Sunday, August 21, 2011

The long, slow sell-out of Taiwan continues. Obama pisses away 16,000 jobs & almost $768 million in tax revenue because the ChiComs might get miffed.


China’s new aircraft carrier conducting its sea trials near the northeastern port of Dalian last week.

U.S. To Deny Taiwan New F-16 Fighters

Bowing to Chinese pressure, the U.S. will deny Taiwan's request for 66 new F-16C/D fighter aircraft, a Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said. . .

Siebert said the failure to release F-16C/Ds will weaken Lockheed Martin's plans to extend the production line for the fighter.

"While Congress has been notified of Oman and Iraq's desire for F-16s, the Taiwan order for 66 aircraft is very important to the long-term viability of the F-16 production to include the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and the thousands of suppliers throughout the U.S.," she said.

More than a few TADTE attendees said the Obama administration might reverse the decision as the 2012 presidential election approaches and political pressure for new jobs builds.

A June report by the Perryman Group, a Texas-based economic and financial analysis firm, estimated that Taiwan's F-16C/D program would create more than 16,000 jobs and almost $768 million in U.S. federal tax revenue. Much of that tax revenue and new jobs would go to election battleground states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

But China holds about 8 percent of U.S. debt, the largest block in foreign hands.

As one TADTE attendee said, "Beijing's Kung Fu is better than Washington's."

9 comments:

Alvie D. Zane said...

"Bowing to Chinese pressure..."

That would be funny if it weren't so literally true.

I guess selling world class fighters to freedom minded nations is now "a job Americans won't do."

I would suggest "walking" the jets to Taiwan, but this wouldn't square with that whole O-bow-ma thing.

Anonymous said...

During the "Debt Limit" debacle I got a chuckle every time I heard "full faith and credit of the US Government". You're welcome to ask any Native American what that's worth. But don't stop there. Ask anyone in southeast asia or Iran.

The bottom line is that we've built up a reputation of selling out our friends when it suits the party in power. If I were a Taiwanese or Israeli I would be more than nervous. The people who danced and sang in Grant Park on November 4, 2008 couldn't care less about either. Why should the president they elected care any more than they do?

Nightmare scenario: The ChiCom's use a deep back channel to offer to forgive part or all of our debt if the 7th fleet's carrier groups somehow develop critical maintenance issues on a certain date.

That's all it would take, Boys and Girls. And not a bit of the tragedy that followed would be Obama's fault.

J. Travis said...

But...

Obama is black..

So shut up.

Semper Fi, 0321 said...

We started NATO and SEATO, and they were dumb enough to believe that we really meant it. So now we've raped almost every ally we ever had, and wonder why the world hates us.
Gangbangs are a bitch!


(Coming back from the coast of Vietnam in '73, we stopped in Taiwan for 5 days of liberty, wonderful country and people! The food was incredible too.
I think we should just send them Ob*ma, they'll find some use for him.)

Semper Fi, 0321 said...

Also puts me to thinking of the Dick Cheney School of Diplomacy, that's where you only shoot your friends in the face!

John Allen said...

It's not surprising to me that the Obama administration is short-changing the Taiwanese. But what is more dangerous to that island state is the hundreds of businesses moving to the mainland. My doctor who is from Taiwan tells me that China is offering free land and no taxes to those companies willing to relocate. I suspect this is far more troubling to the leaders in Taiwan than the U.S refusal to sell certain arms. Just my thoughts on this matter.

Ed said...

I am sure that the French will be glad to sell comparable products to Taiwan, as the French have to others in the past.

BTW, I hope that U.S. submarines among others are monitoring the unique noises emanating from that hull for quick identification later.

Anonymous said...

Won't this open up the chances for the makers of the Harrier Jump Jet and other European fighter planes to grab that Taiwan business?

Toastrider said...

Depressing. Anon at 8/21: I predicted that scenario as well.

And I'm scheduled to visit Taiwan with friends later this year.

I'm gonna be really pissed off if China repossesses the place.