Just a thought.....?

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by Bill Edgeworth

...That’s where subsidies and fair trade practices come into play.

Your reply hits the target dead center, Bill.

In the early 90s I was working for a division of Anheuser Busch that made aluminum beverage cans. The raw material was a large roll of aluminum stock, each one weighing anywhere from 10 to 14 thousand pounds.

The company decided to switch from Alcoa (made in Alcoa, Tennessee; 500 miles away) to an asian company. The Japanese coil could be shipped the 6000 miles and still be sold for 20% cheaper. As far as I can see, there wasn't any aluminum ore deposits on the islands so they were buying the stuff on the open market just like us. The Japanese government was making that price happen.

I never understood why we never took a small portion of the money we paid to enemies for foreign aid so we could do the same thing for our companies and working people. I guess I'm not smart enough to be in Congress.