Originally Posted by Everett Adams
It might be as simple as Americans consuming more per capita than other countries. Bring it down to families again. If my household income is $60,000.00 a year before taxes are taken off, and we continue spending $70,000.00 a year, we are soon going to be in trouble. The answer is in cutting back on spending. Make that car last a year or two longer, eat at home more often instead of at restaurants, buy less clothes, etc etc etc. and pretty soon you will pay down your debt. If every family did that the whole country would benefit with less imports. Sure, it would slow down the economy a bit but living within ones means would mean less credit card debt, less bank loans, etc. The population of a country is like a big family, each doing a little makes a big difference.

Everett

Predictably every country on the advantageous side of the imbalances has all sorts of reasons why they are just fine to leave in place.
At the moment, a lot of us see that as noise to be expected. The trade deficits have been going on too long and have become too one sided in some cases.

There are too many people in the United States named Jones and Smith, and that is why there is a trade imbalance with Canada. And there is also the poutine factor that must be accounted for. Americans don't eat much poutine. I don't really believe any of that.

I believe that the imbalance is there.

And whatever the actual reasons, it needs scrutiny by both parties.

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