On Tariffs, "Trade Wars," and the Mandate of Heaven
Long-term Benefits offset Short-term Commodity Price Spikes, Fascism
Many accuse our current economic scenario as having the traits of a “Trade War.”
Free-Market forces, they are as graspable as the sun and wind.
Peter Schiff, whose economic knowledge and candor impress, was quick to explain that tariffs will increase the prices of goods to American consumers. You can catch the whole clip here. Although you don’t have to watch it, as I have summarized the main point already: “Americans pay the penalty when tariffs are imposed.” Let’s take a look and see if this is true. (Analysis below)
First off, Trade Wars are only possible between nations.
And in my opinion, China is not a nation.
China is a corporation with its own laws that happens to own its own continent. "Trade Wars" are only possible between nations, but China is not a free nation, so how can we talk about trade?
Long ago, the Mandate of Heaven explained the divine order of the Center of the Universe. What am I talking about? Why, China of course!
You wouldn’t guess that immediately, maybe, and that’s because the Party Room of Control has usurped the narrative that characterized a once noble and delicate land.
You see, Confucius said that the ideal form of government would be a team of scholar leaders who would come to consensus on issues to help the people on grand scale.
Confucius also introduced the idea of a Divine Order, children having love and honor for their parents, the mother having love and humbleness to the father, and the father having love and humble deference to the Emperor.
Of course, there’s gotta be somebody at the top of the pyramid.
Wait wait wait, how did the Emperor get there?
Well actually, Confucius said “master yourself and you are servant to none.” Or something like that. Confucius was saying that the individual is the celestial body of Eve or Adam and must be honored as the sacred temple of Awareness. Honor your own Awareness and all will fall into place like dominoes, inner world eventually reflexing and reflecting in the outer world.
However, this beautiful understanding that Confucius came to share was usurped, first by the Imperial Line. More recently, by the Party Room of Control.
“Commander of my soul, sole captain of my ship.”
Photo: Lone Warrior walks the streets of Japan early morning, pre-Corona.
Knowledge, Usury, and Propaganda
What is knowable and what is seeable, is it far away or is it near? Where does knowing happen? Confucius was the kind of guy to ask these kinds of questions. And Confucius came up with some great answers.
But if Confucius was trying to empower the individual, how was the state going to keep control?
Propaganda. Certainly not clever enough to deal, but we’re quick enough to steal.
Allow me to introduce a historical vignette to depict stance, trawl, and timbre:
Emperor: “Confucius, love what you’re doing with that Self-Actualization stuff. Hey, all of Asia (me) is wondering, can you reel it back a little with the independence vibe and make it more subservient to all of Asia (me) ?”
Confucius: “There isn’t even a Chinese ideogram for cringe yet but I just wrote it anyway. ”
The emperor cringed at the ideogram Confucius had writ. Nevertheless, the cheerful doctrine of Self Actualization for all no matter male or female, young or old, brave or meek, was usurped.
What I think the original Heavenly Mandate means:
Awareness of your mind-body-complex in the center.
Your best friend and your companion, your wife so-to-speak or spouse is your deeper attitudes about stuff, your coarse mind and thoughts.
Finally, your kids and offspring are the emotions you create, married to your deeper ideals.
And actually in Buddha’s teaching there is something quite similar: “married to the afflictions I produce offspring of faulty karma!”
Per the regard of these eyes, Confucius is saying “You can replace those basic operating patterns with love, benevolence, paternal and maternal respect, and the other cool things I talked about.”
Summarily, this very useful propaganda was tweaked just a bit, and instead of putting the individual at the center, we put an outside, unquestionable authority at the center.
Let’s revisit our friend Peter Schiff in the video at 1:11.
“Tariffs are a tax on the American consumer.”
Tariffs are actually a very useful tool for creating an economic wall that filters selectively on goods.
Say, for example,
A tariff on Country Q's solar panels means that the going price for solar in America will go up, because Country Q can offer panels for $20 but domestically it is at least $30. This protects the American company that has to cut wages to compete with Country Q.
Country Q might be fascist, might enslave its people, might mask corporatism and feudalistic hierarchy behind a veneer of being a "Republic," but Country Q is ultimately draining America of real dollars.
By imposing a tariff, the availability of solar from Country Q is effectively walled away, and domestically consumers must pay more for solar panels.
This would at first glance seem like it costs Americans more, but this is short-sighted thinking.
We can see that the $30 that went to an American company stays in the American economy, while the $20 that would have gone to Country Q, would have given a boost to Country Q.
Tariffs protect domestic industry and create protection against undercutting of prices by foreign powers and especially powers that don't have to pay their workforce / slaveforce fair wages.
Here's a coarse example,
China allocates tons of resources to make a Pencil Factory. Now they have a huge excess of pencils. Their inefficient allocation of resources that is oblivious to market demand has created a huge surplus of pencils in this example. They need a place to offload them. They sell pencils to America. This is not trade, this is a corporation with slavery as a fundamental premise selling its excess ill-got slavery-based gains to a power that has free market forces. Explain what Trade War means when one team is a Nation and the other team is a Fascist Corporation that enslaves its people.
Imagine you are having a picnic and a bear comes and pulls the blanket and all the food away. You grab desperately at the blanket to pull and salvage some of the food. But alas, the bear makes off with a sandwich and dessert and the blanket.
"Stop tug of wars now!" chant the people on the sidelines.
"Tug of wars hurt everyone! Bears and human alike!"
Forget the fact that you were just trying to salvage what little you could from you picnic blanket.
"Tug of wars help no body and harm both man and beast!"
I'd have to disagree.
How can you start with force as a premise for kindness?