Bush Admin wants to sell weapons to Arabs

I would say a mighty good one also, as it covers all the questions and gives reasonable answers. Your a good man Chaley Brown!

 

Hear, hear!

 

What on earth does this 'but by how well they protect individual rights and liberty' have to do with there understanding of Economics? as far as I can see Russians are just as good at making money as anyone else, it is the goverments that waste money, including yours & mine.
As for the China question they are bleeding your country dry & costing you jobs, your own Elected officials are calling for China to allow the US to sell more to them, & to revalue there currency. Yet you say 'They accumulate debt that can never be converted into real value because the US will never permit them to buy anything' LOL they dont want to buy what you produce they just steal the patents & produce it themselfs cheaper, and as for accumalating debt LOL Man they are accumalating Dollars by the bucket load. Perhaps it is time you started to protect your own economy with a few selected tarrifs, if they wont allow you open access to there markets then restrict theres.

 

check out the div on this Russia fund CS (19.20%) and except for the spike up it is pretty steady.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=TRF&t=1y

 

Regarding the first point, in American history, protection of individual property rights and liberty came first. All of the wealth created here proceeded from the resulting culture of liberty. In Russia, they have no such historical traditions regarding the sacredness of property rights, and in my opinion that makes it a dangerous place to invest despite the fact that some folks are making money there at the present time. Regarding China, there is no doubt that jobs have moved from the US to Asia, and it is a tremendous failure of Congress and the President to permit this, and even encourage it. I wasn't clear when I said they won't be permitted to buy "anything." China is welcome to purchase our exports. But I sincerely doubt that they will be permitted to buy any strategic assets. Basically, China is practicing a new form of mercantilism, not free market capitalism. It didn't work before and it won't work this time either. They are stuck with our debt as it is irredeemable -- for now. All they can buy with their Treasury bonds is -- more Treasury bonds. I agree with you about tariffs. They are an underrated economic tool.

 

This is the old American ploy of trading guns and whiskey to Indians for stolen loot. We Americans have no shame, but win the battle at all costs.

That was what confused the Indians, when they won a battle they thought they won the war.

 

Again what has all the liberty & property got to do with understanding Economics???? as for the Chinese wanting to buy from you they dont as they just steal the designs & then market them for themselfs.


Month US Exports US Imports Balance
Jan 07 4,364.2 25,635.0 -21,270.9
Feb 07 4,630.7 23,064.5 -18,433.8
Mar 07 5,479.4 22,725.4 -17,246.1
Apr 07 4,849.4 24,222.9 -19,373.5
May 07 5,322.7 25,338.4 -20,015.7

TOTAL 24,646.3 120,986.3 -96,340.0

All figures are in Millions of $

Those are the figures from the 1st part of the year SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, Data Dissemination Branch, Washington, D.C. 20233

You are giving them the $ to buy the stratigic items they need elsewhere

 

For me, liberty and property must preceed any discussion of economics. If you don't, then the old Soviet Union and the United States are indistinguishable except for differences in the GDP numbers. Did you ever stop to wonder why third world countries remain third world despite massive amounts of money pumped into them? I think it's because of the lack of liberty and the absence of a legal system that protect private property. In the 19th century here in the US, large numbers of people without much money threw their belongings into the back of wagons and drove west. Several decades later there were thriving cities and businesses. That is the power of liberty and private property.

I don't disagree about the actions of the Chinese. But they are practicing a modern form of mercantilism, and they believe that their nation will become wealthy through favorable trade surpluses. The difference is that now, instead of accumulating gold, they accumulate debt certificates that aren't even as good as the gold of former times. Adam Smith demonstrated that this concept is wrong, and history has supported him. And while you think the US is sending them the money to buy strategic items, the flip side is that they and others are sending us the strategic items we need too and taking our promise to pay for it someday. So the outcome isn't all that clear cut since this has never happened before in history, at least to my knowledge.

 

The thread is about ''selling'' high tech arms to mid east countries that sympathize with those who wish to do western civilization harm. Whatever your political beliefs; ITS A BAD IDEA! And arabs arent stupid. They arent going to but guns without ammo. And Jimmy Carter wouldve been reelected in a landslide if his Navy Seal plan had worked. You cant predict the weather. So I guess he figured he didnt want to risk any more lives. So here comes Reagan with a secret deal with Iran to sell them arms in return for the hostages. Youre right it has been done before.

 

Economic change in Russia is happening, has to happen and will happen. Russians are consumer of manufactured goods of household etc. like never in past. For one, there is media advertising, much television, internet etc that never exist of previous times. As people become more consumer, they have more power, more money etc, and then think, why have only consumer good and not also decision of my life and of family. So now young Russians question government, not always popularly with government, but in form not like before in USSR days.

USA takes over 150 + years achieve the consumer and capitalist system it have now. Back in 1850's reality in USA is that only wealthy few have real power, war of 1861-1865 starts much change and liberalization of government and more citizens represented of government. As bad as serf system of Russia was, it not like slave system of USA. And it eliminated by liberals in 1861.

When you have band of self serve idiots which make life good only for selves, and not rests of population it take s long time but hopefully not 150 years make Russia powerful country. I like think of it as "Trickle Down Economics" like Ronald Reagan said. Boris Yeltsin try change Russia in only 500 days begin in 1992, and nearly ruin country because only people get real control of economy were people of political or military power. In many ways these people still of power and pull string. But because now average Russian with determination and will succeed, it only matter of time before the powers come all. Maybes sometimes there be two step forward, and one back, but direction always forward in long time thinking.

Boris Yeltsin for all personal failing, in end, he love Russia very much and dedicate so much for Russia. I think he found intelligent man of Vladimir Putin, however, history now reflect that decision to make Putin interim leader not good. Unless something strange happen, which here not likely Putin leaves office in 2008 to retire to life of Dacha.

Address to Cloudsweeper, and Drusus, sorry you think I come down on USA, but only criticize where do. Because reality is, I know lot about USA, and because of, hold to higher level because of all freedom ther. But when something wrong, you must say it wrong. Like I say not all right of Russia, but it all get better. Russia is now 1019 year old country and survive so much. USA only 231 yr old country and survive too, when people have will and determination make own good, control government etc.

 

Your first comment is inaccruate. The US had a free market system from the start. It isn't relevant to compare an economy in 1800 to one in 1950 when evaluating consumer choices. Back in 1850, there were wealthy people, but they had no real power compared to today. The country was so highly decentralized and communications were so slow that this wasn't really possible.

Regarding the second, Yeltsin probably did his best. I'm not an expert on the internal workings in Russia, but my understanding was that he gave away a lot of state-owned assets to his friends, something Putin has been working to reverse. But I'm not sure if that view is accurate.

It's okay to critize anything that you think needs it. That's what this place is for.