Boom. You can't out tariff us. Period. This Trump knows.

[CaptUSA]

I mean we no longer have the capacity to make the things we need for ourselves and are therefore susceptible to blackmail.
It is the same situation the government creates in welfare communities, if you need them to supply your needs they get to dictate how you live.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the essence of the neocon central-planning argument.

[Swordsmyth]

Yeah, YOU just want to be the one directing where the wealth should go. You are much more benevolent than they!

Nope, I want to level the playing field and let the market take care of the details, I would shift the government to tariffs to support the vastly reduced spending I would implement and that would take care of any little bit of protection necessary for strategic industries.

Da fuq??? We have a myriad of regulations and barriers in place that prevent efficiency! Hell, we've both given Trump credit in other threads about reducing some of those. But now you want to increase barriers because the world is too efficient?! Are you a moron or just confused?

And all the manufacturing is being shifted to China where they don't have many regulations and we import their "efficient" production, we can retain much of the efficiency and regain stability by cutting regulations and defending ourselves in the trade war.

So, your plan to "correct" it is to use more government controls?! Are you even reading your posts??

No, my plan is to defend ourselves in the trade war they are waging against us and then negotiate reduced government interference while reducing government controls at home.

[Swordsmyth]

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the essence of the neocon central-planning argument.

The central planning neocons are the ones who want the power to dictate how we live by reducing us to dependence.

[CaptUSA]

The central planning neocons are the ones who want the power to dictate how we live by reducing us to dependence.

Yes. How dare they allow us to purchase cheaper goods! The scoundrels.

(By the way, neocons are not about free trade - they are VERY protectionist in nature. In fact, they like to escalate trade wars into real wars. I believe a wise man once said, "when goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." Maybe you want to consider which side you're supporting??)

[Swordsmyth]

Yes. How dare they allow us to purchase cheaper goods! The scoundrels.

They subsidize foreign production while suppressing ours to enrich themselves and gain power over us, that is behavior I would expect from scoundrels.

(By the way, neocons are not about free trade - they are VERY protectionist in nature. In fact, they like to escalate trade wars into real wars. I believe a wise man once said, "when goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." Maybe you want to consider which side you're supporting??)

Excuse me but you seem to be ignoring who has been creating all of the "free trade" deals that have resulted in unfree and unfair trade.

[Zippyjuan]

The US doesn't manufacture anything anymore. (adjusted for inflation)

[Swordsmyth]

The US doesn't manufacture anything anymore.

Manipulated numbers, even if they were real it ignores which things we make and which we don't, we have been losing important industries entirely.

[TheCount]

They subsidize foreign production

Not taxing is now subsidizing.

[Swordsmyth]

Not taxing is now subsidizing.

No, they actually subsidize foreign production.

[Zippyjuan]

No, they actually subsidize foreign production.

They pay foreign countries to produce goods?

[Swordsmyth]

They pay foreign countries to produce goods?

Yes, we subsidize many foreign countries in many ways, NATO for instance.

[TheCount]

No, they actually subsidize foreign production.

By not taxing it.

[timosman]

By not taxing it.

I guess you don't like competing with people who can live on 1/10 of what you are making?

[Swordsmyth]

By not taxing it.

[TheCount]

You're going to have to be a big boy and use your words if you want people to understand what you're trying to say.

[Swordsmyth]

You're going to have to be a big boy and use your words if you want people to understand what you're trying to say.

When you say something worthy of a verbal response you might get one.

[devil21]

Yeah, YOU just want to be the one directing where the wealth should go. You are much more benevolent than they!

The irony is that there is no wealth. There are those on both sides that extract the labor of the slaves and transmute it into real assets. That is the wealth you refer to. Everything else is illusion of wealth. Chinese people are no less brainwashed than American counterparts.

(eta: the true wealth is knowing that there is no wealth. ponder that $#@! for a moment. wealth is a fleeting projection of enhanced freedom during a very short lfespan.)

[Zippyjuan]

The irony is that there is no wealth. There are those on both sides that extract the labor of the slaves and transmute it into real assets. That is the wealth you refer to. Everything else is illusion of wealth. Chinese people are no less brainwashed than American counterparts.

(eta: the true wealth is knowing that there is no wealth. ponder that $#@! for a moment. wealth is a fleeting projection of enhanced freedom during a very short lfespan.)

What do you consider "wealth"?

[devil21]

What do you consider "wealth"?

Knowledge.

And then there's this:

[TheCount]

When you say something worthy of a verbal response you might get one.

You just won't answer because doing so would expose your actual political beliefs. Which is, apparently, that allowing Americans to purchase foreign products is a treasonous subsidy of foreign production.

[Swordsmyth]

You just won't answer because doing so would expose your actual political beliefs. Which is, apparently, that allowing Americans to purchase foreign products is a treasonous subsidy of foreign production.

I already did answer and you missed it.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

You just won't answer because doing so would expose your actual political beliefs.

You don't answer much of anything at all about your political beliefs. Care to share your presidential voting choices the past three elections? Who were your South Carolina voting choices for senate and governor?

[nbhadja]

Yes. How dare they allow us to purchase cheaper goods! The scoundrels.

(By the way, neocons are not about free trade - they are VERY protectionist in nature. In fact, they like to escalate trade wars into real wars. I believe a wise man once said, "when goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." Maybe you want to consider which side you're supporting??)

The neo-cons are globalists hell bent on destroying America. They are the opposite of protectionists. Most of them strongly oppose Trump's economic agenda on trades. Most of them want to continue the massive trade imbalance we have with the world and they support the "free trade" deals like NAFTA.

[Madison320]

I guess you don't like competing with people who can live on 1/10 of what you are making?

What if instead of doubling down on socialism we try capitalism? Maybe then we can compete.

[AuH20]

We need 'protectionism' until we can remedy the Federal Reserve. Funny money has distorted the entire economic landscape.

[CaptUSA]

We need 'protectionism' until we can remedy the Federal Reserve. Funny money has distorted the entire economic landscape.

Ah yes, the "we need MOAR government until we get less government" philosophy...

We need to end the drug war, but until then we need walls, violations of liberty, and bigger prisons.
We need to wind down our foreign entanglements, but until then we need more military spending.
We need fewer regulations, but until then we need tougher regulations on industries we don't like.

I'm wondering at which point we get enough government to actually reduce government?

[shakey1]

[Madison320]

We need 'protectionism' until we can remedy the Federal Reserve. Funny money has distorted the entire economic landscape.

The problem is that Trump is getting an "F" in that department. Remember that he nominated dovish Jerome Powell as chairman. Not to mention the fact that Trump is pushing for more spending and signed a huge spending increase.

[Ender]

Ah yes, the "we need MOAR government until we get less government" philosophy...

We need to end the drug war, but until then we need walls, violations of liberty, and bigger prisons.
We need to wind down our foreign entanglements, but until then we need more military spending.
We need fewer regulations, but until then we need tougher regulations on industries we don't like.

I'm wondering at which point we get enough government to actually reduce government?

Pretty much what I've been asking for years.

[EBounding]

The problem is that Trump is getting an "F" in that department. Remember that he nominated dovish Jerome Powell as chairman. Not to mention the fact that Trump is pushing for more spending and signed a huge spending increase.

Sounds like you need to #TrustThePlan.