Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpsemc!mbk
From: mbk@hpsemc.HP.COM (Miles Kehoe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Apple Gets Greedier (Read it and Weep!)
Message-ID: <620010@hpsemc.HP.COM>
Date: 19 Sep 88 18:19:48 GMT
References: <1018@lakesys.UUCP>
Organization: HP Technology Access Center, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 23

Maybe instead of complaining at Apple and other US manufacturers 
who are now raising prices due to critical DRAm shortage.. maybe
we should be asking our congressmen/women and senators why we
have this artificial trade barrier with japan to 'protect' the
US semiconductor industry which doesn't seem interested in making
the chips we need.  The Japanese might have been 'dumping' memory
at $2 a chip 15 months ago.. but I can guarentee they're making 
profits now that the prices are above $12!  So we put on this
artificial trade barrier, the effect of which is to raise prices
6 fold for US consumers;  to increase the profit margin for
Japanese companies 6 fold; and provide not one bit of incentive
for any US companies to make the parts.  And, of course, the japanese
can take their profits and invest them in US paper so we get to
pay them interest (as taxpayers) on the profit they make.  Somehow
it seems the consumer is the one getting the bum deal.  And you know
that militarty projects, when threatened with DRAM shortage, will
manage topay whatever it takes to get their needs met.  Well..so
much for the free trade theory of international relationships.


$FLAME OFF

Miles