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Man, sounds like we DEFINITELY need to protect that market then doesn't it? It's like having a professional army, you don't have enough soldiers to fight a worl

Man, sounds like we DEFINITELY need to protect that market then doesn't it? It's like having a professional army, you don't have enough soldiers to fight a world war, but you have enough knowledge base to train people up SHOULD a world war happen. Would you argue we should either disband the Army or institute a draft to increase it's size because it can't fight a world war and other nations have a larger army? What a non-serious argument is being made here all in the name of $$$. You understand that a nation exists to fulfill a certain social contract, right? You can't keep just chipping away that contract in the name of 'paying foreign country level wages' and expect a functioning country. That 'social' element WILL turn against this behavior at some point.

jjk166 4y ago
It sounds like the current system utterly failed to protect the market. The Jones act encourages US shipping to be done over land, meaning there are fewer orders for ships and less (at this point zero) work for US shipyards. Mandating that US ships be US made only works if there are still US ships. We should instead be reinstating the subsidies that used to be in place to keep American shipbuilders competitive with other countries who subsidize their shipbuilding industries for exactly the same strategic considerations. Keeping in place the same policies that destroyed American shipbuilding is very bad for our future as a naval power.
- ROTMetro 4y ago
  So why not just push for subsidies since that is the entirety of the argument you just made? Does China have it's own version of the Jones Act? Since China is the 'model of success' as the largest ship builder, do they allow foreign ships and foreign crews?
  - jjk166 4y ago
    I very clearly also argued that the Jones act's repeal also helps. Why would you invest in something while at the same time actively harming it? America's shipbuilding industry is a husk of its former self and every effort must be made to revitalize it. Subsidies alone would be a half measure. China does not have its own version of the Jones act, it's a uniquely American problem. Most countries aren't stupid enough to kill their internal industry.

jjk166 4y ago

It sounds like the current system utterly failed to protect the market. The Jones act encourages US shipping to be done over land, meaning there are fewer orders for ships and less (at this point zero) work for US shipyards. Mandating that US ships be US made only works if there are still US ships. We should instead be reinstating the subsidies that used to be in place to keep American shipbuilders competitive with other countries who subsidize their shipbuilding industries for exactly the same strategic considerations. Keeping in place the same policies that destroyed American shipbuilding is very bad for our future as a naval power.

ROTMetro 4y ago
So why not just push for subsidies since that is the entirety of the argument you just made? Does China have it's own version of the Jones Act? Since China is the 'model of success' as the largest ship builder, do they allow foreign ships and foreign crews?
- jjk166 4y ago
  I very clearly also argued that the Jones act's repeal also helps. Why would you invest in something while at the same time actively harming it? America's shipbuilding industry is a husk of its former self and every effort must be made to revitalize it. Subsidies alone would be a half measure. China does not have its own version of the Jones act, it's a uniquely American problem. Most countries aren't stupid enough to kill their internal industry.