~~~~~It’s bad enough that we’ve off-shored our factories and technology and jobs over the past 20 years. We’re not off-shoring our Stimulus cash too. In fact, we’re tired of serving as the schoolyard wimp of the world. We need our own industrial policy so we can stand up and compete in the world market manufacturing the likes of wind turbines. And we need it now.
China has an industrial policy. And it uses that policy to dominate. Here is how Keith Bradsher of the New York Times described China’s policy to become a world leader in renewable energy, which of course, would include construction of wind turbine factories...
....China was among the many countries that complained bitterly when the U.S. included “Buy American” provisions in the Stimulus Bill. In fact, Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei told a press conference in Beijing in February that China would not do such a thing, “We won’t practice a ‘Buy China’ policy,” he said. Four months later, that’s exactly what China did, instituting its own, stricter “Buy China” policy as part of its economic stimulus program.
China did what China felt was necessary for its economy. And it ignored foreign criticism.
That’s hardly the U.S. tactic. Wilting under criticism, Congress diminished the Buy American provisions before passing the Stimulus.
I am with Senator Schumer on this one ~ Bar Funds for China-Backed Wind Farm, Senator Says
Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration should bar a $1.5 billion wind farm project in Texas from receiving U.S. government stimulus funds because most of the power turbines would be made in China, Senator Charles Schumer said.
“The idea that stimulus funds would be used to create jobs overseas is quite troubling,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, wrote in a draft of a letter he said yesterday he would send to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “I urge you to reject any request for stimulus money unless the high-value components, including the wind turbines, are manufactured in the United States.”
2 comments:
comments from FDL ~
A-Power formed a joint venture with General Electric (GE) to develop wind turbines earlier this year. According to the announcement, GE owns a majority stake in the business that will serve as GE Drivetrain Technologies’ Southeast Asia manufacturing center starting in mid-2010. Now it is clear that turbine shipped from A-Power is at least 50% owned by GE. In other words, China’s $1.05B investment in the 600MW project is going to create jobs associated with GE.
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Those “American” companies in the joint venture? They are “private equity” firms, built on 99% Chinese cash, dummy.
GE is the BIGGEST outsourcer in American industry. There are firms – like right here in PA – that can build those wind turbines. GE has always been about getting that 25% annual ROI, and you can’t do that while paying a living wage in America. You CAN do it paying less-than-subsistence wages to displaced farmers in China, and they are running there as fast as they can.
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We have to build American jobs or, frankly, the GOP takes the country back and we'll have an even worse case of third world country blues.
and ~
They move operations overseas for cheap labor so they can sell the stuff back here making huge profits, not because of taxes. There are no taffifs so selling stuff made there means huge profits.
Second to cheap labor is they don’t have to pay for healthcare
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