Protectionism

[Ted Striker]

Well, I don't know enough about all this to make an educated opinion, but the same argument can be said of the auto industry.

While their product has improved, it seems the companies have been limping along for the past 20 years, and have never fully responded to foreign competition.

The Japanese own us.We can compete with the Germans but that's only because their cars are so damn expensive and just as unreliable as our own.

So I don't know if gutting the aerospace industry is the smartest thing, but then again I don't have a deep understanding of all the factors and competition involved. It seems to me that the Euro governments are just as involved, if not moreso, in Airbus as the US government is, through protectionism, favoritism by Congressional military spending, etc.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by DanS
The cure is always worse than the disease. The fact is that there is a net benefit to free trade, no matter that your trading partners are protectionists or wasting their own money on subsidies.

Except that every wealthy country in the world -- every single one -- built its wealth through agressive, unrelenting protectionism.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


Except that every wealthy country in the world -- every single one -- built its wealth through agressive, unrelenting protectionism.

*cough* Bull****. *cough*

[DanS]

The aerospace industry in the US is far from being gutted. That's just hyperbole.

[RGBVideo]

Originally posted by DanS
The exception proves the rule.

[Ted Striker]

Boeing is getting it's ass handed to it by Airbus though.

In commercial aerospace, there really is nobody else in the States besides Boeing.

The recent multibillion dollar deal between Boeing and the Air Force to build transports is now also under investigation as well.

[DanS]

VJ: Don't expect me to focus unduly on an industry that, while large, represents a relatively small portion of overall Canada-US trade. We have free trade with Canada, by and large.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by notyoueither


*cough* Bull****. *cough*

Really? what's your counterexample?

[DanS]

Boeing is getting it's ass handed to it by Airbus though.

That's not true. Boeing is getting about half the business globally. Besides, Boeing's strategy for pricing (premium) made it inevitable that an aggressive competitor could pick up lots of business.

[RGBVideo]

VJ: Don't expect me to focus unduly on an industry that, while large, represents a relatively small portion of overall Canada-US trade. We have free trade with Canada, by and large.

You asked for examples. You were given an example. You can't counter it with anything. That's pretty much the definition of pwned, Dan.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


Really? what's your counterexample?

I'm gonna pick blindly here, and say Canada.

We built our country on trade. The freer the better. We have **** to sell, wanna buy it? We won't mind buying your **** back either.

[DanS]

You asked for examples.

No, I didn't.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by notyoueither
I'm gonna pick blindly here, and say Canada.

We built our country on trade. The freer the better. We have **** to sell, wanna buy it? We won't mind buying your **** back either.

Right. Canada's made it to the G7 without any legislation protecting its lumber, mining, or fishing industries; Canada spent most of it's history as one big open market.

John Macdonald? National Policy? Ring any bells?

[notyoueither]

We were always part of some trading bloc or other. We even tried it with you (Reciprosity) while we were still colonies.

Did we protect our industry from Yanks who did the same to us? No ****, Sherlock. All the while we traded our hearts out within the Empire.

Then, one day, Britain said she had to go with the EC. That would mean dislocation of trade with our traditional partners. We said, mommy?

However, even before that we had come to terms with you Yanks on some common policies. We had an auto pact. That made your manufacturers free to sell into Canada. Not our fault we were better at building cars and instead sold more into the US than the reverse.

We have always been for trade. We live on trade. And we are part of the G7 (as you observed) so I would say we have been successful.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by notyoueither
We were always part of some trading bloc or other. We even tried it with you (Reciprosity) while we were still colonies.

Did we protect our industry from Yanks who did the same to us? No ****, Sherlock. All the while we traded our hearts out within the Empire.

Then, one day, Britain said she had to go with the EC. That would mean dislocation of trade with our traditional partners. We said, mommy?

However, even before that we had come to terms with you Yanks on some common policies. We had an auto pact. That made your manufacturers free to sell into Canada. Not our fault we were better at building cars and instead sold more into the US than the reverse.

We have always been for trade. We live on trade. And we are part of the G7 (as you observed) so I would say we have been successful.

Of course you traded. Who the f*ck doesn't trade? That's not the point. Trade is not the same thing as free trade.

The simple fact is that Canada, like the UK, US, and every other first-world country, built its lasting wealth during industrialization. And Canada, like every other first world country, industrialized behind a wall of very high tariffs. Free trade enhances the wealth of rich countries. But I stand by my original statement: every single wealthy contry in the world originally built its wealth through protectionism.