Seattle Reverses Ban on “Buy American”

[jamesrage]

Only globalist scum would think a buy American ad is too political.


UPDATE: Seattle Reverses Ban on “Buy American” | FOX News & Commentary: Todd Starnes

On Thursday evening Seattle’s Metro Transit reversed its ban and decided to allow the “Buy American” ads to be posted on city buses. “Upon further evaluation, the text of the ad does not express an opinion about a public issue,” said General Manager Kevin Desmond in a statement released to the Seattle Fox television affiliate. Following is our original story:
Seattle’s public transit system is under fire for rejecting an advertising campaign urging people to buy American and shop locally because it was too political.



“It was a shock to us,” said Richard Tso, executive director of TAP America, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization.

The rejected ads read: “December is Buy American Month, Shop Locally, Join Seattle’s TAPamerica.org.”
Tso said his organization was prepared to pay as much as $9,000 for the ads to be posted on 45 Metro buses running through major shopping districts in downtown Seattle and Bellevue, WA.
“The ads were rejected by King County as being too political,” Tso told Fox News & Commentary, wondering if the county was simply being politically correct.
“Buy American should never be a bad word,” he said. “Those are words we should have pride in as citizens of the United States.”

 

[danarhea]

Only globalist scum would think a buy American ad is too political.


UPDATE: Seattle Reverses Ban on “Buy American” | FOX News & Commentary: Todd Starnes

On Thursday evening Seattle’s Metro Transit reversed its ban and decided to allow the “Buy American” ads to be posted on city buses. “Upon further evaluation, the text of the ad does not express an opinion about a public issue,” said General Manager Kevin Desmond in a statement released to the Seattle Fox television affiliate. Following is our original story:
Seattle’s public transit system is under fire for rejecting an advertising campaign urging people to buy American and shop locally because it was too political.



“It was a shock to us,” said Richard Tso, executive director of TAP America, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization.

The rejected ads read: “December is Buy American Month, Shop Locally, Join Seattle’s TAPamerica.org.”
Tso said his organization was prepared to pay as much as $9,000 for the ads to be posted on 45 Metro buses running through major shopping districts in downtown Seattle and Bellevue, WA.
“The ads were rejected by King County as being too political,” Tso told Fox News & Commentary, wondering if the county was simply being politically correct.
“Buy American should never be a bad word,” he said. “Those are words we should have pride in as citizens of the United States.”

Since demand is what produces jobs, we Americans hold our future in the palms of our hands. Want to end the recession? Obama can't do it, and neither can any Republican candidate for office. It is up to us. Simply buying American made products will not only end the recession, but strengthen America's economic future. If we cannot give a little back to America by buying it's products instead of Chinese ones, then we deserve everything that happens to us.

Step one - Boycott Wal-Mart and buy local. Yes, you will pay a tiny bit more, but you will have something that won't crap out on you within a few weeks, and you will be creating jobs too. That's right - WE ARE THE JOB CREATORS, so let's get to work and create some jobs.

 

[jamesrage]

Since demand is what produces jobs, we Americans hold our future in the palms of our hands. Want to end the recession? Obama can't do it, and neither can any Republican candidate for office. It is up to us. Simply buying American made products will not only end the recession, but strengthen America's economic future. If we cannot give a little back to America by buying it's products instead of Chinese ones, then we deserve everything that happens to us.

Step one - Boycott Wal-Mart and buy local. Yes, you will pay a tiny bit more, but you will have something that won't crap out on you within a few weeks, and you will be creating jobs too. That's right - WE ARE THE JOB CREATORS, so let's get to work and create some jobs.

I disagree with that.If they increased tariffs on imported goods to make them competitive with American made goods people will start buying more American goods. Only a fool thinks American companies can compete with foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour and require them to work 80 hours a week.

 

[1Perry]

I have a feeling if the ads had simply said "Shop locally" that the board would have had no problem with it.

 

[Hatuey]

I disagree with that.If they increased tariffs on imported goods to make them competitive with American made goods people will start buying more American goods. Only a fool thinks American companies can compete with foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour and require them to work 80 hours a week.

Since demand is what produces jobs, we Americans hold our future in the palms of our hands. Want to end the recession? Obama can't do it, and neither can any Republican candidate for office. It is up to us. Simply buying American made products will not only end the recession, but strengthen America's economic future. If we cannot give a little back to America by buying it's products instead of Chinese ones, then we deserve everything that happens to us.

Step one - Boycott Wal-Mart and buy local. Yes, you will pay a tiny bit more, but you will have something that won't crap out on you within a few weeks, and you will be creating jobs too. That's right - WE ARE THE JOB CREATORS, so let's get to work and create some jobs.

Not to rain on your parade boys but since when is protectionism a "conservative" value? Whatever happened to free trade, supply and demand, and the invisible hand?

 

[jamesrage]

Not to rain on your parade boys but since when is protectionism a "conservative" value?

It is patriotic to support American businesses by buying American.A lot of conservatives are patriotic. Contrary to what a lot of globalist scum republicans believe there is more to patriotism than just waving a flag and saying I support the troops.

Whatever happened to free trade, supply and demand, and the invisible hand?

I don't claim to support free trade. Imported goods should have tariffs high enough to allow American companies the ability to compete fairly.Companies should not be given any advantage because they choose to export to their labor to foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour to for for 80 hours a week.

 

[Grant]

It is patriotic to support American businesses by buying American.A lot of conservatives are patriotic. Contrary to what a lot of globalist scum republicans believe there is more to patriotism than just waving a flag and saying I support the troops.

So Democrats believe that high tariffs, which of course will lead to higher prices for consumers and a possible trade war, is the way to go? That is an idea tried many times before and never with any real success.

I don't claim to support free trade. Imported goods should have tariffs high enough to allow American companies the ability to compete fairly.Companies should not be given any advantage because they choose to export to their labor to foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour to for for 80 hours a week.

Other countries have long been paying their workers 33 cents an hour, or whatever, and the US was the world´s major economy. Do you sincerely believe that is the reason for the economic woes in the present when it has never been a problem in the past?

Perhaps you should consider other possible reasons for the decline.

 

[Grim17]

If they increased tariffs on imported goods to make them competitive with American made goods people will start buying more American goods.

The only problem with that is, the countries we increase the terrifs on, will retaliate by increasing the terrifs on American goods they import. That in turn will hurt American companies that export goods over seas.

 

[ChuckBerry]

My guess is that some overly sensitive middle manager at the transit authority rejected the ad. No massive conspiracy by socialist government to quash free expression of righteous right wing indignation.

 

[Ontologuy]

It can be excitingly hopeful to imagine all Americans buying only American products and returning control of America to Americans, thus re-employing everyone.

But I've lived long enough to know that doing so is impossible to actualize, way more difficult than herding cats.

To many products, even those finished in America, are composed of out-sourced-made parts.

And people are over-stressed, out of time, and low on cash, too strapped of necessary resources to add a significantly life-changing and very, very challenging boycott to their overly-taxed lives.

No, as easy as "just boycott 'em" sounds, it's far, far beyond our nation's ability to effect.

There remains one and only one way, in my opinion, to effect the changes we need to make to return jobs to Americans and restore our self-sufficiency: the creation of a new political party that will take direction action on the matter to acheive the desired results.

That way the people need only do one or two easily doable acts: 1) spread the news via e-mail to everyone they know about the new political party, and 2) vote for its candidates.

I believe that a new political party, finally representing the great majority, who are neither left or right wingers, is our only realistic hope.

 

[Baralis]

I disagree with that.If they increased tariffs on imported goods to make them competitive with American made goods people will start buying more American goods. Only a fool thinks American companies can compete with foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour and require them to work 80 hours a week.

This is exactly how I feel about it. It angers me that the US continues to make trade agreements with countries that we cannot compete with. When we make a trade agreement with a country where their average citizen only makes $4K US equivalent annually, how many goods are we going to sell in relation to how many they will sell here?

 

[Ikari]

This is exactly how I feel about it. It angers me that the US continues to make trade agreements with countries that we cannot compete with. When we make a trade agreement with a country where their average citizen only makes $4K US equivalent annually, how many goods are we going to sell in relation to how many they will sell here?

Yes, but those trade agreements are great for those who own large companies and corporations. Sure, the individual American it isn't good for us. Main street gets punished for these sorts of free trade agreements; it's Wallstreet that profits. and it is Wallstreet to whom our government is beholden.

 

[Zyphlin]

Yep, no one on mainstreet has ever reaped any benefit what so ever due to the various trade agreements that have been in place which have lead to an influx of extremely cheap items for sale....

...also, I have apparently imagined the legions of people entering into Walmarts on a daily basis scooping up clothes, house hold items, toys, food, and other things for low prices which allows them to buy more of what they need. Either that or they're all actually CEO's, just proving that even CEO's can have really, really bad butt cracks.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Yep, no one on mainstreet has ever reaped any benefit what so ever due to the various trade agreements that have been in place which have lead to an influx of extremely cheap items for sale....

...also, I have apparently imagined the legions of people entering into Walmarts on a daily basis scooping up clothes, house hold items, toys, food, and other things for low prices which allows them to buy more of what they need. Either that or they're all actually CEO's, just proving that even CEO's can have really, really bad butt cracks.

CEO of BP. :2razz:

 

[Baralis]

Yep, no one on mainstreet has ever reaped any benefit what so ever due to the various trade agreements that have been in place which have lead to an influx of extremely cheap items for sale....

...also, I have apparently imagined the legions of people entering into Walmarts on a daily basis scooping up clothes, house hold items, toys, food, and other things for low prices which allows them to buy more of what they need. Either that or they're all actually CEO's, just proving that even CEO's can have really, really bad butt cracks.

This causes a short term (in greater scheme of things) increase in "wealth" for your average citizen but can have devastating long term affects. Once our own manufacturing sector loses its ability to compete and a large number business goes over seas (we are in the middle of now) we will lose jobs, income, and our wealth moves overseas. What we have now other countries will have tomorrow and Americas hay day will be over. This is one of the flaws of man, we largely look at today and ourselves and strive to gain what we can now at the expense of future generations.

 

[Zyphlin]

This causes a short term (in greater scheme of things) increase in "wealth" for your average citizen but can have devastating long term affects. Once our own manufacturing sector loses its ability to compete and a large number business goes over seas (we are in the middle of now) we will lose jobs, income, and our wealth moves overseas. What we have now other countries will have tomorrow and Americas hay day will be over. This is one of the flaws of man, we largely look at today and ourselves and strive to gain what we can now at the expense of future generations.

By and large I agree, but to suggest mainstream "doesn't profit" from it is absurd and just incorrect. You could suggest mainstreet won't profit in the long run, or that ultimately it will hurt the mainstreet of tomorrow even if it helps the mainstreet of today. But at this point, mainstreet absolutely is profitting at least to some degree off of these type of agreements and this atmosphere, with some of them potentially being long gone before the significant negatives that outweigh those benefits to them begin to become reality.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

This causes a short term (in greater scheme of things) increase in "wealth" for your average citizen but can have devastating long term affects. Once our own manufacturing sector loses its ability to compete and a large number business goes over seas (we are in the middle of now) we will lose jobs, income, and our wealth moves overseas. What we have now other countries will have tomorrow and Americas hay day will be over. This is one of the flaws of man, we largely look at today and ourselves and strive to gain what we can now at the expense of future generations.

Automation is making other countries potential hay day, largely non existent.
As technology improves, other job sectors are opened up.

There is no fixed sector for lots of jobs, which is the whole problem with protectionism.
It totally ignores progress and assumes that there are fixed number of jobs needed for a specific sector, that are taken and that specific job sector will forever remain the same, which isn't true.

 

[jamesrage]

The only problem with that is, the countries we increase the terrifs on, will retaliate by increasing the terrifs on American goods they import. That in turn will hurt American companies that export goods over seas.

Seeing how we are in trade deficit is that really a problem? Its like going no please do not raise the price on goods you don't really purchase. For the amount of goods and value we import from China does China import same amount of goods and value from us? Tariffs should on imported goods should vary depending on what country those goods are from.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Seeing how we are in trade deficit is that really a problem? Its like going no please do not raise the price on goods you don't really purchase. For what we get from China does China get that same amount from us?

It doesn't matter.
You're too focused on this.

China sells a lot of to us, at a loss to themselves.
It's a benefit to us.

 

[DrunkenAsparagus]

It is patriotic to support American businesses by buying American.A lot of conservatives are patriotic. Contrary to what a lot of globalist scum

republicans believe there is more to patriotism than just waving a flag and saying I support the troops.

Only "buying American" doesn't help the US economy or job growth nearly a much as comparative advantage.

I don't claim to support free trade. Imported goods should have tariffs high enough to allow American companies the ability to compete fairly.

What would you consider "fair"? How is cheaper labor any different than a thousand different ways that businesses use to compete.

Companies should not be given any advantage because they choose to export to their labor to foreign companies that pay their workers 33 cents an hour to for for 80 hours a week.

Tariffs help some groups but hurt far more people, both in other countries and America. I get to pay less for what I want. This allows me to both spend more money on other things. Workers and capital can go to where they are most efficient, because not all of America's production has to go toward producing every single thing that American consumers need or want. Finally, the foreign worker gets to leave his subsistence farming job where he makes less than a dollar a day to making an income that pales in comparison to Western standards but is far better than what he had.

 

[jamesrage]

It doesn't matter.
You're too focused on this.

China sells a lot of to us, at a loss to themselves.
It's a benefit to us.

Do we export to china the same amount and value that we import from China?Yes No?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Do we export to china the same amount and value that we import from China?Yes No?

It does not matter.
As DA pointed out, it's called comparative advantage.

Do we export lots of stuff to other nations, yes we do.
It doesn't have to be completely = in the amount of goods traded between in the U.S. and China.

As easy example to prove that trade deficits don't matter.
Your personal household will forever be in a "trade deficit."
Yet you are not poorer because of it.

Another easy example.
Is the U.S. better off, because all of the states can trade freely or are they worse off?

 

[jamesrage]

republicans believe there is more to patriotism than just waving a flag and saying I support the troops.

Only "buying American" doesn't help the US economy or job growth nearly a much as comparative advantage.

How so? Buying more American made goods increases demanded for more American made goods.That puts more money in the pockets of real American companies and that increased demand for more American made goods will entice real American companies to hire more employees to make goods in order to meet the demand.

What would you consider "fair"? How is cheaper labor any different than a thousand different ways that businesses use to compete.

A pretty huge ****en difference between 33 and half cents and hour for 80 hours a week for a Chinese worker verses an American making minimum wage or more for only 40 hours a week. What American company can compete with that?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

How so? Buying more American made goods increases demanded for more American made goods.That puts more money in the pockets of real American companies and that increased demand for more American made goods will entice real American companies to hire more employees to make goods in order to meet the demand.

It's an inefficient allocation of resources, which can reduce our standard of living.
No thanks, not interested.

A pretty huge ****en difference between 33 and half cents and hour for 80 hours a week for a Chinese worker verses an American making minimum wage or more for only 40 hours a week. What American company can compete with that?

That same Chinese person has a lower standard of living and has not enjoyed all the governmental and other social benefits that the average American has.
They can compete in other areas, because price isn't the only important thing.

 

[jamesrage]

It does not matter.

If it doesn't matter then you should have no problem stating whether or not we import more from China than what we export in goods and value to China or Vice Versa .