Why haven’t there been any protests during the Olympics in the government-approved protest areas at three Beijing parks? Simple: As of Wednesday, the Chinese government hadn’t granted a single permit to protest. And it sentenced two elderly Chinese women to a year of labor re-education after they wouldn’t stop trying to get a permit, the Washington Post reported. So much for openness.
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47 Comments
I TOLD YOU we should have boycotted. We should totally redo our entire Chinese trade policy. And Obama has that in his plans.
McSame is silent.
Pmom(hope I’m not being to forward). There are a lot of things I don’agree with you on but this isn’t one of them. The big problem I see with redoing our trade policy in China are the loans they have against us.
And we should work at paying that off NOW. Of course, that means we’ll have to really hunker down on our spending.
Human rights may mean nothing to you but they certainly mean something to me.
And live pets, and lead free toys…
Pleasae show me where I stated that human rights are not important to me. Damn, just trying to have an exchange of ideas and all you can do is be snarky
Hunkering down,like maybe quit wasting our money in Iraq and use it here where it can be helpful
Yes. Exactly.
Hey we agree on something. Like I have said before I’m the father of a vet of that war and I want our troops home so their famlies can have the joy that I had when my son came home. That country is not worth one more American dollar or American life
Wait a minute now, people like the Crapn love Communist countries. I mean, he’s always holding up Cuba like a shining star in the sky.
So the Chinese couldn’t be possibly doing anything wrong in the Crapn’s eyes.
“snarky”…good word, Freebird! And your observation is spot on…trying to have an adult conversation with some of these people is like trying to push a rope in a straight line…it can’t be done.
Are we a bit surprised? This is a totalitarian state. One with it’s rought edges polished, with the loosening of economic life, but a totalitarian state nonetheless.
By all means, review trade policy. And those “loans” they have mean not a damn thing; frankly, China needs us more than we need them.
BTW- for all you Bush=Hitler whiners: This is what the real thing looks like.
Well…we need to invade China, overthrow it’s leaders, and make the way clear for democracy. I mean it’s working so well in Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan.
And to think we love sending all our manufacturing jobs there so Americans can have all those inexpensive and high quality consumer goods.
“We” may certainly not like sending our jobs over to CHina, but the American Public is postitively addicted to the cheaper prices. Buy American, or buy the cheap stuff. America’s choice. Buy the cheap stuff. Now, with the choices made over previous years, there is no American stuff in many categories. COnsumers are just as much or more at fault as the big evil coroporations.
Buy American when you can, buy local whenever possible.
well spoken, Littlejohn! If the consumers didn’t buy this crap, the corporations wouldn’t have a market for the cheap imports. I drive a Saturn and a Harley..both made IN America by American companies. Neither is as cheap as the foreign competitive products, but that is my choice.
“Mary_Caruso
Posted August 21, 2008 at 8:28 am | Permalink
Well…we need to invade China, overthrow it’s leaders, and make the way clear for democracy”
You left out convert them to Christianity.
Yup. Good Ol’ COMMUNIST China.
Thank goodness the Bush family never let a little thing like repressive COMMUNISM get in the way of their making money–lots and lots of money.
Prescott Bush built the first world-class golf course in China when the US had imposed sanctions on it.
Oh well . . .
Don’t you love how the BushCONs are piously mouthing complaints about “Russia invading another soverign country” and “Civilized people don’t settle their differences with a military invasion.”
Oops. Forgot about Iraq, apparently.
We’ve got zero cred on telling other countries not to invade.
capn has been memorizing the lib talking points again. somehow someone’s grandfather building golf courses proves how the grandson is a bad person.
yeah…like that makes a lot of sense…(not).
Mccain thinks china represents free trade.
I’m not at all surprised. Too bad that we own trillions to China and buy a similar amount of damn near every product we consume from them.
Otherwise we might actually be able to do something about it.
P.S. Remember when making nice with Beijing was about that wonderful Chinese market? Well, it sure helped McDonald’s, Starbucks, KFC and the like.
China needs us more than we need them.
Uh-huh. Maybe in the long run, if we actually get our shit together.
P.S. I’m all for “buy American” (when it doesn’t mean “buy crap”), but try this: go to any mid-quality discount store, say that famous french boutique, Target. :)
Take about $40 with you.
Try not to buy something made in China.
Capn, You are dead on. Its like we are saying do as I say not as I do
You don’t hear anything about the potential billions of chinese consumers of American goods, because the corporations have gotten what they were really after, cheap outsourced manufacturing without environmental controls.
Political_mama
Posted August 21, 2008 at 6:16 am | Permalink
We should totally redo our entire Chinese trade policy. And Obama has that in his plans.
Do you have a link for that? I’d like to read it.
political mama wants LIVE pets and lead free toys but DEAD babies?
and of course political mama wants HUMAN RIGHTS ALSO!
Sol, this looks to be more of an outline, but I found this:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/FactSheetChina.pdf
Thanx Rage. My two cents, I don’t agree with the “whys” of his stance.
What China does is China’s business.
We need to weaken alliances with all foreign nations. That gets us dragged into things we don’t want to be dragged into. Trade with all nations, alliances with none.
We need to address the deficit we run with China and find a more equitable balance.
We do indeed need to keep our military stringer than China’s. Best to do that with our troops here.
While I don’t agree with the whys and hows of Obama’s outline, I am glad he has at least the outline of a plan. I will have to research McCain’s stance.
While I will vote for neither of these candidates, it is good to know what we are in store for. Thanx again Rage.
Reguliar writes, “Wait a minute now, people like the Crapn love Communist countries. I mean, he’s always holding up Cuba like a shining star in the sky.”
Having actually lived for a year in Sichuan province in China, I know what communism is first hand.
I didn’t like it. The first week I was there, I was given a map of the city with a circle around it and told not to travel outside the circle. I met many people who told me of getting sent to “re-education camps” during the cultural revolution because they were part of the “stinking number nine,” the educated class. (There were eight classes of criminals to which Mao added the “stinking number nine,” intellectuals–sounds like the Bush administration, doesn’t it?)
Anyway, as Austin Powers would say, communism is not my bag, baby . . . despite the reich-wing doing their regular ad-homenim thingy.
Pmom I’m waiting
Thanx again Rage.
You’re quite welcome, sir.
“There were eight classes of criminals to which Mao added the “stinking number nine,” intellectuals”
That is because they were “elitist”
When the rulers of a country of 1.3 billion people are afraid of two old ladies, ya just gotta shake your head.
I TOLD YOU we should have boycotted.
Dumbest post of the week.
Just wait until democrats pass the legislation to limit freedome of speech on the airwaves in America.
Equal Access is political ploy not unlike the actions of the Chinese government.
Rage
Posted August 21, 2008 at 9:49 am | Permalink
I’m not at all surprised. Too bad that we own trillions to China
Not quite trillions….
“Foreign Holdings of Debt:
As of June 2008, foreign investors held $2.647 trillion of the publicly held debt.
The amount of the debt held by foreigners is at a historic high. As of June 2008, foreign investors held $2.647 trillion of Treasury Securities, $1.751 trillion of which are held by official institutions.
As of June 2008, Japan and China were the two largest foreign holders of treasury securities with $583.8 billion and $503.8 billion respectively.
Foreign holdings of Treasury securities have increased by more than one trillion since 2000.”
http://www.concordcoalition.org/learn/debt-facts
But we are getting there.
Just wait until democrats pass the legislation to limit freedome of speech on the airwaves in America.
Assuming that occurred, it would be quickly ruled unconstitutional.
Not sure what this “Equal Access” to which you’re referring is, let alone how it’s supposed to “limit free speech.” I suspect the threat resides largely in your own mind.
As of June 2008, Japan and China were the two largest foreign holders of treasury securities with $583.8 billion and $503.8 billion respectively.
Drat. Sometimes poetics get in the way. Didn’t check the figure.
I stand corrected.
Rage, Am. Way –
You note the foreign holders of American securities. But, is that altogether a bad thing? If so, why is that so? What harm does it do to US interests? What benefits accrue? And the unnoticed statistic – how many foreign securities do Americans hold?
I have my own thoughts on these questions – I’m interested in yours.
Darn I hate it when I do that.
Equal Access s/b Fairness Doctrine
“A handful of Democrats have been looking to legislation in an effort to revitalize the Fairness Doctrine, the Federal Communications Commission regulation that required broadcast licensees to present controversial issues of public importance in an honest, equal and balanced manner.
WASHINGTON — Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma says he doesn’t need an eye exam or a hearing aid and that he clearly remembers hearing Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Hillary Clinton of New York talk about the need for a “legislative fix” to curb conservative talk radio.”
“But, is that altogether a bad thing?”
I was only clarifying the amount held by the country which is the subject of the thread.
I’m sure some investment in America by foreign governments has it’s merits. Does it demonstrate faith?
Does the declining value of the dollar reflect faith in our government? Or is it a real reflection of our sending roughly 70 billion dollars out of this country every month as world consumers and our huge debt financed spending by our congress and president?
Is foreign investing is part of the normal financial picture of a healthy economy? To what extent and at what level does it become unhealthy and the huge amounts we are borrowing from abroad reflect on our financial health? What happens when they cash in the notes?
Are we borrowing money so we can buy more from the likes of China, which provides China money to invest in America?
Isn’t there some discussion of giving up US Currency as the world standard? Why is that even an issue?
Is it as simple as my own financial planning? If I borrow money, I will be indebted with added interest payments, which will decrease funds available to enjoy life and invest for my future.
Too simple a comparison?
“If I borrow money, I will be indebted with added interest payments, which will decrease funds available to enjoy life and invest for my future.”
Yes, but you borrowed the money to do just that (enjoy life). Assuming you borrowed the money with the means to pay it and invest for the future, etc. it ain’t no thang. Grandpa waited until he had the cash to pay for everything in cash, but he died first.
“Grandpa waited until he had the cash to pay for everything……………”
We do that. We have no long term debt. Grandpa knew what’s best.
And yes, I’m one of those who will probably drop dead of a sudden handicap before cashing in.
It’s always a balance though. Do I buy that new bass boat now, or keep the John boat with Walmart pedestal swivel chairs?
handicap=heat attack. Wow. How’d I do that?
heat=heart. I can’t type lying on the sofa.
“It’s always a balance though. Do I buy that new bass boat now, or keep the John boat with Walmart pedestal swivel chairs?”
‘Tis that. If you got it and it’s a balanced debt…
You know what they say about a boat?
A hole in the water you pour money into.
I’m still at the 14′ aluminum, 9.9 horse stage, but it works OK.