justoffal
Diamond Member
- Jun 29, 2013
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The trade war with China has been ongoing for decades, and China is winning. While one could argue that we are also benefiting by saving money on cheaper Chinese goods, the question remains: what exactly are we winning?
It's important to remember that a local economy is vital to local interests. We care about clean air, clean water, and safe working conditions. That's why we have agencies like the EPA and OSHA, which oversee these concerns to prevent purple rivers, toxic fumes, or workers falling into industrial machinery and getting injured.
The key word here is compliance. Communist China lacks these agencies and continues to pollute its environment in ways that were common 50 years ago. Compliance is expensive. Manufacturers who must comply with regulations incur additional costs, which lead to higher prices and, in turn, fewer customers.
So, how do we address this? Frankly, we don’t. What we can do is educate people about the consequences of buying from places that don't comply with these standards, or we can eliminate compliance requirements altogether.
However, since neither of those options is likely to succeed, the third option is: Drum roll please....
A tariff.
It's important to remember that a local economy is vital to local interests. We care about clean air, clean water, and safe working conditions. That's why we have agencies like the EPA and OSHA, which oversee these concerns to prevent purple rivers, toxic fumes, or workers falling into industrial machinery and getting injured.
The key word here is compliance. Communist China lacks these agencies and continues to pollute its environment in ways that were common 50 years ago. Compliance is expensive. Manufacturers who must comply with regulations incur additional costs, which lead to higher prices and, in turn, fewer customers.
So, how do we address this? Frankly, we don’t. What we can do is educate people about the consequences of buying from places that don't comply with these standards, or we can eliminate compliance requirements altogether.
However, since neither of those options is likely to succeed, the third option is: Drum roll please....
A tariff.
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