MikeK
Traditionalist Catholic
I favor greater reliance on nuclear power. It really can't be called cheap anymore though.
I like the idea of making more machine tools in the US - but the problem with US-built machine tools was that they were simply not cost competetive. With tarrifs we can make American companies pay for American machines by artificially raising the cost of foreign-made machines, but that favors everyone else, not us. Sure, Hardinge will sell more Bridgeports at $16k a pop and that creates a (literal) handful of jobs - but now American machine shops are spending $16k to buy a machine that is no better than the foreign model they bought last year for $6500. Everybody else is paying $6500 for knee mills. Additionally, now the Asian world is mad because overnight their export machine tool business dries up. Is it your intent that American businesses will be able to sell to American buyers but not be competetive globally, especially since other countries will likely also employ protectionist tax policies more than they are today on goods imported from the US? I'm not saying that won;t work, I don;t know if it will, I'm just wondering if I'm understanding your plan.
Also, in the event that we decide to open steel mills, auto plants, etc, you'll need a few brainy guys. I have a hand in hiring metalurgists, engineers, metrologists, etc. At least half of our hires come from India. Americans, on average, aren't that bright and don't work very hard. They want to make a lot of money and work 40 hour weeks. Indians will gladly work long hours, produce more, and of a higher quality, all while demanding less money to do it. How do we turn that around in a generation or less?
I like the idea of making more machine tools in the US - but the problem with US-built machine tools was that they were simply not cost competetive. With tarrifs we can make American companies pay for American machines by artificially raising the cost of foreign-made machines, but that favors everyone else, not us. Sure, Hardinge will sell more Bridgeports at $16k a pop and that creates a (literal) handful of jobs - but now American machine shops are spending $16k to buy a machine that is no better than the foreign model they bought last year for $6500. Everybody else is paying $6500 for knee mills. Additionally, now the Asian world is mad because overnight their export machine tool business dries up. Is it your intent that American businesses will be able to sell to American buyers but not be competetive globally, especially since other countries will likely also employ protectionist tax policies more than they are today on goods imported from the US? I'm not saying that won;t work, I don;t know if it will, I'm just wondering if I'm understanding your plan.
Also, in the event that we decide to open steel mills, auto plants, etc, you'll need a few brainy guys. I have a hand in hiring metalurgists, engineers, metrologists, etc. At least half of our hires come from India. Americans, on average, aren't that bright and don't work very hard. They want to make a lot of money and work 40 hour weeks. Indians will gladly work long hours, produce more, and of a higher quality, all while demanding less money to do it. How do we turn that around in a generation or less?
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