Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2(pesnta.1.2) 9/5/84; site scc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!pesnta!scc!steiny From: steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: War With Japan Message-ID: <489@scc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 5-Apr-85 00:57:56 EST Article-I.D.: scc.489 Posted: Fri Apr 5 00:57:56 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 7-Apr-85 04:46:02 EST Distribution: net Organization: Computational Linguist Lines: 56 *** The press and the legislator have picked up a disturbing metaphor to describe trade relations with Japan. The metaphor is "war." We import more from Japan than we export to Japan. The legislator seems to think that by putting up trade barriers against Japanese products the imbalance will be corrected. That seems to me to be naive. I think we should learn to cooperate with the Japanese. What are we afraid of? The Japanese say that the reason that they can manufacture things more cheaply and more reliably than we can is because they are better managers. Electronic equipment and chips manufactured in Japan are sometimes more reliable or do the job better. We do not need the government restricting our access to reliable or appropriate technology. Who is our legislator helping and who are they punishing by declaring war on Japan? Who will be the winner? What would a victory be like? What would a victory be like if we stopped and looked at other ways of solving the problem, say improving productivity and reliability so that we could compete with Japan? The current economic policies of high-interest rates to fight inflation have made US goods expensive abroad and imports cheap. In other words, we are blaming the Japanese for something we have created ourselves. I could easily imagine a situation where an American manufacturer uses Japanese chips, the legislator slaps on a trade war tax, the cost of the American product goes up and it gets wiped out by Japanese competition. I can not imagine any advantage we would get from a war with Japan. Right now in Fremont, California hundreds of people are working at the GM plant again because Toyota bought it and started producing cars there. It helps everyone. Who cares where corporate central is? -- scc!steiny Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382 ihnp4!pesnta -\ 109 Torrey Pine Terr. ucbvax!twg --> scc!steiny Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060 fortune!idsvax -/