3 ms·

If we turned into Argentina, it would be because of financial mismanagement and poisonous politics, not trade. Like rich people who don't want pay for a civiliz

If we turned into Argentina, it would be because of financial mismanagement and poisonous politics, not trade. Like rich people who don't want pay for a civilized society, impoverished masses, populism, breakdown of the social contract, violence and political thievery between the groups. I don't know how much you know about Argentina, but it takes generations of economic mismanagement, predatory politics, and violence to transition from a developed country to a developing country. If a mercantilist trade policy was the only thing keeping the USA wealthy we're not going to stay on top anyway. You don't stay rich by trying to keep the rest of the world poor. That is the attitude that gets you to Argentina politics though. It would be a shame if the richest country in the world were to say economic and civil liberties are great at home, but we're not going to lead by example and deal that way with the rest of the world. Cheap yuan policy is history and has been for a few years, people don't seem to have caught up to that yet.

RockyMcNuts 11y ago
I have to add... trade REALLY has nothing to to do with why your rent is expensive. The chronic shortage of affordable housing is because it doesn't pay to build it or offer it because policy makes it not pay by design (stringent rules on lot size, height limits, number of parking spaces, room size, construction codes, property taxes etc.) because most communities don't want it and want to push it onto the community next door. There's a tendency to try to outlaw poor people resulting in a war on poor people, making it impossible for them to live. The $15 minimum wage is another example of this 'war on poverty.' Some countries make an effort to be let hard-working poor people live with dignity if not much wealth. But here they pay 15.3% FICA on the first dollar they earn, and then people rant about the 47% who don't pay taxes and should have 'skin in the game.' And communities are designed with no transportation, housing options for the poor.

RockyMcNuts 11y ago

I have to add... trade REALLY has nothing to to do with why your rent is expensive. The chronic shortage of affordable housing is because it doesn't pay to build it or offer it because policy makes it not pay by design (stringent rules on lot size, height limits, number of parking spaces, room size, construction codes, property taxes etc.) because most communities don't want it and want to push it onto the community next door. There's a tendency to try to outlaw poor people resulting in a war on poor people, making it impossible for them to live. The $15 minimum wage is another example of this 'war on poverty.' Some countries make an effort to be let hard-working poor people live with dignity if not much wealth. But here they pay 15.3% FICA on the first dollar they earn, and then people rant about the 47% who don't pay taxes and should have 'skin in the game.' And communities are designed with no transportation, housing options for the poor.