"Gary R Coffman" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 13:14:11 GMT, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:
"Gary R Coffman" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:58:01 GMT, "Ed Huntress"

wrote:
As you sit there telling other people what they must do, bg, what is
it
you
suggest? Should they all start becoming middlemen for China?

That's actually not a stupid suggestion.

For an individual, it's actually a very profitable idea. For an economy
as a
whole, it's a stupid suggestion.

Considering that a national economy is merely the sum total of the efforts
of all the individuals in the nation, I'm having a bit of difficulty
accepting
your conclusions.

Gary


Think of it this way: If we all paid each other to shine the other's shoes,
which would raise the GDP, would it be good for the economy? g

Importing and distributing are services that serve us best when they are a
very small proportion of the economy -- just enough to get the job done.
It's the goods and their transportation to their destination that add value.

Ed Huntress