From: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Subject: Re: Strike at Saturn?
Reply-To: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 20:18:04 GMT

In article <1992Aug30.193347.25465@leland.Stanford.EDU>, underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
|> Would Ms. Leigth frigging wake up and please listen to what the
|> hell I'm saying?
|> 
|> I am not arguing that the American cars are adequate in quality.
|> I'm saying nothing about the quality or desirability of American
|> cars.  No where did I say one damn thing about whether an American
|> car is good or not.
|>
|> What I am saying is that it is unfair for the Japanese to
|> jack up the price of an American car by 100% over the price
|> in the USA..

Why?  Do you know what a BMW sells for in Germany, or an Accord in
Japan?  I don't think you do.  I think you'd find that German and
Japanese cars are much more expensive in the U.S. (mabye not 100%).
So how is this unfair?

|> Ms. Leigth argument reminds me of what Japanese legislators say
|> when the USA demands opening of the Japanese rice market.  Opening
|> the rice market may actually help Thai farmers much more than
|> American farmers.  But that's beside the point.  The issue is that
|> it is _not_ appropriate to close one's markets.

Or what the American Legistlators say about American beer, or American
lumber, or...  Face it, the U.S. is just as bad as any other country,
you just happen to be losing the car war.

|> In rebuttal, the Japanese legislators start talking about
|> something altogether different.  For example, they say that
|> rice farming in Japan is part of the soul of Japan and must
|> be preserved.

The EXACT same thing I heard about U.S beer, lumber, farming, etc.

|> But what is certain is that there will be an increase.  I would
|> suggest that Ms. Leith take an economics course.  When _all_
|> _frigging_ _factors_ _are_ _held_ _constant_, with the
|> exception that the price is decreased, demand for the product
|> goes up.

Yes, but by how much?  Do you think you'll sell an extra 1000 or 100,000
cars?  I don't think the volume is there to justify the expense.  Her point
was why sell an inferior product in a market where it will obviously lose?
You can't even win at home with import duties.

|> I implied nothing.  I only said that the system of pricing in Japan
|> is unfair.

They're unfair, and your own back yard is SOO fare to everyone else.  I
think you live in a vacuum.

|> >And so what is he is "a foreigner?"  I find your "sarcasm" quite
|> >offensive. 
|> 
|> Really?  But apparently, you aren't offended enough by the Japanese
|> pricing system.

Just because an economic system is different from yours you do not have to
sink to obviously insulting comments.  You sound like if someones society
is different then yours than it's obvously inferior.  That's an insult.

|> Let's do a mental exercise.  What do you think that the Japanese would
|> think if the system was reversed?  Namely, let's say that Americans had
|> the Japanese import restrictions but that Japan was an open market.
|> 
|> answer:  The Japanese would be pissed.

answer : ask a Canadian, and YES, we are pissed about the U.S. and your 
         protectionist attitudes.

|> But I do agree with some Japanese on one thing.  If Americans thought
|> like you, then they are _really_ stupid.  And there are quite a few
|> Japanese who think that Americans are 3rd world people, at least
|> in intellect.

Oh, and you don't feel the same about them?

|> It's amazing that people like you, Ms. Leith, will twist what I say
|> to defend the Japanese pricing system.  At no point have I argued
|> that Americans should buy American or anything else.  I only pointed
|> out that the Japanese have severe import restrictions.  This is 
|> fundamentally unfair.
|> 
|> This has to be dealt with immediately.  I know the Japanese mentality.
|> If the shoe were on the other foot, i.e. America restricting
|> Japanese imports with Japan being an open market, then the Japanese
|> would be demanding that something be done about the inequity.
|> Unlike some stupid Americans, the Japanese are very analytical
|> and are quite aware of reality.

You're pretty good at the "evangilistic" preaching about how great you 
are and how bad they are.  I suggest you take a look at your own country.

|> Copyright 1992.

I've never seen anyone copyright a .sig before.

Don
My brain, my thoughts, my words.
Let's pretend that protestants and catholics are friends.
   Northern Pikes