China Trade: Patents, Poisons, and Prescription Drugs
TH-At the MSNBC Florida presidential debate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney posed a very significant question. “As we compete with China, how do we make sure that trade is done in a way that levels the playing field? How do we … protect American industry and American jobs, and do not cause a departure of jobs from this country?”
Good question, but neither Romney nor anyone else answered it.
Answering a question about the bipartisan stimulus package to give cash to every American, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made an important point: “We’ll probably end up borrowing this $150 billion from the Chinese. And when we get those rebate checks, most people are going to go out and buy stuff that’s been imported from China. I have to wonder whose economy is going to be stimulated the most by the package.” Again, nobody responded, and we didn’t hear any plans on how to deal with the China problem.
How can we have fair trade with a country that is a major thief of our intellectual property? The Chinese don’t even believe in individual intellectual property rights, which they look upon as a Western concept.
Free Trade vs. Fair Trade
I’m sick and tired of finger pointing. As Ronald Reagan said (more or less) is this is the land of ideas. But the real thieves are the corporate jackasses and the politicians right here. They sell us down the river for pennies on the dollar. As long as the pennies go to them.
The real problem is our whole nation is built on debt at all levels, even the consumer. It is based on wealth redistribution and hidden taxes and compliance costs in products that cause consumers to prefer imports over.
It is caused by a nation that can’t save, can’t budget, and can’t control spending even at the personal level.
The consumer is not going to buy American as long as he can’t make his paycheck stretch by buying U.S. goods.