No Tariffs?

[Dewjunkie]

I just found this article, which I had not heard about:

http://www.commerce.gov/opa/press/2002_Nov26_Evans_USTR.htm

So, is this a real possibility?  Will the WTO accept it?  And if they do, do you think it will be the economic boost it promises to be?  I personally feel it could be a good step in easing some global economic pains, but is just a proposal.  A lot of proposals look promising on paper.   

 

[abbershay]

That would be a really bad thing for the usa, thats where   they get all the money to run the government. I think that the tarriffs should be higher...    It would hurt everyone eccept the super rich  globalists...

 

[fin]

"That would be a really bad thing for the usa, thats where they get all the money to run the government."

Not really. The federal government gets most of its money from income taxes.

 

[seebs]

It's a good thing for people who produce products at competitive costs, and it's a bad thing for people whose businesses are inefficient, who are depending on tariffs to protect them.

The "super-rich" globalists who profit most when we lower trade barriers are generally the people who are only sometimes able to feed their families. They're the ones who can get a job in the absence of tarriffs, and can't now.

People have this weird idea that the workers are somehow worse off for having a job than they would be not having it. I think the problem is that, if you live in a rich country, it sounds like these people are horribly put upon; we don't mostly seem to understand just how low food prices are in poor countries - or how few of the people have ANY source of income.

You want to see a country fighting globalization? Look at Zimbabwe. They have >100% inflation, no production, and are only even nominally solvent because they are confiscating money left and right. But hey, at least they're starving for themselves.