What does America do?

[Big Train]

I say we are a financing and intellectual property based economy, which is the source of our problem. The world refuses to respect our intellectual property (as do our own citizens), which means half of our economy is out the window.

We don't manufacture, we finance. Looking at the trade facts in our threads, it is obvious that we are in financing finished goods and services. Raw materials from Canada and elsewhere and labor from whereever. Global Nafta (thanks Bill).

Your thoughts?

[Big Troubles]

Re: What does America do?

Originally posted by Big Train
What does America do?

Get spat on in Calgarian bars. Don't forget to grab some mad cow on the way back!

Ok, but seriously though... USA! USA!

[Big Train]

Any serious thoughts?

[WACF]

Not a direct answer to your question but something I found interesting was what is going on right now with the beef ban.

From what I understand northern state ranchers are rallying to keep the borders closed...thus they are getting higher prices for their beef.

I do not off hand recall the state your new agricultural minister(right term?) is from but...he is in favour of re-opening the border because the meat packing plants in his state are hurting from the lack of Canadian beef to finish.

Years ago many Canadian meat packing plants were bought out by U.S. companies and subsequently closed down...which is why we are in deep shit. We are short of plants and the cost of starting up again is going to be huge. We became reliant on trucking beef to the U.S. to be sold abroad.

The same thing I find odd is that we pipe a hell of a lot of crude oil to the states to be refined...why do we lack refineries?

Seems we are very relaint on shipping/trading raw materials south....

[Seshmeister]

Re: What does America do?

Originally posted by Big Train
I say we are a financing and intellectual property based economy, which is the source of our problem. The world refuses to respect our intellectual property (as do our own citizens), which means half of our economy is out the window.

We don't manufacture, we finance. Looking at the trade facts in our threads, it is obvious that we are in financing finished goods and services. Raw materials from Canada and elsewhere and labor from whereever. Global Nafta (thanks Bill).

Your thoughts?

What else can you do?

You want to work for the wage that a Chinese manufacturing worker gets paid?

It used to be Japan, then Korea, now it's China. In 20 years time once China is the worlds superpower your shoes and steel pipes will be getting made in Africa.

Cheers!

[Big Train]

Well, that is sorta what I am driving at. If we are indeed the time of economy I think we are, then a lot of people in this country are totally fucked, in that they are completely unprepared for this new setup. Factory workers for sure, but also people who add goods and services to the economy (managers etc..) who there will be nothing left to manage, watch, create.

As far as intellectual property, nobody outside and most inside this country don't give a fuck about it (ex. CD's and movies, consumer goods, shoes etc..) are what this economy is based on. When countries like China are exploiting not only their workers, but OUR intellectual property, they are fucking us good.

As far as Canada, it is probably better all around for you to be in the raw materials business. It is easier and probably more profitable still to just ship out volumes of raw materials.

It is like I have said many times, we need to invent new industries and dominate them.

[Nickdfresh]

That is true! Those pinko Chinese bastards are pirating our DVD's and CD's like it's going out of style!

[Vivian Campbell]

Although free trade has brought a short term boost to the economy in the 90s, it is leading to the long term ruin of our nation. This information and intellectual property economy that the neo cons are heralding isn’t cutting it. Why is the economy seemingly taking forever to “fully recover” from the recession? Because the manufacturing jobs are being shipped to the third world while the third world ships their people over here to take our low end jobs. Oh, and it isn’t a recovery if one loses a $15 an hr factory and replaces it with a minimum wage Walmart job that leaves no room for a citizen to save enough money so he can independently create a business or invest in the stock market. Free trade is basically entrenching wealth among a greedy sub-segment of the population.

The solution to our economic woes is two-fold. 1. Congress needs to fulfill its Constitutional duty to protect our industries by enacting tariffs. I would especially like to see China completely shut out since they are a hostile nation with an abhorrent human rights record. Oh, but wait, Walmart might go out of business. So be it. Long term, our industries will alive and well and people will be able to pursue wealth. 2. Lower taxes dramatically. With a tariff in place, Congress should allow the tariff to pay most of the government’s bills. Slashing the tax rates would spark an investment boom necessary to revive our industries.

[Seshmeister]

You could start exporting those clever voting mchines to dodgy overseas governments...

[franksters]

Originally posted by Big Train
I say we are a financing and intellectual property based economy, which is the source of our problem. The world refuses to respect our intellectual property (as do our own citizens), which means half of our economy is out the window.

We don't manufacture, we finance. Looking at the trade facts in our threads, it is obvious that we are in financing finished goods and services. Raw materials from Canada and elsewhere and labor from whereever. Global Nafta (thanks Bill).

Your thoughts?

When china (in january 2005 don,t need quotas to produce and export anywhere in the world, you see what will happen...

and by the way bt where did you get those reports???

[franksters]

USA is goin under and it's a shame because nobody care, in 20 years from now you guys will suffer from your present global action.

bush is a dictator and dictator brings their country down, they crush it and juice it until there is nothing left...

[ODShowtime]

I'm worried that once we sell out all our manufacturing capacity, our partners could just turn off the taps, leaving us with a shitload of information and smart people, and no heavy equipment.

Then Canada or whoever could just roll us. I'm very concerned about selling off EVERY LAST FUCKING factory and factory job we have here. We can't go to zero percent. It's a huge weakness and nobody talks about it.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
You could start exporting those clever voting mchines to dodgy overseas governments...

Apparently the Ukraine already has them. And it's reasonable to assume they will be used in Iraq in January.

I believe some were also used in Afghanistan to ensure the "victory" of Hamid "UNOCAL" Karzai.

[Big Train]

Franksters, just shut the fuck up. You add nothing to the conversations.

OD, I don't think we will ever get to 0% capacity, but the overall number of jobs will certainly never be as high as they were. The raw materials thing is actually a way to protect OUR resources, by buying others. It is cheaper and easier as countries like Canada and Russia have an excess of raw materials.

[franksters]

Where did u get your reports from ???