Question: if the International Trade Commission had recommended that the gov't *subsidize* low-cost tires, would you say that Obama would have blood on his hands if he rejected the recommendation?
Gil
· 10 years ago
"The end result is that there will be more blow-outs and you'd better hope its not on one of those 15 person vans but it probably will be since blow-outs happen mostly under load." - Franco.
As I asked in the 'pop quiz' blog: what right to those people have to use dangerous tyres and then blame the President Obama when something goes wrong? They can blame Obama for not being able to buy cheap tyres from China but they have NO right to use dangerously unsafe tyres that can blowout at any moment. If those van drivers don't like it then tough. They can picket outside of the White House. However if those types of idiots do buy unsafe tyres and get someone killed they can rot in jail for vehicular manslaughter or murder. A tyre retailer knowingly selling such dangerous tyres ought to sharing the same cell too.
cfisher
· 10 years ago
Sir,
I just don't buy it. If Obama would have blood on his hands for higher duties then he would also has blood on his hand for signing billions of dollars of extra spending. This creates massive dead weight loss, which in turn decreases our advancements in our standard of living. This means less medical discoveries, less new safety features, ect. Countless human beings, present and future, will have a shorter lifespan due to Obama's policies. In fact, every politician (save for the Ron Paul type) would have blood on their hands for the dead weight loss they create in our economy. Do you believe this also, or is it more reasonable to think that politicians can choose policies (good or bad) and are not responsible for the deaths of those who chose to live under those policies.
MHodak
· 10 years ago
Do you have a PhD program?
Metre
· 10 years ago
By and large, I have learned to see things in a different light since I started frequenting this blog. Sometimes, however, you seem to grasp at straws, and I think your letter to the Post grasps at a really small and distant straw. It's a tenuous cause-and-effect connection at best.
James
· 10 years ago
Metre:
If you've ever taken a basic econ course, they (the good ones anyway) are generally full of examples like these. This is a classic unintended consequence that has been borne out time and again.
Franco
· 10 years ago
MHodak, I would have agreed with you prior to my having helped a family member launch a tire business. He sells to a low income clientele in a rust-belt city. These people are very sensitive to price. You may not realize it but the market in this price range is dominated by used tires. They may buy low-end new tires, presumably the Chinese imports in question. If the imports go away, there will be more demand for used tires, the supply of which is fixed so the prices will go up on used tires. The end result is that there will be more blow-outs and you'd better hope its not on one of those 15 person vans but it probably will be since blow-outs happen mostly under load.
Metre
· 10 years ago
I still think the cause-and-effect chain is too simplistic. Russ likes to say that people respond to incentives, and most people have an incentive to stay safe, so they may do without something else in order to ride on good tires. Lots of unmentioned variables in this equation.
D. Watson
· 10 years ago
I'm disappointed you didn't mention effects in the other country/ies. Voluntary transactions benefit both parties. Preventing them harms both.Chinese blood from malnutrition-related deaths ought to be just as good as American blood from a car crash, other than one will make the 10 o'clock news and the other won't.
Prance
· 10 years ago
Metre- One, If that cause-and-effect chain does'nt make enough sense to you, explain to me the benefits of taking a protectionist stance agaisnt our second largest trading partner? maybe they'll return the favor. Two, you can guaranteed you won't get a safer product by limiting competition in the tire market. Three, you show me a person on a tight budget whose dishing out funds to cover new tires, and ill show you a bicyclist.
Watch TV Shows Online
· 3 months ago
By and large, I have learned to see things in a different light since I started frequenting this blog. Sometimes, however, you seem to grasp at straws, and I think your letter to the Post grasps at a really small and distant straw. It's a tenuous cause-and-effect connection at best.
jacqeb
· 2 months ago
That's really a fantastic post ! I added to my favorite blogs list.. I have been reading your blog last couple of weeks and enjoy every bit. Thanks Mini blinds
All Comments
Question: if the International Trade Commission had recommended that the gov't *subsidize* low-cost tires, would you say that Obama would have blood on his hands if he rejected the recommendation?
"The end result is that there will be more blow-outs and you'd better hope its not on one of those 15 person vans but it probably will be since blow-outs happen mostly under load." - Franco.
As I asked in the 'pop quiz' blog: what right to those people have to use dangerous tyres and then blame the President Obama when something goes wrong? They can blame Obama for not being able to buy cheap tyres from China but they have NO right to use dangerously unsafe tyres that can blowout at any moment. If those van drivers don't like it then tough. They can picket outside of the White House. However if those types of idiots do buy unsafe tyres and get someone killed they can rot in jail for vehicular manslaughter or murder. A tyre retailer knowingly selling such dangerous tyres ought to sharing the same cell too.
Sir,
I just don't buy it. If Obama would have blood on his hands for higher duties then he would also has blood on his hand for signing billions of dollars of extra spending. This creates massive dead weight loss, which in turn decreases our advancements in our standard of living. This means less medical discoveries, less new safety features, ect. Countless human beings, present and future, will have a shorter lifespan due to Obama's policies. In fact, every politician (save for the Ron Paul type) would have blood on their hands for the dead weight loss they create in our economy. Do you believe this also, or is it more reasonable to think that politicians can choose policies (good or bad) and are not responsible for the deaths of those who chose to live under those policies.
Do you have a PhD program?
By and large, I have learned to see things in a different light since I started frequenting this blog. Sometimes, however, you seem to grasp at straws, and I think your letter to the Post grasps at a really small and distant straw. It's a tenuous cause-and-effect connection at best.
Metre:
If you've ever taken a basic econ course, they (the good ones anyway) are generally full of examples like these. This is a classic unintended consequence that has been borne out time and again.
MHodak, I would have agreed with you prior to my having helped a family member launch a tire business. He sells to a low income clientele in a rust-belt city. These people are very sensitive to price. You may not realize it but the market in this price range is dominated by used tires. They may buy low-end new tires, presumably the Chinese imports in question. If the imports go away, there will be more demand for used tires, the supply of which is fixed so the prices will go up on used tires. The end result is that there will be more blow-outs and you'd better hope its not on one of those 15 person vans but it probably will be since blow-outs happen mostly under load.
I still think the cause-and-effect chain is too simplistic. Russ likes to say that people respond to incentives, and most people have an incentive to stay safe, so they may do without something else in order to ride on good tires. Lots of unmentioned variables in this equation.
I'm disappointed you didn't mention effects in the other country/ies. Voluntary transactions benefit both parties. Preventing them harms both.Chinese blood from malnutrition-related deaths ought to be just as good as American blood from a car crash, other than one will make the 10 o'clock news and the other won't.
Metre- One, If that cause-and-effect chain does'nt make enough sense to you, explain to me the benefits of taking a protectionist stance agaisnt our second largest trading partner? maybe they'll return the favor. Two, you can guaranteed you won't get a safer product by limiting competition in the tire market. Three, you show me a person on a tight budget whose dishing out funds to cover new tires, and ill show you a bicyclist.
I have been reading your blog last couple of weeks and enjoy every bit. Thanks
Mini blinds