This is how one of the two could get a commitment from me today (and a check)

[onehandle]

Pledge to remove "Most favoured nation*" status from China.

*(now called Normal Trade Relations because that makes it more palatable to do business with slave labor countries)

[shraby]

1. Probably a little hard to do when we

owe them so much money we'll never get it paid off.

[onehandle]

4. Stiff 'em. nt

[lapfog_1]

2. Unfortunately, it's really too late to do that...

most of the things we buy (especially the not well off) are made in China. Cutting off the supply will increase prices significantly, at a time when we can't afford any more shocks to the system. Not to mention that reviving American manufacturing would take years and a large amount of capital, capital the markets would be reluctant to provide since a political decision created the increased demand for the product. It could easily be that in 4 or 8 years another corporatist is installed and the political decision is reversed.

However, we could possibly start the process by doing some selective product targeting. I'd start with something that is a high value add product... and one not central to the China/U.S. trade relationship. Then, as that sector strengthens, we pick another... and we have to increase the price of something that China imports from us, to get to a more balanced trade situation.

Given that we also need to become energy independent and get off fossil fuels, I suggest we slap a tariff on solar cells, machined wind turbines, passive solar collectors, etc. And that we invest heavily in the rust belt areas for the production of these products. While at the same time, we export certain raw materials such as grain and steel at higher prices.

[redqueen]

3. So in other words... they couldn't.