The problem right in front of your nose
Posted by SCapozzola on March 20th, 2008
It isn’t enough that the Chinese government manipulates its currency and dumps its products in the U.S.
It isn’t enough that China sends us unsafe and toxic food, consumer products, and medicine.
And it isn’t enough that China’s air pollution, which may disrupt the 2008 Olympics, already accounts for 25% of California’s smog.
No, China has now decided that it can trample on the rights of its citizens—in this case Tibetans—to speak freely and preserve their culture.
ManufactureThis has a simple question: How does U.S. trade policy—and Washington’s inaction on these matters—contribute to all of this?
The answer is simple. China can fund its oppression from the spoils of a $256 billion annual trade surplus with the United States. That $256 billion happens to account for more than one-third of the entire annual U.S. trade deficit—and is by far the largest bilateral deficit in history.
That’s a big gravy train to ride and Beijing has little incentive to cease-and-desist from its illegal currency manipulation and other deliberate market distortions. So what if these practices contribute to millions of lost jobs in the U.S.?
Children are taught to look both ways when crossing the street. And much of common sense stems from keeping one’s eyes open—looking both ways. But ManufactureThis is still waiting for the current crop of presidential candidates to put all of this together—to say, “Wait a minute, something’s wrong here…”
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