did a post about 25 judgements mentioned in a Bible that occur in a cursed country. America is experiencing every single one of them. One is that spoils of the labor of the citizens would be given to the strangers from strange lands (our jobs and our taxes are going to aid other countries while our own have no health insurance, no jobs, no benefits). Another is that the alien amoung you and the lazy amoung you will reap your harvest. Anyone ever heard of the welfare system and how the taxes of the workers go to pay for the lazy who are capable of working but they do not work? It is just the consequences of the judgment.  |
Date: 7/31/2003 8:59:00 AM
From Authorid: 2030
One word for you N.A.F.T.A. passed and approved almost a decade ago by a Democratic U.S. Senate.  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 9:03:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 22852
Thank you all for your opinions and hey BCAR great to see you here |
Date: 7/31/2003 9:07:00 AM
From Authorid: 12835
God doesn't do it Aer, politicians do...By the way, America wasn't around in Biblical times to prophesy about....  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 9:08:00 AM
From Authorid: 2030
Thank's Storm. NAFTA did devistate many industries, particularly textiles. Thankfully the USDA still has strict rules about imported food or that industry would travel South as well. Another issue has been the death grip that Unions in the US have put on many industries. It's a global economy and the fact is it's cheaper to do the work overseas. |
Date: 7/31/2003 9:16:00 AM
From Authorid: 53284
When I was taking economics I had a professor who was alive during the great depression. I made a comment that it must have been ruff to live through that period. His answer surprised me. He said it depended upon whether or not you had a job. His dad was still employed and he also had a job. The result was that they were prospering during the depression. They had two maids. These were people that didn't have work and basically provided their services for room and board and a minimal wage. So, right now in this country to me it's the same sort of thing. The economy really sucks if you don't have a job. If you're still employed it's OK.  |
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Date: 7/31/2003 10:50:00 AM
From Authorid: 18527
that's right darn it, we USDA employees will be working hard ... (sigh, I need a break) |
Date: 7/31/2003 11:56:00 AM
From Authorid: 53052
good point!! there are millions of issues that could use some tweeking within the US... and people NEED help....there is a HUGE lack of jobs.... and they are doing very little to try and create more... yet they are spending billions on war  |
