BLOODY QUEENSLANDERS....... 312

The only things the Yanks fully protect are a few ag industries and steel.Yet as a consequence of protecting those industries like corn for instance, they've seen large amounts of their softdrink manufacturing industry move offshore where they can source cheaper corn syrup.In cotton, another US protected industry, they''ve seen their high end textile manufacturing move offshore because the US cant producew enough high quality fibre because their is no financial incentive for cotton growers to put in the extra effort to achieve that - their industry welfare cheque still arrives regardless.When the US whacked tarrifs on steel a few years ago, thousands of jobs were lost in automobile manufacturing and construction as a consequence of higher steel prices.

When you protect something somewhere - the money that it takes for that protection comes from somewhere else, and hurts those areas.

I'm not exagerrating at all .

Here is an example of how tariffs hurt the industries they are trying to protect.The company was Optical Imaging Systems in the US.

Here is an example of how tariffs hurt downstream producers and everyone else:

Protectionism kills jobs.

We ARE looking out for number one by NOT protecting every industry that cant compete.Europe has high unemployment rates BECAUSE of their industrial protection racket.The US loses higher paying jobs in downstream non-farm sector industries by protecting jobs in the farm sector.Same with steel.

Those countries arent engaging in industry protection to help their country - they are doing it to look after their POLITICAL INTERESTS.The protectionist regimes harm their respective economies.

Over the whole economy, that makes an enormous difference because sugar has a fairly high demand elasticity, as do most of its downstream products.It might only be a few cents to you, but its hundreds of millions of dollars getting diverted away from other areas of the economy to support sugar.That costs jobs..It also creates higher costs for downstream industries that then have to raise their prices and hope they can still compete.If they cant, then those industries go under or leave.Some confectionary industries work on such low profit margins that a few cents here and a few cents there at the wrong time would send them packing overseas to cheaper climes.

You've now seen how the consequences work with real world examples.They arent exaggerated.

Dont have too - the market spoke, and the market was the actual point of those goods.Australians and the world thought most of our whitegoods were garbage for the price.They spoke with their wallets which is all that counts.

The market believed otherwise.

Now you can call the market wrong till you're blue in the face, but it doesnt change the reality.Aussie whitegoods were a market failure.

Consumers found better value elsewhere.Aussie whitegoods were a market failure.They werent of a quality that justified their price.The market spoke and in goods markets, that's all that counts cause thats THE WHOLE f***ING POINT.

Hence Aussie whitegoods failed because their quality was poo for their price.

Just about every European kitchen appliance manufacturer for instance.Furniture, auto's, and more elaborately transformed manufacturers than you can poke a stick at.

Australia has produced a surplus of food every year for over the last 100 years.

Most of our industries manage quite fine thankyou very much.

Only whinging lazy bastards that think the taxpayer owes them a living a demanding industry welfare.

On quality, skill and in areas where they are a priority and not in areas where they simply are not.

We are managing quite fine comrade.More could certainly be done in areas like mutlifactor productivity, capital deepening, R&D, education etc and all sorts of government bullpoo is standing in the way of that - but heh, you vote for high taxing socialist tossers like Howard, you cant expect anything less then the mediocrity he delivers.

We have always imported some food, every year since European settlement.

Its called trade comrade.

What do you mean "even if what you said is true"?

We produce a food surplus!

Its one of our largest exports!

Are we on the same planet here?

That already happens.

Australia has always imported some foodstuffs.We have always exported far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far more in both volume and value.

Its called trade.Its how we differ from North Korea.

You are making the mistake of taking what is happening in a very few select industries like oranges and sugar, and projecting those same circumstances onto the other 99% of the economy, when it just simply isnt the case.