The fine print behind Tsunami relief

[ivolsky]

Driving back from the city, I caught an NPR "Marketplace" segment concerning the heavy tariff burden the U.S. places on countries devastated by the Tsunami. Apparently, the average U.S. duty rate on products from rich nations is about 1%, while the average rate on Sri Lankan goods is 13.8 %. Just recently, Washington imposed anti-dumping duties on shrimp imports from India and Thailand. As a result, Thai exporters will be hit with duties of between 6 and 7%. Indian exporters will face duties of between 5 and 14%. As the Washington Post editorializes , "U.S. policy is thus to extend aid to the tsunami region with one hand while hitting its exports with the other."

If that isn't enough, it appears that US aid also comes at a price . "Theoretically, aid workers bringing clean water to Aceh through US government money could be forced to import a more expensive purifier from the United States even if other options were available." This is because a laws requires taxpayer money be used only on American products. In 1996, the last year for which statistics are available, 72% of American aid came with such obligations. The only country with a higher figure was Italy at 92%. Currently Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand pay $1.8 billion in tariffs to the U.S. At that rate, we will make up all we have given over a four-month period.

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[amazona]

1. sorry we NEED those anti-dump laws for shrimp

Without the anti-dumping laws the foreign shrimp, catfish, and other seafood wipe out our local industries. It was devastating what was being done to our local shrimpers and catfish farmers a few years back.

The most incredible example -- Catfish from Brazil, Vietnam, etc. was selling for 50 cents a pound RETAIL in the supermarket before we got some regulation in this area. And not just in WalMart -- in expensive grocery stores like my local Sav-A-Center.

Talk about unfair competition!

We can't kill every good job that anybody in Louisiana or Mississippi could ever get and tell everyone to go work in a casino. We need to protect our food producing industries. Are we even going to outsource FOOD?

The anti-dumping laws and actions in the seafood industry are good law. We can't help others by refusing to help our own. People in the U.S. deserve a living wage too.

If tsunami "relief" is going to be a backhanded way to stab American industries in the back, especially industries in Louisiana and Mississippi, I'm not going to be too supportive.

Why can't we help each other without finding a way to pit worker against worker in a race to the bottom?

Disclosure: My partner has done work for the catfish, shrimp, and other food production industries.

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even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
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