Issue: Foreign Policy: China - Trade war?

[no2union]

This is a trade war the US can't win IMO. China holds all the chips (1.2 Trillion in US debt).
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/china-blasts-tariffs-calling-them/story.aspx?guid=%7B4EDE815D-539A-4BFF-AEBE-B1F4E21B881D%7D

And growing,
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-05/29/content_882704.htm

This has to be paid back sooner or later, most likely future generations. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-28-federal-budget_N.htm?csp=34

Note the Bottom line: Taxpayers are now on the hook for a record $59.1 trillion in liabilities, a 2.3% increase from 2006. That amount is equal to $516,348 for every U.S. household. By comparison, U.S. households owe an average of $112,043 for mortgages, car loans, credit cards and all other debt combined.

[RonPaul4President]

How does Ron Paul feel about trade with China? This morning I grabbed my ceral bowl and noticed "Made in China" imprinted across the bottom of the bowl. Why is everything made in China?! I'm sick of buying something and getting home to see it was made in China. Why?! What is going on with China that they get to export so much crap to America? Is this the price we pay for creating the Federal Reserve? Are we borrowing money(OWNED!) from China to pay off the interest on our National debt to the... duh-duh-duh-duh... money lenders?

"The hand that gives is always above the hand that takes" -fill me in

[brighamr]

From his website, it appears Ron wants most foreign trade minimized. (More export than import) that's my 2c

[Gee]

Free trade.

[mrapathy]

dont know but beware of toothpaste and food from china.
headlines recently on poison toothpaste from china. as if poisoned pet food was not bad enough

[Brandybuck]

Free trade is good, even with countries that aren't entirely free on their side. Every reputable economist from Adam Smith onward has said this. The problem we face is that we don't have free trade today, only a whole bunch of managed trade with "free" in their titles. NAFTA, CAFTA and WTO agreements are not free trade.

Goods should be inspected coming in, naturally. But the government shouldn't be picking and choosing which categories of goods we can trade in, or who gets the lowest tariffs, or which domestic producers to subsidize. That's not government's job.

I'm surprised the campaign website doesn't emphasis free trade, because Ron Paul is most definitely in favor of it. Here is a page full of his articles on the topic: http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/topic.php?id=12

[mrapathy]

try his reworked 2008 page
seems to cover it some.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/american-independence-and-sovereignty/

[Brandybuck]

try his reworked 2008 page
seems to cover it some.
Yes, it does cover it. But it seemed to emphasis getting rid of managed trade more than it talked about the benefits of genuine free trade. I guess it depends which direction you look at it from. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

[RonPaul4President]

I'm afraid that America will become a culture of consumption alone. Face it, there is not a lot of R&D here and factory production isn't at an alltime high. If America continues to consume w/o producing, it will become a ghost town with mansions peering down upon it. The middle class is derived from production and small business. When you tax both of them to death and give no incentives for growth in this sector you starve everything below the upper class. Whatever happened to the phrase "Buy American"?

[Carl]

The phrase “Buy American” was beaten into submission by WalMart’s anti-free market, Command Economic Philosophy: We command that you produce what we want, in the quantities we want and sell it to us at the price we want to pay. Damn Communist wiped out the entire principle of Fair Market Value. It's fitting that the majority of their products come from a Communist Country.


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[RonPaul4President]

What is the alternative to Wal-Mart? All the other stores sell mostly chinese exports as well, ie; Target(probably even moreso), Sears, etc..

[Delivered4000]

I'm afraid that America will become a culture of consumption alone. Face it, there is not a lot of R&D here and factory production isn't at an alltime high. If America continues to consume w/o producing, it will become a ghost town with mansions peering down upon it. The middle class is derived from production and small business. When you tax both of them to death and give no incentives for growth in this sector you starve everything below the upper class. Whatever happened to the phrase "Buy American"?
Lower prices happened

[Delivered4000]

Even American companies are producing goods in China because they get to pay lower wages therefore minimizing cost and can charge lower prices, and people will naturally go for lower prices.

[Carl]

Even American companies are producing goods in China because they get to pay lower wages therefore minimizing cost and can charge lower prices, and people will naturally go for lower prices.

Do you have examples of where this has actually taken place?

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[Bradley in DC]

Dr Paul has always voted the free trade position with China. That said, he is the leader in the Congress to stop US taxpayer subsidies of China. He repeatedly introduced amendments to appropriations so that no new taxpayer money would go to the Export-Import Bank, Trade Development Agency, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. China is, by far, the largest recipient of this kind of foreign assistance subsidy.

(I know, this was one of "my" amendments when I was a legislative staffer in the office.;) )

[RonPaul4President]

(I know, this was one of "my" amendments when I was a legislative staffer in the office.;) )

Thank you for your honorable government service. It is a rare commodity these days.