End to Protectionism via Social Engineering Act (Amendment at Vote)

[minionofmidas]

End to Protectionism via Social Engineering Act

1. F.L. 10-2: Protection Act (Textiles, Clothing, Footwear & Steel) is hereby repealed.

2. A tariff of 5% will instead be levied on all imports of foreign textiles, clothing, footwear, & steel.


Sponsor: PiT

[minionofmidas]

'Kay, explain to us what your bill's supposed to achieve, PiT.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I don't know how valid the aim of the original bill still is, but my goal is to try to maintain the same effect as closely as possible, while helping put some coin in the government coffers rather than taking it out.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Tariff = bad

[Associate Justice PiT]

Tariff = bad

     I know, but it's better than the current system. I tacked on the tariff after I realized that it probably wouldn't pass the Senate without it.

     However, if enough Senators said they would vote aye on it without the tariff, I would gladly introduce an amendment to strike that provision.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I motion to strike Section 2

[Associate Justice PiT]

     That would work just as well, I guess. If the motion passes, the amended bill should be able to pass as well.

[DownWithTheLeft]

     That would work just as well, I guess. If the motion passes, the amended bill should be able to pass as well.

Don't forget it was "The Populist" that said you needed a tariff

[Associate Justice PiT]

     That would work just as well, I guess. If the motion passes, the amended bill should be able to pass as well.

Don't forget it was "The Populist" that said you needed a tariff

     You're right, actually. Technically I only need listen to the opinions of my constituents.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The original bill was passed around the time of the free trade mania (how many are left here that even remember that... ah, how time flies...) and has its roots in certain negotiations that may have taken place after things got especially tiresome and bad-tempered. Basically the act was designed to protect certain vulnerable parts of the manufacturing sector from the sudden imposition of one-sided free trade "agreements" and also to attempt to stimulate a small market for Atlasian-made clothing.
I don't think that it would have been all that successful, but it might have been a good thing for small scale manufacturing in some areas and for certain types of (again, mostly small-scale... and certainly not cheap...) retailers. And something is better than nothing. In retrospect, I don't like the way much of it is written and wouldn't object to a certain tightening up of things... yet I'd have to question whether that would be an especially sensible use of the Senate's limited time.
As for simply repealing it, I don't really understand what the point of that would be either. It's not as though consumers would actually gain anything from it, it's doubtful that it's a significant drain on government coffers (especially as it means less people drawing the dole) and it isn't as though it really amounts to much in terms of protectionism (certainly less than the demented idea of replacing the whole thing with a crude tariff... during a world recession!). It takes only a modest amount of hyperbole to claim that all that is left is dogma. And should we really be basing policy on dogmatism?

Especially considering that scrapping this would certainly result in further job loss, at a time in which unemployment is going through the roof anyways.

Had to get that last dig in, sorry. "If you're going to hustle, at least do it right". Or words very like those.

[minionofmidas]

I motion to strike Section 2

The vote is on the amendment.

Abstain for now.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Aye

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Aye

[HappyWarrior]

Should this amendment pass I will vote nay on the bill.

Nay

[Torie]

Aye

[minionofmidas]

Should this amendment pass I will vote nay on the bill.

Nay

Based on this I change my vote to aye. -_-

[SPC]

Aye

[Meeker]

Vote Count

Aye: 5 (DWTL, PiT, Torie, Lewis, SPC)
Nay: 1 (Happy Warrior)
Abstain (Yet to vote): 4 (Al, Lief, Bacon King, AndrewCT)

[Bacon King]

aye

[Meeker]

Vote Count

Aye: 6 (DWTL, PiT, Torie, Lewis, SPC, Bacon King)
Nay: 1 (Happy Warrior)
Abstain (Did not vote): 3 (Al, Lief, AndrewCT)

With six in favor, one opposed and four abstaining, the amendment passes.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Amendment, not bill.

[Meeker]

Amendment, not bill.

My apologies.

[Lief 🗽]

Nay, for the record.

[AndrewTX]

aye ftr

[Meeker]

If anyone has anything else to say then say it now.