Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jun 1 2018 05:00pm)

I'd add a fourth point: a high price pressure on domestic firms is spurring technological progress and an increased efficiency.

if american car manufacturers can get super-cheap chinese steel because the chinese pay fuckall wages and have no restraint in polluting their environment, then there is little incentive to invest into D&R on how to make american steel production more efficient.

pre-euro germany is an example of this phenomenom: since the DM was constantly appreciating against almost any other currency in the world, germany was under constant price pressure and had to constantly innovate to stay competitive. switzerland is another example for this effect.
nowadays, the euro, which is undervalued for germany's economy, is spurring our exports on its own and our companies and politics have become complacent, which will bite them/us germans in the ass in the next 10-20 years.
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about your second point: automation is a topic of its own. yes, we will run into huge problems eventually without some sort of machine tax. reshipping jobs from overseas back to the domestic market is often used as an opportunity for a wave of automation and thus job loss, yes. but this effect is not an issue originating from/caused by tariffs - it's our indifference towards outsourcing and our inaction on automation coming back to bite us in the ass.

Quote (thesnipa @ 2 Jun 2018 01:07)

i'm a bit confused. you are saying, i believe, that increased prices have a good effect of spurring efficiency R&D. I agree. Then you say that it's bad that we didn't take automation more seriously. These are contradictory. this increased efficiency is gained by automation. this is literally increasing the problem, or even in the most optimistic view not helping the problem.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jun 1 2018 05:14pm)

producing more stuff cheaper via automation is a good thing to start with. it does become problematic, however, when it leads to mass unemployment and to the rich reaping all the benefits of this increased efficiency.

so what I'm saying is that we should be glad about more jobs being done by machines, but that we also should find some sensible taxation scheme for machine labor.

Quote (Ghot @ 2 Jun 2018 03:16)

U.S. isolated at G7 meeting as tariffs prompt retaliation

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade/us-isolated-at-g7-meeting-as-tariffs-prompt-retaliation-idUSKCN1IX478

Officials at the G7 meeting said the tariffs made it more difficult for the group to work together to confront China’s trade practices, especially when Beijing, like most G7 members, supports the current World Trade Organization-based trade rules and the United States is seeking go around them. [/URL]


IMO, the fact that China supports the current World Trade Organization-based trade rules, should be a huge, flashing, red light warning to the "Group of Seven" (G7).

Quote (Ghot @ Jun 1 2018 08:16pm)

U.S. isolated at G7 meeting as tariffs prompt retaliation

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade/us-isolated-at-g7-meeting-as-tariffs-prompt-retaliation-idUSKCN1IX478

Officials at the G7 meeting said the tariffs made it more difficult for the group to work together to confront China’s trade practices, especially when Beijing, like most G7 members, supports the current World Trade Organization-based trade rules and the United States is seeking go around them. [/URL]


IMO, the fact that China supports the current World Trade Organization-based trade rules, should be a huge, flashing, red light warning to the "Group of Seven" (G7).

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jun 1 2018 09:28pm)

lol, china is still far more protectionist than trump would even dare dream of.

the country that is using tons of subsidies to flood the world with their artificially cheap products, the country that still forces a majority equity for them whenever a foreigner wants to invest over there, is trying to play the champion of free trade and of the WTO rules.
ridiculous, but the liberal press will of course buy into it to score another point on trump.

Quote (Ghot @ 2 Jun 2018 04:10)

Tariffs MIGHT not be the optimum solution, but we all need to get it in gear. Look at how fast the country with the world's largest population, is moving in the global economy.



http://i.imgur.com/0KqnPWn.mp4



/e Full size... http://i.imgur.com/0KqnPWn.gifv