2021 The Order of Business

No, this is not about Robert’s Rules of order.  Poor old Bobby is long forgotten.  This is about the Great Dictator’s order to American business to cut ties with China.

Can he do that?  Well, yeah, he can.

There’s an obscure and little used law that lets him.  It’s called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  It’s been around since 1977 and requires a “state of emergency.”  We certainly have one of those, its name is donald trump.  But that’s not the kind of emergency the law-givers meant. 

All of this goes back to the World War I era “Trading With the Enemy” act.  So is China our enemy?  Only if we declare war.  That would take congressional action.

Under a section of the Patriot Act, a joint session of Congress may end the emergency.  What do you think the chance of that might be?

Let’s say, for argument’s sake that the Great Dictator declares the emergency and makes his tweet order real.  How would American companies extract themselves from China?  However it might happen, it might take years.  

What happens if America comes to its senses and elects someone other than Charlie Chaplin as president next year?  Would the candidate, let’s call her Norma Normal, revoke the emergency?  If so, what do the companies do?  Call Allied Van Lines and say “Never mind?”

“Sorry, Fiat Chrysler.  You have to put your Chinese factory back together.”  Sorry, Wal-mart, you have to put all those out of work sewing factory workers back to work, even though technically they don’t work for you. 

Sorry, McDonald's, no tofu for you! 

Even the apparently almighty Koch Industries will have to leave. 

What would happen if all these businesses simply ignore the order?

Here’s another question: how did trump learn of this law when he is so busy performing all those miracles that he says occupy his time and whatever kind of vegetation grows in his skull?

Once again, the pseudopresident sews chaos.

Advice to the reality show viewing public. Give the guy his Emmy, cancel his show and don’t allow reruns. And do it before he can do even more damage.

SHRAPNEL:

--There are other questions the get-out-of-China order would raise.  Example: Is the post office a business? If it is, can it stop delivering US mail to China?  What about letters from here to there?

--If your $1,000 Korean-branded cellphone was made in China? Is it Chinese or Korean when it comes to the shipping laws? What about your Chinese-branded air conditioner that was made in Mexico? Does Google have to remove Chinese from its translator app?

I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ® 

Comments? Send ‘em here: wesrichards@gmail.com

© WJR 2019