It is with a sense of irony that I “oohed” the wonderful fireworks display celebrating Independence Day. That’s because 90 percent of the fireworks shot off in this country are imported — at a cost of $197 million in 2010, including $190 million for Chinese imports.

The U.S. trade deficit with China was $273 billion last year — the major part of our $497 billion worldwide trade deficit.

We have 14 million people unemployed in this country. If we just corrected our trade deficit to the point where we only bought as much as we sold worldwide, we could put 10 million of our unemployed to work at an average annual salary of $49,700.

Unfortunately a large part of our trade deficit is imported oil — an addiction we cannot seem to shake.

The artificial exchange rate for the Chinese yuan makes our goods more expensive both here and in China. It is constructively a tariff.

If we corrected our trade deficit just with China we could put nearly 7 million people to work at an average annual salary and benefits of $40,000 per year — cutting the unemployment to 4.5 percent. The newly employed, in turn, would put other people to work providing goods and services to them.

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In the meantime, we are making the Chinese a lot richer: Many of them now can afford cars, which drives up the price of gasoline worldwide.

So as I pumped gas costing $3.85 per gallon into my car recently I “oohed” once again and thought, “The celebration of our independence has made us more dependent.”

If Americans ever got together and stopped buying so much from China and the rest of the world, we would solve our unemployment problem in short order.

Bob Cronin

Cape Elizabeth

City Council, not Metro, gets blame for bus service

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In response to the Maine Voices column on Portland’s public transportation (“Metro ridership will never increase until the service gets much better,” July 6).

In many aspects, the author provides a strong argument for why Portland’s transit system is substandard, but I disagree with the statement that “Portlanders are clearly willing to use mass transit if it is convenient and reliable.”

In the past few decades, Portland has experienced extensive suburban sprawl, with many families and even communities ditching the city for the suburbs. Even businesses that are still in Maine have moved from Portland to the suburbs. It doesn’t appear most people want to live in the city anymore.

The column exaggerated problems with Metro service. I concede that the service needs to be more consistent, but I do think the routes are adequate.

I don’t think it’s fair to blame the Metro for a head-scratching service. Rather, blame the City Council for its lack of aggressiveness in keeping businesses and families inside the city instead of out of it. I think most Mainers’ attachment to their automobile is largely to blame for the inadequacy of the Metro.

In terms of retaining young professionals in the city, what would the benefit be in Portland? When was the last time Portland encouraged development of a modern, high-rise housing complex in the city where one could use public transportation?

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I like your argument, and I also wish the Metro would work, but I think instead of pointing the finger at the Metro, we need to look at the city’s stance on urban development.

Jake Thomas

Portland

GOP sacrifices public good to achieve political goals

The Republican mantra since President Obama took office has been obvious: Get a Republican back as president and forget about the good of the nation.

At the risk of a governmental shutdown where our troops and elderly won’t get paid, Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Whip John Kyl are leading the charge to vote against the repeal of tax breaks for themselves and other millionaires and an increase in the debt ceiling.

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These are the same guys who voted to raise the debt ceiling five times when the last Republican held the office. The same guys who, with Democrat support, helped turn a budget surplus into a massive deficit.

We need to replace most of these guys and their lobbyist buddies. And we need to eliminate their long-term pensions and health care benefits.

The gamesmanship, greed and self-service in Washington has brought us to a critical point in U.S. history.

Either we look the other way and hope the lifers in Congress will change their ways or, as a nation, we replace them and their lobbyists with informed patriots and vote the moneychangers out of office.

We need to change our focus from Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga, Casey Anthony and Charlie Sheen to serious matters threatening our nation: the national debt, illegal drug trafficking and immigration, no-bid contracts for the military/industrial complex, gifts and loans to foreign nations, bombings of other countries, and so many other threats to the health and well-being of our nation.

Our nation is under serious threat. The biggest threat is not the al-Qaida. It is our own ignorance and voter apathy.

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Patrick Eisenhart

Augusta

A trio of heroes, yes, but Rapinoe made it happen

The Associated Press story on the U.S. Women’s World Cup win over Brazil was written very well — except the real hero of the match was Megan Rapinoe, who “blasted a left-foot cross from 30 yards” toward the far post of the Brazilian goal.

Abby Wambach, watching the ball soar toward her, made a spectacular leap and, with her head, scored. Yes, Rapinoe, Wambach and Solo were all heroes, but Rapinoe’s boot made it all happen.

Ernie Weiss

Cumberland Foreside

 


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