Reply #72: So the USA wants to undo the free trade agreement with CANADA?

[applegrove]

And try for a new one? We have oil? They have access to that. We have water. The midwest will be without water in 20 years.

Will Europe tear itself apart?

Will Latin American countries have to trade one by one and not put their might and their values all together and become a powerful consumer block?

Will the west coast of Africa - which was at one point two big colonies under the french - but divided up into twelve - yes - that is right twelve tiny countries - will they have to make little deals with every nation on the planet? 12 x 175 = 2100 trade deals that those poor countries have to make. Why you will be as close to those countries as you will be to Kansas in 10 years.

Will China do anything we want it to do? And if we get together in blocks will we not be able to offset China's power in a way?

Will concentrating on non oil using industries and excelling at them help the USA in peak oil times. Oh and what comes after peak oil? Less oil. So why not concentrate of things that don't take oil.

The price of oil will rise and that will cause inflation (à la 1970s and that was only a smaller increase in the price of oil that we will face) so if prices of other goods - goods produced in other countries come down in price - that will fight inflation. And we will avoid stagnation as long as possible. The problem isn't that the cost of goods are not coming down - it is that the rich are doing dick all to fight inflation in the USA. All these world changes are on the backs of the middle class and the poor.

Do you think Africa will not get together and try and push its way into agricultural markets? Don't you think they deserve a chance?

I say again - I'm with new zealand. They tried to be neocons. They didn't like it. They have moved back and put up some protection and still do lots of trade.

I say that some industries should be protected. The US sure protects itself from anyone stealing intellectual property. They make up regulations for that. Other countries should have policy flexibility. Nothing wrong with Chavez keeping 30% of Venezuela oil profits to redistribute the wealth in that country.

Public health care should be the norm all over the world.