Balance of trade, globalization, and unemployment

Discussion in 'Economics & Trade' started by ARDY, Mar 25, 2018.

  1. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I must keep reminding people, especially Americans, that Socialism is a political entity and Capitalism is not. Capitalism is simply an economic system that employs money (capital) in a market-economy as a medium of exchange (that replaced barter historically).

    Capitalism has no underlying political structure, which both socialist and social-democracies do. Definitions:
    We think that the two words define political systems. They don't. They define different components of political systems.

    I live in France, which is both a Social Democracy and employs capitalism within an economic context. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive, because they are different mechanisms - the first within a political context and the second within an economic context.

    The differences are subtle but meaningful. One can believe in both in capitalism AND social democracy, because they are mutually compatible ...

    So, what is indeed the opposite of a Social Democracy? Just the word "Conservatism", which means:
    • Commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation.
      ‘proponents of theological conservatism’

    • The holding of political views that favour free enterprise, private ownership, and socially conservative ideas.
    The definitions of the two credos (systems of belief) are really quite different ...
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2018
  2. Reiver

    Reiver Well-Known Member

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    The idea that Macron's France is social democratic really isn't credible...
     
  3. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Because, as a mechanism, it is not intended to solve poverty.

    It is not a "belief structure" but a simple mechanism of exchange. As when people employ "capital" (money) to purchase Goods and Services.

    When comparing Opposing Political Beliefs it is far, far better to employ the phrase "Conservative Democracy vs Social Democracy" ...
     
  4. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    Means tested welfare is more expensive. Unemployment compensation could simply compensate for capitalism's, not labor's, natural rate of unemployment for the sake of the bottom, capital line. Don't be a Bad capitalist.
     
  5. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    Socialism starts with our Social Contract and Constitution.

    The power to provide for the general welfare is general. It is not a common power.
     
    LafayetteBis likes this.
  6. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Social Democracy not socialism.

    Socialism calls for the government ownership of the means of production, which is not bad but depends upon "the means of what production and for whom?" The service of Defense of the Nation? OK.

    Such services that governments uniquely are best at providing. But that certainly does not mean all services.

    As regards National Healthcare, many doctors in Europe work independently but their fees are paid by patients. Fee-costs are fixed by the National Healthcare Service and patients are reimbursed by the government. (Not always at 100% as in the UK, but some high percentage because usage by patients can easily become psychologically abusive countries have found.)

    Teachers at most primary, secondary and tertiary schools are paid directly by governments in Europe. But some schools are private that fix the fee levels. (You can't get an MBA in France the fee for which is reimbursed by the government!)

    Government provided services in these two key "service-industries" (learning and healthcare) are special because they are prime-necessities of which all taxpayers deserve to be assured access to their usage ...
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2018
  7. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    I get my understanding from encyclopedias, not dictionaries. Why do You believe, any given form of Socialism, does't start with a Social Contract, that defines that form of Government?
     
  8. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Once again you have avoided displaying the person to whom you are addressing this message ...
     
  9. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Because otherwise people stooopidly keep thinking that socialism is just overbearing government spending on social-services, and capitalism want's to minimize expenditures on public services.

    That is NOT capitalism. It is conservatism.

    Duhhhhhhhhhhhhh ...
     
  10. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Try it. You'll like it.

    And your replies on this forum will be more cogent ...
     
  11. Reiver

    Reiver Well-Known Member

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    Again, there is nothing to support the view that automatic unemployment benefit will eliminate poverty. Again, there is no capitalism's NRU (there is only a concept spawned by supply siders abusing the Phillips Curve)
     
  12. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Being a Yank by birth and having lived in Europe for a donkey's age, I keep scratching my head about this question.

    You cannot imagine how much Europeans like to "mimic" the US. But, there are limits. An example: The fascination for "things" American as regards WW2 is never ending. There are restored WW2 jeeps and tanks and trucks all over the place. When celebrating the Normandy Landing, the French had no problem whatsoever to find French who dressed up as Yanks. And were proud to do so! (PS: All of them had no war-experience having been born long after.)

    But, go to war? Uh, uh. That's a "Yankee thing". (After all, when the DoD-budget consumes more than half the entire US Discretionary Spending Budget, as an upstanding American citizen you want value-for-the-money, don't you?!? ;^)

    Europeans like to have a good-job (who doesn't?), but those who are multi-billionaires are not adulated. In fact, most rich people keep their lives as far from public attention as possible. Meaning, they don't "bump it with a trumpet!"

    Whyzzat? Because, for the most part, much higher European income and sales taxation pays for both free (or nearly free) Tertiary Education. And, most importantly, some of the best Health Care systems in the world. (See this ranking of National Healthcare Systems by an American research group!)
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2018
  13. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    you may have him on ignore.
     
  14. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    dear, simply resorting to the Other Peoples' tax monies, is socialism.
     
  15. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    lol. both the People and the Militia are plural not singular. it is a dictionary definition.
     
  16. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    why do you believe it won't? solving for capitalism's, natural rate of unemployment, means poverty should only exist on an at-will basis in any at-will employment State; it could be viewed as a freedom, for the Religious.
     
  17. Reiver

    Reiver Well-Known Member

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    I deal with the obvious. The NRU is merely a right wing economic concept. There's no 'solving. And it's integration within macroeconomics has coincided with increases in poverty and income inequality
     
  18. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    Why does it exist; and, it is not my fault you refuse to work with existing metrics. NRU is simply there for statistics. Providing recourse to an income on an at-will basis in our at-will employment States, is what the actual effect would be.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2018
  19. Reiver

    Reiver Well-Known Member

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    Nonsense. It originates directly from supply side economics. To suggest that it's merely a statistical measure is not credible.
     
  20. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    It exists and is a form of statistics. Simplifying our social safety net can lower cost and improve the efficiency of our economy, in the process.
     
  21. Reiver

    Reiver Well-Known Member

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    Just repeating yourself won't help you. By accepting a right wing concept based on the premise that fiscal policy has no long term impact and that unemployment benefit should be reduced to maximise worker incentives, you've simply scored a nonsensical argument.
     
  22. james M

    james M Banned

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    let's not be silly boys employment is 96% even with libcommie interference so its not a big issue. Wages is a far bigger issue and we could easily give Americans a huge huge wage increase by letting The Donald ship 30 million illegals home!!
     
  23. danielpalos

    danielpalos Banned

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    You are simply misapplying the concept; stereotyping? Even wo-men, can do that.

    Full employment of capital resources can be measured, in part by any lack of a natural rate of unemployment.

    The weights and measures can even stay the same.
     
  24. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Good post.

    I think they have it in them. The problem is the workforce.

    Americans won't work for the wages necessary to compete with Mexican fruit&veggies.

    Much medium-level US manufacturing did not compete with China - instead it sourced from there. (And their irony of that sort is the Chinese companies that are bringing their manufacturing technologies and setting-up shop in West Virginia!!!!)

    But, the US can't do that with fruit&veggies from southern Central and Southern American states. But, it can try. Here's how (maybe):
    *Fresh fruit and veggies is a lost-cause.
    *But fresh ingredients are necessary for by-products (canned/frozen) that are derivatives from the same input material. Why don't farmers go "up-market" and create such products in plants close to their farms?
    *They could be set up as "cooperatives" to which farmers could benefit by selling their raw-products and owning those plants which resold finished-products (with higher margins) directly to supermarkets.

    And why is Donald Dork ranting about Mexico when he could be helping farmers to set-up such an operation as suggested above? Rather than on his Effing Fence, better use of the money could be to help establish the operation outlined above ... ?
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2018
  25. LafayetteBis

    LafayetteBis Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Nice explanation of the mutual convenience of (particularly) NAFTA trading. Which has escaped Donald Dork (because he is a dork).

    Let's not forget however, that as regards agriculture, for certain items the US due to the geographic expanse of land available to farming wheat (and other such grain foods) has a natural advantage due to the expanse of land being employed.

    Few other countries can even come close to the advantage, not even Canada ..
     

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