It's all about costs for me, Head banger...if domestic steel is more expensive than imported steel, then you're get less steel for the dollar, which is wasteful spending...I'm all in favor of 'Buy American' as I am American, and others should do the same respectively no matter where they live...support your own local economy...but to have no choice in making purchases (of steel or whatever) seems a little overboard...maybe if there were a 'fixed' cost involved, that would make me feel better about it, or say it has to be within 'x' % of the next guy, even that would be different...but once an industry has a corner locked up, bad things usually happen...
[Show/Hide Quoted Message] (Quoting Message by Head banger from Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:38:31 PM)| |  | Head banger wrote: | | sure it can lead to tax payer money being spent faster than nessesary, but long term, does buy american rules help whatever industry they are applied to?
| | | ronhartsell wrote: | | Darth Painkiller lead me back here, and now you're keeping me here Head banger...just kidding, I'm gonna respond to this because I live in a steel producing area...we're not Pittsburg or Germany, but the Gary, IN area and other cities on the Lake Michigan shore line are literally lined with steel mills. Most of the families in Lake County, IN have currently working or retired mill workers in their families.
Congressman Pete Visclosky (IN-1) is my representative, and he has always been a "Buy American" guy, even to a fault at times. He is one of the hardest working politicians I have ever known. He is one who will actually write you a response if you mail him and he will call you on the phone if need be.
He is the one who introduced an ammendment that requires all steel bought with money from the bill must be made in America. The ammendment passed.
If you go to TradeReform.org there is a good read of an e-mail where he talks about this.
Aside from all this, I'm not sure it's that great of an idea because (I'm assuming here) steel prices are never locked at a fixed cost, and if that's the case, tax payer money may have to be spent (via the bill) on steel that may be baught at a cheaper cost else where. So, yes it does support the "Buy American" agenda, but is it good economics??
| | | Head banger wrote: | | so, the new draft of the TARP act contains language that says that to qualify for federal funds any project must only use american steel, with a few exceptions.
is this sort of protectionism a good idea in the short term, and is it good in the long term
discuss among yoursleves, I am gone for the weekend. |
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