Donald Trump's proposal for 45% tariff on China's exports to the U.S.- how a policy of bringing jobs home could lead to the loss of 1 million U.S. jobs

03/08/2016

By damaging the international trading system including with allies such a Canada, Britain, France and Germany, the result of a downward spiral through higher tariffs in other countries, could end up costing the U.S. 1 million jobs. Under such a system the U.S. would lose many of the advantages of its booming tech sector, its tech driven global advantages in many industries, without signifcant gains in low cost imports such as clothing which would simply migrate to other countries such as India. The problem of worker wage stagnation in the U.S., and loss of jobs in certain sectors, is very real, but this is the wrong way to tackle the problem. China is already moving towards a consumer driven economy. Economists show that trade with Mexico would be seriously hurt both ways, creating more pressure of migrants at the border under such proposals as a 45% tariff and its indirect effect on Mexico, when the actual fact is that net migration from Mexico is the lowest it has ben in decades. Politics can do strange things as when two senators Smoot and Hawley from agricultural states Utah and Oregon, at the head of important committees in the U.S. Congress pushed and passed legislation for a 60% tariff in 1930 for the industrial sector they had no idea about. When Smoot and Hawley lost reelection in 1932 they left behind a lot of damage, especially for the farmers and workers they thought they were fighting for.

Linked Articles

How Trump’s Hard Line on Trade Could Backfire

Wall Street Journal 03/25/2016

Bob Davis, Bob, Davis

Wall Street Journal 03/08/2016

Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Holman, W., Jenkins, Jr.

A Donald Trump rally in March 2016, Pensacola and Orlando, Florida- anti-establishment politics and the white working class voter

01/27/2016

Linked Articles

Anxiety Fuels Donald Trump’s Supporters

Wall Street Journal 01/27/2016

Michael M. Phillips, Michael, M., Phillips

Wall Street Journal 03/09/2016

Allysia Finley, Allysia, Finley

The problems threatening the white working class in America and the rise of cultural illiberalism

11/12/2015

Experts point to the economic anxieties of the white working class in America, a broad group that has increasingly fallen behind as technology advances in the 21st century with globalization and mobile capital, causing serious social fissures in society. One of the dangers is to the ideas of liberal society itself with the rise of cultural illiberalism, such as that presented by the Trump candidacy for president in 2016, and Marie Le Pen's National Front in France, as liberal elites in centre right and centre left lose their hold on working class voters.

Linked Articles

The Bleak Reality Driving Trump’s Rise

Wall Street Journal 12/16/2015

William A. Galston, William, A., Galston

Washington Post 11/12/2015

Andrew J. Cherlin, Andrew, J., Cherlin

Jeremy Corbyn and the proposal in 2015 for a National Investment Bank in Britain to make investments in education, health services and infrastructure

09/11/2015

A new leader of the Labor Party in Britain proposes a National Investment Bank. Some of the funding would come from an estimated 20 billion pounds of tax debt, 20 billion pounds in tax evasion, and 80 billion pounds in tax avoidance, according to experts in the Labor Party. Corbyn says he would reverse the introduction of fees for university education by previous Labor governments and has publicly apologized for the fees. The fees plan would cost about 7.1 billion pounds and be paid for by a 2.5% increase in the corporate tax, slower deficit reduction or increase in the insurance tax, says Corbyn. Germany continues to provide free university education.

Linked Articles

Leftist Jeremy Corbyn elected leader of Britain’s Labour Party - The Washington Post

Washington Post 09/12/2015

Griff Witte, Griff, Witte

New York Times 09/11/2015

Stephen Castle, Stephen, Castle

Trump's casinos and Griffin's Citadel hedge fund- risky financial investments and path from collapse to recovery

08/04/2015

WSJ reporters Grant and Berzon on Trump, and Copeland on Ken Griffin of the Citadel hedge fund provide an inside look at the financial dealings and maneouvring of Trump, the huge risk and leverage taken on at Citadel by Griffin. In doing so they provide insights into the manner of operating and personality of the two businessmen.

Linked Articles

Trump and His Debts: A Narrow Escape

Wall Street Journal 01/04/2016

Peter Grant, Peter, Grant, Alexandra Berzon, Alexandra, Berzon

Wall Street Journal 08/04/2015

Rob Copeland, Rob, Copeland

The new multiyear program proposed by Germany and France to replace the June 2 proposal, following the Greece July 5, 2015 referendum, which sets more reforms

07/07/2015

Linked Articles

Merkel’s German Critics Say Greek Bailout Was Doomed From Start

Wall Street Journal 07/08/2015

Anton Troianovski, Anton, Troianovski

Wall Street Journal 07/07/2015

Gabriele Steinhauser, Gabriele, Steinhauser

Tech Startup Box Inc. in cloud computing- travails of co-founders Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith with the IPO process and changing market sentiment

04/19/2015

Changing market sentiment about Box Inc. consistent losses as it goes after rapid growth, with one anayst calling it "a house of horrors," a long IPO process and investor demands, have an unnerving and distracting effect on the founders. Langley and Hardy describe the experience of startup founders as competition and market perceptions change.

Linked Articles

Rich, but Not Silicon Valley Rich for Founders of Box

Wall Street Journal 04/24/2015

Monica Langley, Monica, Langley

New York Times 04/19/2015

Quentin Hardy, Quentin, Hardy

U.S. defense preparedness in Europe and in other continents in 2015-2016- the views of Lt. Gen. "Ben" Hodges and Gen. Raymond Odierno

02/09/2015

Linked Articles

This Is No Time to Cut The U.S. Army

Wall Street Journal 08/14/2015

Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Gen., Raymond, T., Odierno

Wall Street Journal 02/09/2015

Sohrab Ahmari, Sohrab, Ahmari

Lt. Gen "Ben" Hodges, Commander U.S. Army in Europe, on the Russian moves towards Mariupol in eastern Ukraine in Feb. 2015

02/08/2015

Ben Hodges describes the Russian threat to peace in Eastern Europe under president Putin and the need for U.S. preparedness.

Linked Articles

The View From NATO’s Russian Front

Wall Street Journal 02/09/2015

Sohrab Ahmari, Sohrab, Ahmari

New York Times 02/08/2015

Rick Lyman, Rick, Lyman

Deep differences in 2015 between Alexis Tsipras of Syriza and the Merkel government in Germany on debt forgiveness and the bailouts for Greece

01/26/2015

The deep differences between Greeks and Merkel operate at two levels. On the level of austerity policies Greece shares the view with other EU countries, the governments of Hollande in France and Renzi in Italy that austerity is not the best course for the eurozone. This view is also shared by people in Spain facing unemployment exceeding 20%, though the government of Rajoy in Spain like that of Samaras in Greece lived with the austerity policies with some changes. At this level there is also support from within Merkel's coalition government from Social Democrats. The other level of deep differences is on debt forgiveness and bailouts where Greece has to find its own way out in negotiations hoping that the EU and the IMF will agree to make concessions based on action taken by Syriza to ensure prudence in fianncial management. On issues such as minimum wage one would expect Syriza to be firm and make concessions where the hardship does not fall on the poorer and working class, winning support from the Social Democrats in Merkel's coalition. Beyond the symbolic moves and posturing the actual negotiations are likely to take into account the eurozone's need for help on the fiscal side desired by the ECB's Draghi to support monetary easing to fight deflation, and the need to keep the eurozone intact at a sensitive time. Syriza for its part is aware that a majority of Greeks favor staying in the eurozone.

Linked Articles

Greece’s new prime minister wants Germany to pay for Nazi war crimes - The Washington Post

Washington Post 01/26/2015

Ishaan Tharoor, Ishaan, Tharoor

Washington Post 01/27/2015

Griff Witte, Griff, Witte

Looking back at Hong Kong and China today and yesterday- China in 1842 and in 1945, nationalism and commercial interests of foreign powers

01/09/2015

A wariness with foreign powers in China stems from the influences left behind from the British commercial interests and the Japanese invasion of China. Compared to that period, the period of collaboration on an equal footing and playing field is is a short and recent one that has taken place for just three decades 1985-2015. Fears that the accelerated development in China could slow down without a strong central government, combine with the awareness of the need for western technology and open communications in today's global economy to accelerate the development, create in the Chinese mind a problem that needs to be tackled carefully to continue progress. Awareness of the huge inequalities and corruption in the rush towards modernization, need to tackle extensive contamination of air and water, and need for social security and healthcare for an aging population create a new urgency for careful policy making to sustain progress.

Linked Articles

Gentlemen Drug Dealers

Wall Street Journal 01/12/2015

George Walden, George, Walden

New York Times 01/09/2015

Thomas J. Christensen, Thomas, J., Christensen

Two party systems and Malaysia's UMNO Party- (2) the future economic prospects of Malaysia under Razak, India under Modi, Indonesia under Widodo

12/08/2014

Najib Razak follows his father Tun Abdul Razak, Mahathir before him, all the way back to Tunku Abdul Rahman, all of the UMNO party, in an uninterrupted control of the United Malay Naional Organization Party which has ruled Malaysia for almost 6 decades. Malaysia has followed the example of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore by keeping the opposition parties weak to maintain control. Both the UMNO and the party of Lee in Singapore face questions about the merits of suppressing the development of two party systems, at a time when government is changing hands to opposition parties in most of the region and improving economic prospects in each country with a change of government- Abe in Japan, Widodo in Indonesia, Modi and Sharif in India and Pakistan, Aquino in the Philippines, Wickremesinghe in Sri Lanka. A economic drift with no clear direction under Singh and Bhutto in India and Pakistan was reversed with the election of Modi and Sharif, the economic drift and deflation under the Kan and Noda governments was reversed in Japan with the election of Abe, and the economic drift in Indonesia is being reversed by the Widodo government. This shows how critical two party systems are to functioning democracies as middle classes develop and voters look for competing views of the future to choose from.

Linked Articles

Fund Controversy Threatens Malaysia’s Leader

Wall Street Journal 06/19/2015

Tom Wright, Tom, Wright

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2014

Patrick Mcdowell, Patrick, Mcdowell, Ben Otto, Ben, Otto, Matt Murray, Matt, Murray