THE ERA OF TRUMP

[Smitty-48]

We still getting reamed on intellectual property tho. What’s the point of paying the best minds in Silicon Valley to innovate shit when China and India will illegally duplicate, copy, or Pirate the results in a week and jack emerging markets?
Assholes.

And one the big concessions to the USA in the TPP is on intellectual property because it's not just the Chinese who knock off American product, so the TPP is a mechanism to enforce American intellectual property rights within the TPP block, where there probably just as much piracy as there is in China.

[Speaker to Animals]

The intellectual property thing is a canard too.

It's about the longterm security of the American people, both economically and strategically. You can't be a world power without a strong steel industry. That should not have to be explained to you, and if it still does need to be explained to you, then for the love of Christ don't ever vote again.

[DBTrek]

Steel is a commodity on the global market. Our nation may need steel reserves, but there’s no damn reason we have to hire workers at cost prohibitive labor rates to dig the same shit out of a rock that some Argentine miner already dug and is selling for cheap.

[Speaker to Animals]

Please stop voting, then. Thanks.

[Smitty-48]

With China there's not much leverage to get them to follow the rules on intellectual property, the TPP is basically carving out the countries that America does have leverage on to try to deal with it in those countries, dealing with China on it would remain an issue, but the TPP countries would be forced to play ball.

[DBTrek]

Please stop voting, then. Thanks.

I refuse to abandon democracy to the ignorant and superstitious, thanks.

[DBTrek]

(This tank built from American steel is waaaay better than the one we built from Brazilian steel. They look identical, but don’t be fooled - while they’re both steel tanks the American steel one cost 8x as much!)

Yep. Vital that only our own magic ore is used. Otherwise steel products don’t get that +1 patriotism bonus in combat.

[Smitty-48]

In terms of Great Power status, steel is not what made America a Great Power, trade and finance was and is the source of the American Hegenomy, from about World War One on when America supplanted the British in this role.

[Smitty-48]

(This tank built from American steel is waaaay better than the one we built from Brazilian steel. They look identical, but don’t be fooled - while they’re both steel tanks the American steel one cost 8x as much!)

Yep. Vital that only our own magic ore is used. Otherwise steel products don’t get that +1 patriotism bonus in combat.

The armour on an Abrams tank is not actually steel, it's a composite material called Chobham which is largely ceramics and then that is backed up by depleted uranium underneath.

Contemporary AP weapons go through steel like a hot knife through butter.

[DBTrek]

Irrelevant to the point being made.
Forest has been missed for tree.