Hi Billy, On Sep 22, 2011, at 3:21 PM, [email protected] wrote: > Excellent article. On the money. I agree completely. > > The subtext is technology transfer, about which I have many unkind words to > say. > This has been a bipartisan sellout of America from the time of Bush Sr and > Clinton > to the present. All in the name of laissez faire --as if the ONLY value that > matters > is the bottom line, not national security, protection of America's economic > base, > the morality of doing business with dictatorial regimes, or anything else.
The problem, IMHO, is that is the debate has been framed as a choice between laissez faire and (effectively) mercantilism. I think a Radical Centrist argument would start by accepting that comparative advantage *is* a valid basis for investing decisions, but point out that these things can be nurtured (or squandered) based on both individual and collective action. Thus, the way to protect jobs is not to make imports more expensive and subsidize money-losing industries, but invest in making American workers and companies truly competitive and self-sustatining in the long run. Which, yes, means we need to pick winners and losers, but pick them rationally and transparently, not emotionally or politically. Which ain't easy... -- Ernie P. > > Fortunately the BHO admin sometimes does the right thing. > > In this case, while it is small by comparison with all of the problems now > under way, > the precedent is very important. Other fields need to be revived, like > consumer > electronics outside of computers If I had the money I'd buy Zenith back from > the Koreans, for instance, and sell all kinds of gee-whiz TVs and stereo > systems > and you name it. Actually there are a few relatively small scale consumer > electronics businesses here, like Emerson, but its time to reconstruct > the industry, which never should have been lost in the first place. > > > Billy > -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
