----- Original Message ----- From: "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Brin-L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 12:02 PM Subject: Re: Only in Washington.......
> At 11:15 PM 1/4/02 -0600 Dan Minette wrote: > >> At 08:36 PM 1/4/02 -0800 Doug wrote: > >> >I've got a one point plan that would help insure economic recovery. > >> > >> Stop all corporate/agricultural subsidies? > > > >Direct only, or indirect also? > > Yes. > Then I'd be opposed to it. Indeed, from its founding the US invested in general infrastructure. Spending money on science and roads would then stop. Everything would be privatized...leading to monopolies. You don't really think that two streets would go to every house. :-) > >> Drop all trade barriers? > >> > > > >Unilaterally? > > Why not? > Well, because it would put our balance of trade even more out of wack. I realize that we can afford the present imbalance, but it seems that unilarerally dropping trade barriers would invite high trade barriers against our goods, because the countries that did this would end up gaining. I think that this is what you may be questioning. It seems to me that this would reduce investment in the United States, because there would be virtually nothing we could sell overseas. Thus, it would eventually reduce employment. I'd argue that we would fade as did Spain. I'm for free trade, but it needs to follow the ideas of a Beautiful Mind. :-) Dan M.
