Ann: Dispatch of Rights Issue Offer documents, page-72

Thanks for that honest reply. I do appreciate your candor.

You have read many of my posts over a very long period of time. You should know that the only thing left about me is my writing hand. I dislike socialism very much but equally I'm no fan of the far right. Without balance the majority always suffer in the long run and I just want a world in which my kids have half a chance to live a good life.

As you will have noticed I dislike false information from either side of any debate. It reduces any conversation to nothing more than a pissing match. When you know that information is not correct such as the silly GST claims could I ask you to consider refraining from posting that misinformation so that we can engage in a more meaningful discussion on the subject? I really would appreciate it.

As it happens I worked in the US for many years. As such I still have friends and colleagues there that I care about and have discussions with. Don't worry, all of them are just normal everyday business people across the country, not political extremists. I hear their views and personal experiences as I also hear views from people here and in other countries where I also have interests.

Let me be clear. I'm not against tariffs as such. They are a legitimate means of trying to re-balance trade imbalances and/or encourage domestic production and self-sufficiency where possible. Many countries use them to help balance their trade since you simply can't keep importing more than you export without implications on debt. Their use can be legitimate. These recent tariffs on Australia have nothing whatsoever to do with that.

Australia imports much, much more from the US than the US imports from Australia and thats before you consider the hundreds of billions in defense purchasing contracts. Trade is a balance. You import the things you need and export the things that you have an excess of and try to make them balance out. No country is self-sufficient although I have no argument against being so if reasonably possible.

Also consider this. These tariffs are on things that US companies and consumers have decided to import. This isn't a case of foreign governments simply putting stuff on ships and dumping it on the high street for sale. If the US consumers could get sufficient supply of US made products at affordable prices then US companies wouldn't be ordering products from overseas in the first place. The US needs to import some of its steel and aluminum because it simply can't produce enough to meet demand for manufacturing. Australia only supplies a small amount of that excess that the US needs to import. Same with products like beef and many fruit and vegetables which can be seasonal and demand only partially met by domestic supply. Pretending that they can go it alone is ignorant in my view. They have to import things just like we do but all those things are a minimum of 10% more expensive to US consumers now.

I'm not here to tell you that all other countries tariffs are fair either. In fact I don't care to argue the pros and cons on behalf of each other jurisdiction. Some countries wield tariffs like a stick for political purposes just like Trump is doing now. I'd rather focus on the two countries that are directly relevant to us here, the US and Australia.

So let me ask you, since Australia imports much more from the US than the US imports from Australia on what basis to you think these tariffs recently placed on all Australian products and services is a reasonable step forward? Why should Australia import more from the US than the US imports from us? How will this be a sustainable relationship if we keep racking up foreign debt to buy from them? If they have a legitimate argument with China why take it out in Australian businesses? Why publish false information and claims about Australia in front of the entire world to make an example of one of their strongest and most loyal allies? How is any of this smart?