Do you think Big Oil played a part in May 17th decision to put a huge tariff on

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   Product Reviewposted 13 years ago

   Do you think Big Oil played a part in May 17th decision to put a huge tariff on solar panels?
   
   The USA has put a 31% "anti-dumping" tariff on solar panels from China.  It is not as if solar panels are so cheap everyone is rushing out to put them on their roof.

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   Gusserposted 13 years ago

   NO---Obama is trying to stop the solar companies in America from bankruptcy. He threw money at them and would lose the election if another goes out of business. He certainly is a poor invester. Amoung other things.

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   veritorogueposted 13 years ago

   No. China is kicking our butts in the production of solar panels at costs that we can't compete with and it is making Obama look bad because he has thrown so much of our money at solar businesses that fail. These failing businesses have been lobbying for tariffs as the steel industry did decades ago (I expect the results will be comparable as well) and they are well connected as we all know. This is all part of the ongoing trade war with China that will be heating up as American businesses demand entry to China's growing market that is resulting from a huge population that is becoming more prosperous. China has been manipulating the yuan to gain unfair trade advantages and they have so much of our currency that it is diificult for us to respond adequately without the threat of them hurting the dollar. The trade war will heat up as the tit for tat continues to the point real conflict becomes a real possibility. It is likely to manifest itself in areas outside of the US and China like Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. Taiwan should be bellweather that should warn us that we are entering dangerous times. This situation is similar to what led to the recession that turned into the Great Depression with the enactment of the Hawley/Smoot Tariff Act.

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      Product Reviewposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think if a US company can't compete on price in an industry, then let that company fail.  The administration should continue to focus on infrastructue improvements to the grid that will employ thousands.  Let business find the cheapest suppliers.

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      veritorogueposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The problem is that letting a US industry fail because another nation has a nearly enslaved workforce and abhorent working conditions is saying that to win we need a nearly enslaved workforce also. GM and BofA should have failed. Mostly agree PR.

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