I think Obama should ease up on the "Buy America" provision

[BootinUp]

in the stimulus package. In other words I think if the stimulus package can be shown to not greatly skew a particular global market with that provision in there than I think it should stay in there. These are our tax dollars and are intended to create American jobs and there is a limited time and dollar amount on the bill.

I won't get too upset if it is taken out, but I think its the right idea actually, and I believe it would be easy to show that the EU and China and other trading partners have done and are doing this as well.

[TrogL]

1. It's not going to work - you've killed all your manufacturing

You can't get up to speed in time to do all your infrastructure projects, especially steel.

Canada's steel mills in Hamilton are sitting idle. Use that capacity.

[BootinUp]

2. Then there should be written into

exceptions for those cases. I see no problem with that.

[w4rma]

4. You mean loopholes. (nt)

[w4rma]

3. It will bring some manufacturing jobs back to America, then. How is this bad? (nt)

[Waiting For Everyman]

14. That's a lie.

If it was true, then why fight it so hard? Canada would get it by default anyway. Canada's fighting pretty hard against this for no reason according to you. I don't think so.

[Thrill]

5. Companies should just be patriotic and buy American without being told to do so

There is likely to be uproar with allies over this provision. I don't think it will violate any trade agreements, but I just worry about the workers who work for companies in the US who do most of their business exporting. Will their be backlash for them?

[Hello_Kitty]

8. Multi-national corporations don't give a shit about patriotism

That's why laws that force them to are necessary.

[ClarkUSA]

6. He did, during one of his network interviews last night. On steel, as an concrete example.

He said he didn't want to be "protectionist" just fair to American workers.

[salguine]

7. Before there can be a "buy America" there has to be a "make in America" again.

[Andy823]

9. Doesn't really matter

What he does, the MSM is doing to twist it and make it look bad for him, no matter what! I was getting some work done on my van today, and they had the TV in the waiting room on Fox. I have to admit the woman at the anchor desk was "happy" about the president limiting pay for CEO's of those companies taking money from the tax payers, but they went to another guy getting input from the "public" by way of emails I guess, and the woman reading them read only the ones that were "against" setting limits on CEO pay! I mean come on, how many taxpayers are really "against" setting limits on multi million dollar salaries? :shrug:

Listening to Wolf on CNN wasn't much better. They keep saying the president is "losing" support in congress and from the public for his stimulus bill. One woman was defending him, the other two people were trying to make it look like Obama was not in control of his own party! They all did admit that in the end he would get his bill passed, but they asked at what cost to his political clout? Makes so mad that 8 years of Bush and they can't admit it was Bush's fault, along with the republicans in congress, that got us into this mess! :grr:

[RC]

10. The "Buy American" needs to be changed to "Employ Americans"

The H-1B visa needs to revisited. Laying off or firing American workers in this country and hiring foreign workers in their place needs some large teeth so it does not happen. What good does it do to "Buy American" if the employees at that company are foreign workers that displaced American workers?

[BootinUp]

11. You had to open that can of worms, lol.

but absolutely correct, we need to revisit that in a big way.

[Skwmom]

12. Yeah, let's import that cheap, junk steel from China and use

it to rebuild our infrastructure. That's a brilliant idea.

New Threat from China: Shoddy Steel Imports
First it was food, then toys...Now, new concerns over Chinese imports have hit a pillar of the U.S. infrastructure.

Steel imports from China that fall apart easily are making U.S. manufacturers and constructions firms more than a little nervous.


http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/New_Threat_from_China_Steel_070907.html


I heard about this years ago.



What in the heck is wrong with this country?

[RC]

15. China must have run out of the good steel we gave them from the WTC.

[underpants]

13. Michael Phelps was using the only viable Made in America crop left

at least the only one on a large scale that makes money --WITHOUT Federal government susidies and protections