[andyt]

$1:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100205/n_top_news/cnews_us_usa_canada_trade

I know it would hurt, but maybe the time has come to tell Americans to piss up a rope. I mean they tell us to bend over and we just ask how far, and if they'll be nice enough to at least give us a reach around and respect us in the morning.

[GreenTiger]

Some of us Americans are a bit near sighted when it comes to commerce. Commerce does not simply exist in one country, it is multi-national in nature. Canada is our largest trading partner. It's like the climate it doesn't have borders. If a serious attempt is is made to "segregate" economic activity I believe the economies of both countries will shrink and be even more misery.

[Akhenaten]

andyt andyt:

$1:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100205/n_top_news/cnews_us_usa_canada_trade

I know it would hurt, but maybe the time has come to tell Americans to piss up a rope. I mean they tell us to bend over and we just ask how far, and if they'll be nice enough to at least give us a reach around and respect us in the morning.

I'm not understanding why you're so angry at this. I'm not an economist but I think anyone should've seen this exemption coming right from the start. The economical ties between the US and Canada are siamese-twin in nature, you can have a tug of war but you can't sever them or likely both countries will come close to death. We depend on them for most of our exports - that part is pretty straight forward, and their manufacturing depends on our raw exports and energy. I was never once concerned about "buy American" because I knew it inherently wouldn't include us. I mean if they don't want to buy our maple syrup that's one thing but they're not going to say 'no' to the raw goods they need to continue manufacturing, and they're not going to say 'no' to the massive energy exports that keeps their factories running.

[andyt]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

andyt andyt:

$1:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100205/n_top_news/cnews_us_usa_canada_trade

I know it would hurt, but maybe the time has come to tell Americans to piss up a rope. I mean they tell us to bend over and we just ask how far, and if they'll be nice enough to at least give us a reach around and respect us in the morning.

I'm not understanding why you're so angry at this. I'm not an economist but I think anyone should've seen this exemption coming right from the start. The economical ties between the US and Canada are siamese-twin in nature, you can have a tug of war but you can't sever them or likely both countries will come close to death. We depend on them for most of our exports - that part is pretty straight forward, and their manufacturing depends on our raw exports and energy. I was never once concerned about "buy American" because I knew it inherently wouldn't include us. I mean if they don't want to buy our maple syrup that's one thing but they're not going to say 'no' to the raw goods they need to continue manufacturing, and they're not going to say 'no' to the massive energy exports that keeps their factories running.

Just a moment of spite - I get tired of us dancing to the US's tune. I guess the softwood lumber deal doesn't mean much in Alberta, and you're happy with the price you get from the US for your oil, so there isn't the same feeling there.

The buy American did include us, for what, a year now? And we finally got an exemption from 37 states (that's what set me off, that there are 15 states that don't exempt us). But we are so stupid and reactive instead of proactive. As legislation winds its way thru congress, why are we not getting ahead of the curve? Same deal with the pulp industry - lots of yowling because the US mills were being subsidized by a billion plus, instead of us enacting the same legislation. If we're really equal partners, ie they need us as much as we need them, then we should start acting like it, stand up instead of always begging. And, we've gotta make sure to unhitch ourselves a bit more from that wagon, I fear it's gonna crash.

[Akhenaten]

Well I don't want to get into a huge argument about it (because it's not my forte), but if you lived on the other side of the border things would seem reversed. Canada has plenty of buy Canadian provisions too. Don't get me wrong - it's not like I think we just won the lottery with this deal but it boggles the mind, imo, just how bad the NA economy was hit and yet we're all still afloat. We basically got hit with (prime mortgage, bubbles etc) factors that would've, as is my understanding, put us all in the same boat we were in during the dirty 30's and yet not quite, eh? We're not out there shining shoes and stealing from farmers fields.

I dunno. So far I think the US, Canada and Europe - in that order - have been very lucky over this "world wide recession".

[uwish]

andyt andyt:

$1:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100205/n_top_news/cnews_us_usa_canada_trade

I know it would hurt, but maybe the time has come to tell Americans to piss up a rope. I mean they tell us to bend over and we just ask how far, and if they'll be nice enough to at least give us a reach around and respect us in the morning.

you could get away with that IF they were not 80% of your export market. I do applaud the CPC for signing some of these trade deals with South America, Central America etc. We do need to diversify our export client list.

[andyt]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

Well I don't want to get into a huge argument about it (because it's not my forte), but if you lived on the other side of the border things would seem reversed. Canada has plenty of buy Canadian provisions too. Don't get me wrong - it's not like I think we just won the lottery with this deal but it boggles the mind, imo, just how bad the NA economy was hit and yet we're all still afloat. We basically got hit with (prime mortgage, bubbles etc) factors that would've, as is my understanding, put us all in the same boat we were in during the dirty 30's and yet not quite, eh? We're not out there shining shoes and stealing from farmers fields.

I dunno. So far I think the US, Canada and Europe - in that order - have been very lucky over this "world wide recession".

I know we do. Tho I understand we have just as many restrictions between provinces, and one of the things holding the deal up on our side was getting all the provinces to read from the same page. Sad really.

We've so far come out of all this fairly well - well unless you're one of the ones that lost your job, then it was a depression. But, boy the papers are full of doom and gloom about our prospects, including the housing bubble we are building in Canada, and how our personal debt load is increasing while the Americans are lowering theirs. I don't think we've seen the end of it. But then, it might just all be hype to sell newspapers. What do I know.

[Public_Domain]

[andyt]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

There are only 50 states. 48 continental, then Hawaii and Alaska. So 13 states didn't exempt us, or 35 did.

Ah, for some reason I always think there's 50. Maybe I'm already counting Canada and Mexico.