List Books » Trading Away Our Future: How to Fix Our Government-Driven Trade Defecits and Faulty Tax System Before It's Too Late
Authors: Raymond L. Richman, Howard B. Richman
ISBN-13: 9780929446059, ISBN-10: 0929446054
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Pennsylvania Homeschoolers
Date Published: March 2008
Edition: (Non-applicable)
We are Trading Away Our Future and most economists have been caught with their heads in the sand. They think that the trade deficits are the result of free market forces. But the trade deficits are caused by foreign government currency manipulations and the foolish subsidies that the US tax system gives to foreign savings.
The American people know that something is wrong. They know that the Chinese and Japanese governments manipulate their currencies to steal American industries. They are intrigued by Governor Huckabee's endorsement of the Fair Tax, a proposal that would abolish the IRS, renew American investment, strengthen the dollar, and help solve the trade deficits.
If nothing is done, then resolutely nondemocratic China will replace the United States as the world's premier power. In this book the Richmans explain solutions that are within our grasp. It is not yet too late!
About the Author:
Dr. Raymond Richman, is professor emeritus of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and President of Ideal Texes Association
About the Author:
Dr. Howard Richman, co-authored articles in theoretical psychology when he worked with Nobel Laureate Herb Simon at Carnegie-Mellon University and now teaches economics on the Internet
About the Author:
Dr. Jesse Richman, is an assistant professor of political science at Old Dominion University with a doctorate from the Political Economy program at Carnegie-Mellon University
Preface ix
Introduction 1
The Trade Deficit 7
Why Trade Deficits Matter 9
Why Balanced Free Trade Should Be Our Goal 10
Effect on Manufacturing 18
Danger of Hard Landing 27
Roots of the Trade Deficit 33
The Trade Deficits & Foreign Investment 34
A History of the Trade Deficits 35
1981-1984: Paul Volcker Causes the Trade Deficit 39
1984-1986: Creating Tax Breaks For Foreigners 41
1991: George H.W. Bush Reduces Foreign Savings 52
1996-2005: Dollar Mercantilism 54
2006-2007: The United States gets a Breather 64
Future of the Dollar Standard 67
Ostriches and Eagles 69
The Ostrich Attitude 70
Remedies Proposed by Eagles 81
How to Balance Trade 89
Restore the Withholding Tax 90
Impose Import Certificates on Mercantilists 93
Tax Foreign Dollar Reserves 101
Build Up US Foreign Currency Reserves 101
Changes Need to Be Gradual 103
Technical Appendix: Reciprocal Buying of Reserves 104
The Tax System 107
Taxation of Capital Gains 109
Consumption of Capital 109
Definitions of Income 111
Neutrality Regarding Timing of Income 119
Conclusion 120
Technical Appendix: Value of a Capital Asset 122
The Real Estate Tax 123
The Good Tax for Local Governments 124
Taxing Land, not Improvements: The Georgist Movement 127
The Problem of Equitable Assessment 128
The Proposition 13 Initiative 129
Recovery After Asset Values Fall 133
The Corporate Income Tax 135
Penalizing American Workers in International Markets 136
Double Taxation of Corporate Income 139
Violation of the Principle of Equity 141
Encouraging Borrowing Over Equity 145
Why Not Eliminate the Corporate Income Tax? 145
Solving the Low Savings Problem 149
The Value-Added Tax 151
The Flat Tax 157
The Growth and Investment Tax 161
The FairTax 164
The USA Tax 174
Comparison of the Consumption Tax Proposals 179
Technical Appendix: Tax Basis of Various Taxes 182
A Strong America 183
How to Protect Your Assets 185
Soft Landing Scenario 185
No Landing, Just Falling, Scenario 186
Hard Landing Scenario 188
Program for a Strong America 193
Actions That Need to be Taken 194
Improvements Proposed to US Tax Code 198
Innovations to Economic Theory 200
A Reason for Optimism 201
Notes 203
Index 221
List of Figures 229