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From: fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: High Duties => Increased Competitiveness?
Message-ID: <2197@mnetor.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Sep-85 10:41:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: mnetor.2197
Posted: Tue Sep 17 10:41:59 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Sep-85 12:21:48 EDT
References: <1394@utcsri.UUCP> <2188@mnetor.UUCP> <1395@utcsri.UUCP>
Reply-To: fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams)
Distribution: can
Organization: Computer X (CANADA) Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 55
Summary: 

In article <1395@utcsri.UUCP> peterr@utcsri.UUCP (Peter Rowley) writes:
>Finally!  We admit that duties and competiveness are not the only variables
>around.  I agree, of course.  My original posting was simplistic on purpose;
>designed to lure the ever-eager net predators into a trap (heh heh).

    Your original posting was more than simplistic, it was wrong, and
we told you so.  I for one agree that there is more involved in
competitiveness than duties and taxation!  But free trade will allow
natural market forces to play a greater role in governing the
degree of competitiveness.  If we then choose to price ourselves out
of the market, then we'll get what we deserve.

Like Chris said;
>+
>+Therefore, we should ...
>+	1) LOWER the salaries for our workers so that our industry
>+	   can be more price-competitive.
>
>But, sigh, there they go again thinking that anything economically good
>can be caused by lowering duties.  There are other variables, remember?
>In fact, before this can be proposed, let's find out why the duties in
>Japan don't cause wage inflation.  Maybe we can do what they do.
>
    The fact that there are other variables does not mean that no
economic good can come from lowering duties. It is a step in the right
direction.  No one is claiming that this will solve the worlds problems.

>...  If the government wants to bring in legislation that will increase
>competitiveness yet at the same time provide for people who will be displaced

    It is highly unlikely that any such legislation can be drafted.
It is in  a way like asking for something for nothing, a free lunch,
and this to the best of my knowledge does not exist.  Check out the
laws of thermodynamics.

>...I do not want parts of Canada to be 
>ravaged by unemployment and the resulting crime and riots that have hit
>Britain, for example)

    Your ignoring causality again.  Is this another of your simplistic
traps?(:-)>

>...  But I believe it is far
>more effective to make reasoned changes in existing structures rather than
>to stress them (e.g. with free trade), see which break, and throw those away.
>It is just too expensive (especially in human terms) to do that on a national 
>scale.

    Hmmm, are you building up to suggest something like communism?
Exactly what "reasoned changes" do you see?  I'd like to know, really.

-- 
Cheers,      Fred Williams,
UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!fred
BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 318