3 ms·

The US largely doesn’t have the stomach for it because it would require labor protections and significant tariffs/trade restrictions on goods produced via dirt

The US largely doesn’t have the stomach for it because it would require labor protections and significant tariffs/trade restrictions on goods produced via dirt cheap labor overseas. As soon as anyone tries that, the country loses its mind about “trade wars”.

kasey_junk 5y ago
Well that and expensive goods...
- lumost 5y ago
  This is a more complicated question. If wages go up, then goods cost less relatively. If everything is made internally, then the price of goods can be substantially lower than it is when everything is imported. Compare the price level of Hawaii to the mainland USA. Food is expensive because it's imported, yet Hawaii has some of the most productive farmland in the world. Unfortunately that production goes to cash crops owned by global corporations, nearly eliminating all local food production.
  - gruez 5y ago
    >Unfortunately that production goes to cash crops owned by global corporations, nearly eliminating all local food production. "Unfortunately"? Clearly you haven't heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage
    - lumost 5y ago
      The operative question here is who is benefiting from comparative advantage? In this case quite literally no resident of Hawaii benefits from the current situation. Sugar cane and coffee do not create good jobs relative to other agriculture and the exports drive up land and food staple prices.
sthnblllII 5y ago
Donald Trump was elected by promising a trade war. The people freaking out about a "labor shortage" and a "trade war" are on wall street and in the media. Real people understand free trade was a bait and switch. NAFTA was never popular, Clinton was elected to veto it and signed it instead.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  > The people freaking out about a "labor shortage" and a "trade war" are on wall street and in the media. It's much uglier than that: 1) Wall Street is funding the CCP government and BRI with trillions in US capital, and resisted Trump/Pompeo to the level of treason 2) Wall Street wants illegal immigration to keep labor costs low, and the Dems believe illegals will vote for them (a study done by Obama's administration said 80% would.) So it's a conspiracy against US immigration law.

kasey_junk 5y ago

Well that and expensive goods...

lumost 5y ago
This is a more complicated question. If wages go up, then goods cost less relatively. If everything is made internally, then the price of goods can be substantially lower than it is when everything is imported. Compare the price level of Hawaii to the mainland USA. Food is expensive because it's imported, yet Hawaii has some of the most productive farmland in the world. Unfortunately that production goes to cash crops owned by global corporations, nearly eliminating all local food production.
- gruez 5y ago
  >Unfortunately that production goes to cash crops owned by global corporations, nearly eliminating all local food production. "Unfortunately"? Clearly you haven't heard of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage
  - lumost 5y ago
    The operative question here is who is benefiting from comparative advantage? In this case quite literally no resident of Hawaii benefits from the current situation. Sugar cane and coffee do not create good jobs relative to other agriculture and the exports drive up land and food staple prices.

sthnblllII 5y ago

Donald Trump was elected by promising a trade war. The people freaking out about a "labor shortage" and a "trade war" are on wall street and in the media. Real people understand free trade was a bait and switch. NAFTA was never popular, Clinton was elected to veto it and signed it instead.

redis_mlc 5y ago
> The people freaking out about a "labor shortage" and a "trade war" are on wall street and in the media. It's much uglier than that: 1) Wall Street is funding the CCP government and BRI with trillions in US capital, and resisted Trump/Pompeo to the level of treason 2) Wall Street wants illegal immigration to keep labor costs low, and the Dems believe illegals will vote for them (a study done by Obama's administration said 80% would.) So it's a conspiracy against US immigration law.