by tootired2care 19 Replies latest social current
Maybe we could charge china a fee....wipeout our debt with them.
Sounds reasonable to me, perhaps Europe too since the U.S. has so many bases there to provide stability. It was very interesting to me that Europe was not able to internally resolve the Bosnian/Serbian conflict. It only stopped after the U.S. stepped in. It's time to give some credit where credit is due.
china has also heavily invested in third world countries and that's brought back enormous benefit to them.
interesting article in the economist
i remember reading about how the chinese have built cheap-ish railroads, and i believe in nigeria they've even gone so far as to build a cell network so that they can peddle their cellphones on the super cheap out there.
all of that makes me rather leery and the tone in the economist article (i haven't read the whole thing yet) sounds like some of the africans are starting to feel a bit leery about that too.
I'm not a fan of Mitt, but it looks like Mitt's policies have angered the totalitarian Chinese government, so at least he's doing something right.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/28/chinese_media_slams_romney_as_convention_begins
All hail America for making the world safe for capitalism!
The Chinese certainly are playing a clever game. I can't see how this will end except in war on a scale we have never seen before.
The reason China is using so much oil? The western corporations are having cheap goods manufactured in China. "We" are not allowing China's demand, "we" are creating and fostering it. China is not 'getting away' with anything - it is doing business as usual with the companies from which we purchase goods.
talesin ...
You are absolutely right. China is only producing goods that are demanded by countries such as the USA. You can't blame China when we create the demand and China satisfies that demand.
Look at the crowds in WalMart. The toaster, blender, fryer, tools and other items made in China are 25%-50% less than similar items manufactured here in the USA (if they even still make those things here anymore). Your iPhone is made in China. Even the major American and Japanese manufacturers put there names on products but when you look closely is often says "Made in China."
I can't blame the Chinese on this issue.
Rub a Dub
So Yes the U.S. and U.K. have brought a good measure of stability to that region that is still largly living 1000 years behind the times in their religious thinking.
Obvious guy feels the need to point out that Islam is a 'younger' religion than both Xianity and Judaism, so in fact their religious thinking is more "modern" than that of most Americans of Jewish or Xian faiths.... Just sayin'....
Rub a Dub said:
China is only producing goods that are demanded by countries such as the USA. You can't blame China when we create the demand and China satisfies that demand.
I saw an interesting claim on Gizmodo the other day in an article about Chinese-made crap novelty goods:
It's worth noting that, despite what fearmongering stories about China's ascent may have you believing, the majority of the stuff Americans buy is made in the United States. Conversely, goods labeled "Made in China" account for less than 3 percent of U.S. consumer spending. Yes, the Chinese may be slowly developing a monopoly on the manufacture of crass gag keychains, but keychains that say "Queen Bitch" in sparkly letters do not empires make.
The numbers reflect that truth: "Note that China is not only poorer than the USA, it's poorer than Ecuador," wrote Matt Yglesias in 2010. "It's about half as rich as Uruguay or Belarus. Trinidad has about triple the per capita GDP of China." China is also seeing a significant slowdown in its manufacturing boom, due in part to the fact that Americans have less money to spend on all this stuff.
I'd even go so far as to say that countries where people BUY keychains that say "Queen Bitch" in sparkly letters does not support the suggestion that the country is an Empire (whatever Empire means)....
And anyone who thinks everything is made in China probably quit shopping at WalMart, lol, since that's a LARGE outlet for Chinese manufacturers! That's exactly what they're saying (without even saying it)....
but what the US should do for starters is demand cheaper oil prices from OPEC than China is paying,
TooTired2Care ...
I agree that China, or anyone else for that matter, should either secure their own tankers or pay for the security.
However, I don't see on what basis we can demand cheaper oil prices from OPEC. It's their oil, not ours. Should OPEC demand that we drive cars that get 50 mpg like they do in other countries? Should OPEC demand that we sell wheat or corn to them at below market prices if they waste 20% to 40% of it?
If you are a capitalist, then you let the market dictate the price and adjust your own use accordingly.
Rub a Dub
The Chinese certainly are playing a clever game. I can't see how this will end except in war on a scale we have never seen before.
I agree 100%, the powers that be need to take every tactical advantage over China that they can, while they can, including negotiating better oil prices to strenghthen our economy.
However, I don't see on what basis we can demand cheaper oil prices from OPEC. It's their oil, not ours. Should OPEC demand that we drive cars that get 50 mpg like they do in other countries? Should OPEC demand that we sell wheat or corn to them at below market prices if they waste 20% to 40% of it?
If you are a capitalist, then you let the market dictate the price and adjust your own use accordingly.
Absolutely there is always a free market solution! Perhaps the U.S. can send them a retroactive bill for services rendered, or threaten withdraw of all naval security in that region.
TT2C said:
I agree 100%, the powers that be need to take every tactical advantage over China that they can, while they can, including negotiating better oil prices to strenghthen our economy.
Are you actually suggesting the US military getting involved in oil company negotiations with OPEC?
However, I don't see on what basis we can demand cheaper oil prices from OPEC. It's their oil, not ours. Should OPEC demand that we drive cars that get 50 mpg like they do in other countries? Should OPEC demand that we sell wheat or corn to them at below market prices if they waste 20% to 40% of it?
If you are a capitalist, then you let the market dictate the price and adjust your own use accordingly.
Absolutely there is always a free market solution! Perhaps the U.S. can send them a retroactive bill for services rendered, or threaten withdraw of all naval security in that region.
And then a huge cheer goes up throughout the Middle East, Russia, China, Europe, etc.
Why would we threaten something that would harm our OWN interests?
I'm taking it that you've never served in the military, much less the US Navy, or have studied the issue, as you clearly have no idea why we maintain a constant prudent force posture via the 5th-Fleet carrier presence in the Persian Gulf.
Are you actually suggesting the US military getting involved in oil company negotiations with OPEC?
Not at all, to be more precise the state department is the one that should handle this.
Threaten withdraw of all naval security in that region.
Yes you're right that would be heavy handed and foolish, I retract that remark. I never claimed to be an expert on this, it's just a topic that I find interesting. It just seems that there needs to be some compensation solution for all the money we the taxpayers are pouring into that sh1thole, for the rest of the world to have the privilege of getting oil from there given others are now taking more oil from there than us.
