pudge's Journal: Fixing Trade Imbalance

I think America's trade is imbalanced, to the detriment of the nation as a whole, and I believe the solutions are not forthcoming from the free market alone, that regulation is necessary, and that it is the federal government's responsibility to do something about it. I think our government has done much to harm our trade imbalance and little -- including under Bush -- to help it.

What do you all think of Warren Buffett's Import Certificate Plan? It sounds like a good idea to me.

I'm in complete agreement

[buffer-overflowed]

Our trade deficit is very worrying, especially considering the state of the dollar. If OPEC decides to change the oil-buying standard to Euros that'll be a huge hit and will greatly accelerate the devaluation of the dollar. So too would China changing it's fixed exchange rates, or Japan dumping dollars in exchange for euros.

Fixing the trade deficit is an inevitable outcome of a collapsing dollar. It'll sort itself. However, the means of sorting itself will NOT be pleasant. Heck, everything will sort i

Government's Responsibility

[Sloppy]

it is the federal government's responsibility to do something about it

Is it the government's responsibility to do something about everything that happens to have undesirable consequences? If not, then what's so special about trade? Whose rights are being violated?

Re:Government's Responsibility

[Jhon]

Is it the government's responsibility to do something about everything that happens to have undesirable consequences?

"Everything"? I'd disagree -- but SOME things? Certainly:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...

The biggest obsticles to keeping jobs -- particularly manufacture related jobs

Re:Government's Responsibility

[pudge]

The federal government is charged in the Constitution with regulating international trade. That doesn't mean they should perform any particular regulations or act to solve any particular problem, but I wanted to first note that if there is a problem requiring a legal or governmental solution, it makes it the federal government's responsibility.

As to the rest of the argument: I believe other nations are profitting at our collective expense, and that it is a given that our government should prevent that. I