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.

Criticism of the $8.3 million Dec. 2015 'comfort women' agreement between Japanese prime minister Abe and South Korean prime minister Lee

12/29/2015

Linked Articles

South Korean and Japanese Leaders Feel Backlash From ‘Comfort Women’ Deal

New York Times 12/29/2015

Jonathan Soble, Jonathan, Soble, Choe Sang Hun, Choe, Sang Hun

New York Times 12/30/2015

The Editorial Board, The, Editorial, Board

A Republican narrative for the 2016 U.S. presidential election from Karl Rove and a different narrative from Stanley Greenberg for the Democrats

11/20/2015

The Republican narrative finds a parallel in the 2016 U.S. presidential election which led to the election of president McKinley and bringing Teddy Roosevelt as running mate for the 1900 election. It focusses on economic recovery under the gold standard and U.S. asserting itself on behalf of Cuban independence in the uprising against Spanish rule. The Democratic narrative looks at immigration, women, minorities and the surge in inequality to see continuing shift to Democrats, accepting some voter disillusionment with both parties showing up in reduced voter participation.

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Painting America Blue

Wall Street Journal 11/20/2015

Michael Barone, Michael, Barone

Wall Street Journal 11/20/2015

Karl Rove, Karl, Rove

The Chinese market in 2015 and pitfalls for Yum Brands and its KFC, Pizza Hut stores in China

10/21/2015

Rapid growth and then a public scare with media reports of falling quality standards hurt KFC outlets. Local Chinese and Taiwanese brands offer more options at the higher and lower ends of the price range. Other European competitors partnering with local Chinese companies offer better value and quality upscale hurting Pizza Hut stores. And suddenly the whole landscape has changed for Yum Brands in China. It shows the Chinese market is no place for the complacent, that the discriminating tastes of consumers and search for healthier alternatives is taking place in China, India and other developing countries, just as much as it is in the U.S.

Linked Articles

China Isn’t the Easy Market It Once Was for Fast-Food Chains

Wall Street Journal 10/21/2015

Laurie Burkitt, Laurie, Burkitt

Wall Street Journal 10/21/2015

Julie Jargon, Julie, Jargon

Economic changes in the first year of the Modi administration in India- groundwork for 2016-2018

05/23/2015

Linked Articles

India’s one-man band

Economist 05/23/2015

Economist.Com

Economist 05/23/2015

Economist.Com

Norway parliament's decision to divest holdings in companies 30% dependent on coal opens up debate on coal- (3) Coal India and the 1 billion ton target for 2020

05/14/2015

With about 300 million people without electricity, and India lagging behind Brazil and Indonesia in the percentage of population lacking electricity, the goal is to modernize the coal industry and increase production. This shows the different tradeoffs in less developed countries such as India, which face a completely different set of tradeoffs, and are moving in the opposite direction out of necessity. China is just entering a period after rapid modernization where the discussion about the tradeoffs is shifting, whereas India remains in a very different phase.

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Norway Will Divest From Coal in Push Against Climate Change

New York Times 06/05/2015

John Schwartz, John, Schwartz

Wall Street Journal 05/14/2015

Raymond Zhong And Niharika Mandhana, Raymond, Zhong, And, Niharika, Mandhana

The Obama administration's efforts on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), after losing allies in Asia and Europe to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

04/17/2015

The Obama administration pushes a free trade pact that includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. This free trade pact is now seen as a U.S. effort to counter China in the Asian region. India, UK, Germany, France, Italy and other European countries decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank sponsored by China, on its merits, after the U.S. refused to join.

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TPP: Momentum on Trade Deal Bolsters U.S., Japan Efforts to Counter China

Wall Street Journal 04/17/2015

Jacob Schlesinger, Jacob, Schlesinger, Mitsuru Obe, Mitsuru, Obe, And Mark Magnier, And, Mark, Magnier

Wall Street Journal 04/17/2015

William Mauldin, William, Mauldin

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

Republican party gains in U.S. 2014 elections as differences with Democrats for the women's vote narrows

10/23/2014

Linked Articles

Election Results: Republicans Win Senate Control With at Least 7 New Seats

New York Times 11/04/2014

Jonathan Weisman, Jonathan, Weisman, Ashley Parker, Ashley, Parker

Wall Street Journal 10/23/2014

Janet Hook, Janet, Hook

Profiles in courage, women renewing large organizations- Christine Lagarde at the IMF and Ginni Rometty at IBM

08/25/2014

Lagarde says in an intervew in the Washington Post, that she believes women come into leadership at large organizations when the job is tough, requiring everything you can give.

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Christine Lagarde: ‘Don’t let the bastards get you’ - The Washington Post

Washington Post 08/25/2014

Jillian Cunningham, Jillian, Cunningham, Christine Lagarde, Christine, Lagarde

Wall Street Journal 04/21/2015

Monica Langley, Monica, Langley

China, the U.S. and Japan- the task of reestablishing peaceful cooperation in the Pacific region after the missteps of 2011-2013

07/09/2014

Meetings for the sixth round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Bieijing between the U.S. and China, and Japanese prime minister's address to the Australian parliament in Canberra, at about the same time in July 2014, showing how the path of peaceful cooperation will have to be actively pursued to remain a reality. Underpinning the hopes of China, Japan and neighboring countries in Asia is the U.S. will and purpose for maininting the post war peace and stability for the benefit of all, that at times has been missing in the words and actions of the Obama administration. Lack of peace in the region would seriously affect China's effort to bring better incomes to the large majority of people still in the countryside and leave China stuck in middle income status of countries like Mexico, damage the prospects of improving incomes of billions of people in India, other parts of Asia and Latin America. In this sense the Japanese people have shown the wisdom of keeping the conditions of peace that have prevailed for the post war period, and the U.S. with undiminished will and purpose in its post war role can affirm the hopes of the people of the region, including the hope of people in China, India, Japan, S. Korea, and Latin America.

Linked Articles

U.S., China try to emphasize potential for cooperation - The Washington Post

Washington Post 07/09/2014

Simon Denyer, Simon, Denyer

Wall Street Journal 07/09/2014

Yuka Hayashi, Yuka, Hayashi

More women without jobs in 2014 compared to 2010, and the 20% of U.S. households in 2014 either underwater or with less than 20% equity in their homes

05/19/2014

Most parts of the Democratic base badly damaged in the Obama administration's policy decisions in the housing and mortgage crisis of 2008-2009. A delayed economic recovery with weakness in consumer spending as one of the predictable outcomes of the policy decisions taken for homeowners.

Linked Articles

Economic Recovery Yields Few Benefits for the Voters Democrats Rely On

New York Times 05/19/2014

Jonathan Weisman, Jonathan, Weisman

Wall Street Journal 05/20/2014

Conor Dougherty, Conor, Dougherty