Jimmy Carter agrees with Trump on Canadian lumber trade practices

[Peter1469]

Jimmy Carter agrees with Trump on Canadian lumber trade practices (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jimmy-carter-trump-is-right-canadas-lumber-trade-practices-are-unfair/2017/05/09/249c7bb4-31b8-11e7-8674-437ddb6e813e_story.html?utm_term=.85f4f38d0525)

Well, his family is big in lumber. But not hardwood. Anyway, he thinks the Canadians dump their lumber onto US markets. Dumping is illegal.


I agree with the recent decision (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/04/24/another-bad-act-on-the-part-of-the-canadians-trump-administration-launches-punitive-tariffs-on-canadian-lumber/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.005c966991fa) of the White House and the Commerce Department to impose anti-subsidy duties against Canada’s unfairly traded softwood lumber imports. This belated enforcement of U.S. trade laws will help millions of (https://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/15758) private timberland owners, American forestry workers (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-trump-canadian-lumber-20170425-story.html) and members of their local communities by leveling the playing field in the timber industry.

Timber sales are a major source of income for my own family, and we have suffered financially for many years from an unfair advantage enjoyed by our major competitor in this vital market.

Read the rest at the link.

[Ethereal]

I respect Carter, but "dumping" is just another word for "selling lots of cheap goods" to American consumers. I have a hard time getting upset about that, even if it negatively impacts our domestic timber industry.

[Private Pickle]

He also just came out and said he didn't vote for Hillary...

[Peter1469]

I respect Carter, but "dumping" is just another word for "selling lots of cheap goods" to American consumers. I have a hard time getting upset about that, even if it negatively impacts our domestic timber industry.

Dumping is a legal term of art. It is illegal under all trade deals.

[Common]

He also just came out and said he didn't vote for Hillary...
I read that he voted bernie

[Common]

I respect Carter, but "dumping" is just another word for "selling lots of cheap goods" to American consumers. I have a hard time getting upset about that, even if it negatively impacts our domestic timber industry.

I agree with you that its hard not to like cheaper prices for goods but there has to be some kind of help for americans to work.

[Peter1469]

Globalism hits our middle class hard. It breaks up the benefits the middle class had prior to globalization and tears them down so the second and third world can rise a bit.

[Ethereal]

I agree with you that its hard not to like cheaper prices for goods but there has to be some kind of help for americans to work.
Well, only a tiny percentage of Americans actually work in the timber industry, but all Americans rely on affordable timber. So if helping the former group comes at the expense of the latter group, I see it as a bad policy. However, I believe there are ways to help the American worker without hurting the American consumer, which is decreasing some taxes and regulations on their businesses so that they have more money left over to keep prices affordable and to pay people better wages.

[Ethereal]

If we want to help American businesses stay competitive, then we should lower taxes and repeal regulations. Trying to manipulate trade relationships is too risky and complicated.

[Peter1469]

If we want to help American businesses stay competitive, then we should lower taxes and repeal regulations. Trying to manipulate trade relationships is too risky and complicated.

That is my position. Until illegal dumping occurs.

[Dr. Who]

Dumping is a legal term of art. It is illegal under all trade deals.

It is also very subjective. US softwood sources and Canadian softwood sources are completely different. The former is entirely "free market" if you want to use that term - I would say capitalistic and the other has the lumber companies in a contractual relationship with governments that don't have a profit motive but attempt to set a rate annually that satisfies the terms of the treaty. I don't see it any different than Walmart flooding America with cheaper goods because they have greater buying power. I guess it depends what you value more - homes that people can afford or lumber industry profits. Changing the terms of engagement will kill more American construction jobs than lumber jobs.

[Tahuyaman]

Jimmy Carter agrees with Trump on Canadian lumber trade practices
Evidently former president Carter is so irrelevant the Democrats didn't send him the memo that he must oppose Trump no matter what.

[Peter1469]

It is also very subjective. US softwood sources and Canadian softwood sources are completely different. The former is entirely "free market" if you want to use that term - I would say capitalistic and the other has the lumber companies in a contractual relationship with governments that don't have a profit motive but attempt to set a rate annually that satisfies the terms of the treaty. I don't see it any different than Walmart flooding America with cheaper goods because they have greater buying power. I guess it depends what you value more - homes that people can afford or lumber industry profits. Changing the terms of engagement will kill more American construction jobs than lumber jobs.
I don't know the specifics of the Canadian market. I do know the US uses the term dumping. Dumping is illegal under all trade deals. I believe a court agreed with the US.

Walmart benefits from many factors. It sells largely cheap crap and it is unlikely dumping is a major factor.

A good case study for dumping is Chinese solar panels. They destroyed the local solar power industry in at least the US and Germany. People paid less. Our businesses went bankrupt. Then the Chinese solar panels started to crap out well before their advertised life span. The people who thought they were making a good purchase doubly screwed themselves.

[texan]

I f you don't get it you are an imbecile.

[texan]

I don't know the specifics of the Canadian market. I do know the US uses the term dumping. Dumping is illegal under all trade deals. I believe a court agreed with the US.

Walmart benefits from many factors. It sells largely cheap crap and it is unlikely dumping is a major factor.

A good case study for dumping is Chinese solar panels. They destroyed the local solar power industry in at least the US and Germany. People paid less. Our businesses went bankrupt. Then the Chinese solar panels started to crap out well before their advertised life span. The people who thought they were making a good purchase doubly screwed themselves.
Peter,
It is targeted towards the import steel business more than anything.......It is an unfair practice to create unfair pricing causing competition problems for domestic providers. I dealt with it this week on some steel from China. It is the international verbiage that equates to our anti-trust laws.