Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site looking.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: High Duties => Increased Competitiveness? Message-ID: <420@looking.UUCP> Date: Wed, 18-Sep-85 13:05:15 EDT Article-I.D.: looking.420 Posted: Wed Sep 18 13:05:15 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 04:45:55 EDT References: <1394@utcsri.UUCP> <2188@mnetor.UUCP> <1395@utcsri.UUCP> <2197@mnetor.UUCP> <1397@utcsri.UUCP> <5977@utzoo.UUCP> Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 31 Summary: So, do all the opponents of free trade like the way they live in Japan? Is this why you keep bringing up Japanese society as an argument against free trade? Have you ever considered what it would be like if Japanese goods came into North America duty free? There is a reason there was fear in Henry Ford's eyes. But seriously, folks, we have heard some of you attack free trade, let's see you analyse what happens when a duty is put on and why you think it's good *for the country* as you like to put it. Let's slap a duty on shoes, for example. First result is some Canadian shoe makers get nice and rich, and in the short term there are more jobs in the shoe industry. And this means more votes from shoe makers. Second thing that happens is that *every* Canadian pays a few dollars more for shoes. How much in total? Well the extra paid is at least equal to the gain obtained by the shoe makers. So a large sum of money is taken from one sector (the rest of Canada) and given to a proven non-productive sector. Of course, when a large sum of money is taken away, it means jobs are lost. In fact, at least as many as were saved in the shoe industry! Of course, this is spread over the whole country, so nobody blames their lack of a job on the "extra" job that was propped up in the shoe industry, so no votes are lost. Now I see why duties are such a good idea!! -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473