To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Paul Kane, in the New York Times, forwards a bold proposal for saving our economy: Ditch Taiwan.
There are dozens of initiatives President Obama could undertake to strengthen our economic security. Here is one: He should enter into closed-door negotiations with Chinese leaders to write off the $1.14 trillion of American debt currently held by China in exchange for a deal to end American military assistance and arms sales to Taiwan and terminate the current United States-Taiwan defense arrangement by 2015.
This would be a most precious prize to the cautious men in Beijing, one they would give dearly to achieve. After all, our relationship with Taiwan, as revised in 1979, is a vestige of the cold war.
I have no idea why he's thinking so small. Taiwan's GDP is about what, $450 billion? Japan is worth about $5.5 trillion. I bet we could get at least three trillion for it, even in this market. Selling Taiwan won't even make a dent in our debt, but selling Japan to China would be a serious down payment. Hey, we could throw in South Korea for another trillion. Heck, how much is ASEAN worth? Sell them the whole thing, maybe we'll all be able to collect Social Security after all.
How much do you think we could get for Hawaii? That's kind of a vestige of the Cold War too, when you think about it. Do we really still need it?
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Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
I agree.
Mar '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Excellent idea - throw in NY, MA, for free. Then the residents of those states can try out the socialist paradise that they crave (Oregon and Washington State are too nice to give away - give the residents the option to move to CA). Then add a few islands in the Bahamas, and Bermuda, to bring us back to 50 states.
The rest of us can then go back to being the USA.
Jun '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
I have some old baseball cards and beanie babies that I thought would be worth a lot more by now. Maybe we can sell those.
Jun '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
I will use this duplicate post for something productive....
Do you ever wish you could breathe under water???
Edited on November 12, 2011 at 5:05pmApr '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
The problem engineering a sale is that the Chinese would have to believe there are credible consequences to simply annexing Taiwan or Japan. Still if we set the price low enough...
Mar '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Samwise Gamgee: I will use this duplicate post for something productive....
Do you ever wish you could breathe under water??? · Nov 12 at 8:04am
Edited on Nov 12 at 08:05 am
I'd rather be able to fly. Being able to breathe underwater would be too seasonal around here to be of much use. If I could fly, I could get to work in the winter without having to wait for a snow plow to clear the cul-de-sac.
Feb '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Wouldn't work. They want to get rid of us by jihad.
Aug '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
I'm sure Canuckistan would love to take Alaska off your hands for a song!
Jul '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
David Williamson
Excellent idea - throw in NY, MA, for free. Then the residents of those states can try out the socialist paradise that they crave (Oregon and Washington State are too nice to give away - give the residents the option to move to CA). Then add a few islands in the Bahamas, and Bermuda, to bring us back to 50 states.
The rest of us can then go back to being the USA. · Nov 12 at 7:37am
The problem with this is America's inability to defend any border anywhere in the 21st Century, and willingness to bail out banana republics by bankrupting our own. Secession would move them to the front of the line for foreign aid while assuring them tax free employment across the border creating an even bigger unmanaged flow of dollars across the border.
Jul '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Israel P.
Wouldn't work. They want to get rid of us by jihad. · Nov 12 at 10:48am
And how has that worked out for them so far?
Dec '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Israel P.
Wouldn't work. They want to get rid of us by jihad. · Nov 12 at 10:48am
But that's the beauty of the plan. Once they buy Israel's destruction from the West, they'll get to treat it as a game preserve and launch a war of attrition against their captives. It may take a while - a much longer while than they realize - but with the imbalance of resources, they can be certain of ultimately bagging their trophy. Heck, the sultans in Dubai paid to develop robot camel jockeys for their amusement, so I imagine they can raise a robot army to do their fighting for them.
Jul '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Stuart Creque
Israel P.
Wouldn't work. They want to get rid of us by jihad. · Nov 12 at 10:48am
But that's the beauty of the plan. Once they buy Israel's destruction from the West, they'll get to treat it as a game preserve and launch a war of attrition against their captives. It may take a while - a much longer while than they realize - but with the imbalance of resources, they can be certain of ultimately bagging their trophy. Heck, the sultans in Dubai paid to develop robot camel jockeys for their amusement, so I imagine they can raise a robot army to do their fighting for them. · Nov 12 at 3:53pm
With Mecca and Medina reduced to piles of radioactive ash? Brilliant jihad planning.
Jan '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
While we're making these, eh, corrections in the geo-political landscape how about selling Israel to the Arabs, and moving the Israelis to Baha-California. Same climate, more defensible borders. Next year in Cabo!!!
Aug '10
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
Percival
Samwise Gamgee: I will use this duplicate post for something productive....
Do you ever wish you could breathe under water??? · Nov 12 at 8:04am
Edited on Nov 12 at 08:05 am
I'd rather be able to fly. Being able to breathe underwater would be too seasonal around here to be of much use. If I could fly, I could get to work in the winter without having to wait for a snow plow to clear the cul-de-sac. · Nov 12 at 10:22am
Me too, but only because it would make my lifelong dream something I could do every day. God I miss flying.
Apr '11
Re: To Save Our Economy, Let's Sell Japan to China
During WW II, Lockheed had a plant in Germany that the 8th Air Force bombed. After the war, the US government (i.e. the taxpayers) paid Lockheed reparations for the damage caused. So it's a more complex issue than it might at first appear.