Foreign Trade Policy

[TheSpyder]

The main problem is China not fairly pegging their currency, along with them subsudising their manufacturers. They sell some of their products less than people here can source the raw materials. It's not even close to a fair battle field. Unions are far below our political landscape that encourages these unfair rules with retail lobbyist spending millions to keep things that way.

We made Columbia a free trade partner to help combat the drugs they import. How's that going? It's never ending. And as retailers push these off shore manufacturers to move into new, lower labor cost countries, they get the rules changed to suite them. We've turned a blind eye to all of this and people here lose decent jobs ony to work at McDonalds or Walmart.

Originally Posted by pgardn

It helps a bit that China keeps putting
cheap protein substitutes and other
toxic compounds in their products.

As alway there is a fine balance
between protectionism and free trade.
France has provided a good example
of what happens when a country tries
too hard to protect. Dont think we
want this.

Our Unions have not helped the situation
at all.

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

The main problem is China not fairly pegging their currency, along with them subsudising their manufacturers. They sell some of their products less than people here can source the raw materials. It's not even close to a fair battle field. Unions are far below our political landscape that encourages these unfair rules with retail lobbyist spending millions to keep things that way.

We made Columbia a free trade partner to help combat the drugs they import. How's that going? It's never ending. And as retailers push these off shore manufacturers to move into new, lower labor cost countries, they get the rules changed to suite them. We've turned a blind eye to all of this and people here lose decent jobs ony to work at McDonalds or Walmart.

As long as foreign workers can make the same product
overseas by requiring less wages, its a reoccurring problem.
China's true subsidizing will eventually catch up with them
as it has in Venezuela with oil. I dont know enough about
the Columbia problem. So I will defer to your take.

We live very well here. Workers here live very well compared
to other countries. The problem will not be as acute if we
can get our economy back on track. Sending crappy jobs out
and keeping jobs that require a higher level of skill was the rule
for a number of years. We also still have a heck of a lot of jobs
that are not exportable that are not being filled. IN this part
of the country anyway. (Master electricians, plumbers, etc..
apprentice jobs are in the paper all the time, although fewer
right now) Not everyone must go to college. We still need skilled
labor that must be local. People that are experts in tight work
with heavy machinery make lots of money here. People dont
want these jobs, but that may change. Even though these
jobs are not as abundant right now.

[TheSpyder]

Disagree.

More and more high level jobs are moving off shore.

X Ray analysis is now done with Doctors in India via the internet just as an example and there are many high profile jobs like accounting, taxes, law, science positions that are being farmed out...not to mention everyones favorite...customer service.

Go to any Southern - Midwest City and the amount of empty factories idle is an epidemic. Sure there are some jobs that have to stay, but look at a list of job opportunities for college grads 20 years ago and many of these are leaving. Yes, there are many technical jobs, but to say the crappy jobs are going is not correct

Originally Posted by pgardn

As long as foreign workers can make the same product
overseas by requiring less wages, its a reoccurring problem.
China's true subsidizing will eventually catch up with them
as it has in Venezuela with oil. I dont know enough about
the Columbia problem. So I will defer to your take.

We live very well here. Workers here live very well compared
to other countries. The problem will not be as acute if we
can get our economy back on track. Sending crappy jobs out
and keeping jobs that require a higher level of skill was the rule
for a number of years. We also still have a heck of a lot of jobs
that are not exportable that are not being filled. IN this part
of the country anyway. (Master electricians, plumbers, etc..
apprentice jobs are in the paper all the time, although fewer
right now) Not everyone must go to college. We still need skilled
labor that must be local. People that are experts in tight work
with heavy machinery make lots of money here. People dont
want these jobs, but that may change. Even though these
jobs are not as abundant right now.

[GBBob]

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

The main problem is China not fairly pegging their currency, along with them subsudising their manufacturers. They sell some of their products less than people here can source the raw materials. It's not even close to a fair battle field. Unions are far below our political landscape that encourages these unfair rules with retail lobbyist spending millions to keep things that way.

We made Columbia a free trade partner to help combat the drugs they import. How's that going? It's never ending. And as retailers push these off shore manufacturers to move into new, lower labor cost countries, they get the rules changed to suite them. We've turned a blind eye to all of this and people here lose decent jobs ony to work at McDonalds or Walmart.

Spydee...Why isn't anyone leveling criticism at Target, Walmart, Toy r Us or ANY other retailer? You know how many American jobs were lost in the last 10 years because retailers have all gone direct to China factories and sourced directly by passing the American company/distributor. I understand the criticism of China et al, but the real problem lies a lot closer to home. How can you blame China when American retailers...good ole "Made in America" Walmart being the biggest, knock on your door and say here....make me a million of these...and oh yeah, that American vendor who used to be your partner is gone. You deal directly with us now.

[TheSpyder]

Exactly what I said in my first post:

Now, this was all our choice (our government) in making policy to allow this trade. What it means to me as someone in the textile industry is that the apparel manufactures left (sewing is labor intensive), then the fabric producers left, then the yarn producers left. I have seen hundreds of mills close down from LA to Miami to Maine and everywhere in between.

Right now the military is most likely the largest customer of our manufacturing. But what if peace happens or spending is cut?

What these numbers don't reveal is the supporting industries that these jobs sustained, the food industry, repair people, health insurance, taxes to the government, office supplies, and on and on and on. Just as there are many industries that support horse racing behind the scenes, the same goes for manufacturing.

What troubles me is we basically gave away these industies to many counties that have cival rights issues, no pollution policy, and a history of treating workers unfairly and they don't like us. (No, I'm not talking about Canada). Did you know that Viet Nam is the new place to go...why? Because their labor rates are lower than China. China's middle class is replacing our middle class. It's easy to see.

We need to rework these trade policies to bring manufacturing back. Maybe not all, but a great deal of what we have given away. The power of he retail giants (Walmart, etc.) has tremendous political clout. As manufactures have been fragmented, they have had little say.

All this has happened because our government has allowed it & encourage it. The big box lobby had helped greatly everytime new trade policies are introduced and discussed.

Further to your point, Walmart now demands containers sent directly to them from China organized by store & products, and if you are one of the last manufactures to make something in the US, Walmart will tell you that the supplier needs to ship FOB China to be in the right container, which forces people who want to make stuff here to have to move to China.

The currency problem along with subsides are a result of the US Government policy and China taking every advantage of us.