Response to zoossh: 'US should quickly place tariffs on Chinese goods to improve its own economy.'

Response to zoossh: 'US should quickly place tariffs on Chinese goods to improve its own economy.'

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zoossh (13Oct2010; 12:44 AM) wrote:

did u write the above article or is it quoted? no worries just clarifying. it is one of the rare good and fair opinions.
except that i dun think obesity is a major factor for healthcare costs. to a minor role, that i agree.
i think commercialism and cost of new drugs and machines, litigations and abuse of healthcare with unnecessary investigations, are the reason that push up the costs by much much more.

Pleasure is mine.
U dun think that obesity is a major factor- making Americans fat and stupid?
"There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40bn to $100bn in the US alone - more than the combined value of the government's budget for health, education and welfare." ['The diet business: Banking on failure']
That said, its sad to hear in the documentary 'Food Inc - Official Trailer [HD]': (#t=47s) "America's Food Industry is making a Killing, "Sometimes you look at a vegetable and say like, 'okay, like we can get 2 hamburgers for the same price'.
"They have managed to make it against the law to criticize their products. There's an effort to make it illegal to publish a photo of any industrial food operation."

According to wiki: 'Obesity in the United States' : "The direct medical cost of obesity and indirect economic loss to obesity has been estimated to be as high as $51.64 billion and $99.2 billion in 1995, respectively;[5] this rose to $61 billion and $117 billion in 2000.[6]"

Thus looking at the figures, I cannot help but conclude that both the US public and probably the US leadership have fallen into the arms of the profligate capitalist, their fiscal manipulations; and ultimately to dependence upon the 'cheap' hamburger and the fast American carbon lifestyle- all the the workings of Mammon if not mere obesity.

Forgive my ranting, but I think cheap, fried processed meat/ food kills- both one's health and one's soul. Besides farming methods that are mostly abusive and exploitative of the animals that are being farmed, these food companies are also manipulating US farm subsidies and through their cheap, quick but environmentally unsustainable methods of food production, in a covert attempt to rig world meat/ grain prices much to the detriment of developing countries- the sale of GM crops and associated insecticides/ fertilizer being the ultimate goal of such covert operations (US agri. has upper hand in this- they want to sell their stinkin' insecticides to 3rd world farmers etc). According to the documentary 'Food Inc' [trailer here], as I recall, the agri giant 'Monsanto' doesn't even allow member farmers to 'save seed', with sanctions, subpoenas, litigation routinely being taken against such 'errant' farmers/ providers of 'seed saving machinery'- point being, they want farmers to be totally and always dependent on seeds and supplies from 'Monsanto'. What is farming when seeds are patented with the consequence that farmers become totally beholden to one large company for the vital ingredient of 'seed'. What has farming come to if farmers cannot re-germinate their 'own' seed from their last harvest? Would so many farmers dependent upon the same agri-company for seed of the same or similar genetic code spell global famine should a new and novel bug/ disease strike out ALL crops germinated from seed of the same/ similar genetic code? In such a situation, what responsibility and redemptive action, for the widespread human famine, would 'Monsanto'/ related agri-companies take, all this the result of their so highly manipulative, monopolistic and environmentally unsustainable practices?

I believe the US grouse against Chinese Yuan is syndromic of the degradation of US leadership under the pressures of profligate capitalism. To criticize China of Human rights violations/ and ban it's tainted food and toys might be alright if provable; but to meddle with the pricing of the Chinese Yuan whilst ignoring the numerous profligate capitalist manipulations and incursions back home, public indulgence in the decadent and the recent wall st collapse due to poor financial regulation is beyond the pale. Has not flagrant capitalism yet come to a head, haven't the Americans realized by now that profligate capitalism is quite a lost cause if not the road to social mayhem?

The average American either cannot afford better or just cannot resist the temptation of cheap Chinese products. Why? That is because the US govt has for too long been run manipulated by large capitalist conglomerates, intent on milking the American public of every last dime- pushing credit and the consumer lifestyle to the hilt. It's time for the American public to wise up, take control of their own health, finances and welfare if they want America to live another glorious day.
Its time for business to take on a higher calling.
May Heart disease, Cancers, Strokes, ADHD, Depression and other like modern ills stop plaguing US and other related societies.
May the Americans discipline themselves and not need to ask the Chinese to raise the Yuan. May the Americans re-embrace education, self-sufficiency and responsibility, innovation and the care for one's neighbor; and finally, may they all understand that cheap hamburgers are the products of evil conglomerates, a poison both to self, the environment and the world at large.
Let the Americans teach and lead if they can, but never order and never impose upon what is essentially someone else's rights and land.

God bless America.

G'day all,
Rgds n God Bless,
B.C.

Ref:
- 'The diet business: Banking on failure': [BBC5Feb2003]
- 'Food Inc - Official Trailer [HD]': Plot: "An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry" (Jun2009). [Magnolia Pictures/YouTube][IMDb]
- 'Monsanto': "The Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as "Roundup". Monsanto is also the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it provides the technology in 90% of the world's GE seeds.[1] It is headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri.[2]" [wiki:Monsanto]

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HWZ:

14Oct2010: US should quickly place tariffs on Chinese goods to improve its own economy.