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Originally Posted by a_Username
Protectionism, IIRC, is protection from "unfair trade." Putting up tariffs and the like is (an attempt to) protecting yourself from these mythical threats. Also, if it is common sense, then you won't have any trouble refuting it. Or will you?  |
The list of things I gave that China is doing are not "mythical threats." They are all things China is actually doing. How can you possibly expect to have a healthy economy without the enforcement of copyright and patent law? Why produce anything if you have no ability to keep the fruit of your labor?
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Originally Posted by a_Username
Again, the Japanese have paid for their manipulation, hence the Lost Decade. Their citizens standard of livings is being reduced, while their manipulation is actually helping us more so than them.
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Again, how can having our goods counterfeited, and our intellectual property rights stolen possibly be beneficial to us? The last time I checked, when someone steals something from you, you are the one who loses.
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Originally Posted by a_Username
Why are you assuming the only two countries in the world that trade with each other is China and the United States? Assuming this "trade deficit" is bad, which it isn't, this still overlooks the fact that we have a "trade surplus" with other countries.
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The US has a huge net trade deficit with the world.
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Originally Posted by a_Username
So, a dollar is only useful for buying American goods or buying corporate bonds and other types of private securities. In all cases, the dollar is returning to the United States.
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And for every dollar that comes back in that manner, we owe a dollar plus compounding interest. When the dollars come back as debt, it is a negative, not a positive. Sure, it feels good for a while, but this is in no way sustainable. Eventually, the creditor has to be paid. When that day comes, it is not going to be pretty. This is not how economies grow, this is how nations lose their sovereignty. We all saw what happened when houses became worth less than the mortgage. What do you think is going to happen when our debts exceed our GDP?