Medellin Reports

I hate to bore other members, but some thoughts. The theory of comparative advantage is an "inter" national theory without an indication for "intra" national relationship. The theory does not explain how a nation and its people would, or did, find / focuse on the goods they have comparative advantage of. The theory simply presumes that nations do by assuming single, unitary, and rational nations, without sub-national units. Also, as for economy of scale, it will increase competition, which would enhance the quality of goods and services. But, as you indicated, nations will lose jobs and business in the areas they do not have comparative advantage of. Again, my apology to other members for this non-mongering post, and I do not wish to receive responses from the usual antagonists. I will post a report soon. Thanks.

[QUOTE=Dickhead; 1337412]Free trade maximizes worldwide wealth under three main theories: comparative advantage (David Ricardo as refined by the Heckscher-Ollin model) , economies of scale, and product differentiation. The first theory can be conclusively proven mathematically (at least to me) , the second theory can be proven mathematically with some assumptions that I am pretty much okay with, and the third makes logical sense.

But, just because free trade maximizes worldwide wealth doesn't mean there aren't individual winners and losers. For example, Colombia might have a relative abundance of labor to capital. It will have a comparative advantage in labor intensive products and that is what will be exported. This will drive up wages due to increased production of the export product. When the exports are paid for, Colombia will have relatively more capital. That will drive down returns to capital. Labor benefits and capital loses, while the importing country will see the opposite benefit, to capital which is becoming more scarce as the imports are paid for. But, with completely free trade, Hecksher-Ollin shows that the benefit to labor will be greater than the loss to capital, (and the opposite in the importing country) and both countries benefit overall.

So with completely free trade, all countries are better off as a whole, but some groups within the countries lose. If you start adding tariffs, it gets more complicated. Then you can have entire winner countries and entire loser countries. But, the winner countries win more than the loser countries lose, as compared to no trade at all.

Grant, whose presidency was a financial disaster, notwithstanding, Latin America's persistent protectionist urges are mere populism and have been just as deleterious to the region as Spain's protectionist policies were 400 years ago. Probably the single biggest factor in creating the widespread poverty in the region.

BTW visa requirements act like a tariff on imported pussy.[/QUOTE]

I wanted to ask is this hotel close as in walking distance to the clubs and casas or do you need a taxi? I am not new to mongering just new to Colombia and would appreciate this info. I will be meeting a chica and she will be staying with me in whatever hotel I choose, but I will leave open a night or two for myself to venture out and have some fun.

Hecksher-Ollin says worldwide factor prices will tell them where their comparative advantages are. That is what H-O added to Ricardo. You have to have some reasonable possibility of factor mobility (emigration and capital flows) and usually you do, so the model is valid under a lot of different conditions.

A Colombian friend asked me to bring him an expensive camera from the US. Am I going to have to pay some customs fee?

[QUOTE=Legal Tender; 1335923]The drug trade has not diminished one bit since the yankee's decided to be Colombia's daddy. The public officials in all of Sur America are corrupt, and many are neck deep in the drug trade. The USA is involved in Colombia to protect US interest there. United Fruit, for example, and because of Hugo Chavez and the anti-american government in Bolivia. Colombia is to South America what Taiwan is to China, in a sense. The Colombian Constitutional Court recently held that the government's program to allow US troops to be stationed at Colombian army bases was unconstitutional. We're bullies and that why many Colombians hold the US in contempt. The boiling of discontent, especially among the young at public universities in Colombia, could erupt at any time.

I didn't say that the Colombian Fair Trade agreement was not beneficial to both countries, on balance. I'm just saying that the Colombian government is leaving the soon to be displaced farmers out to dry, so to speak. Colombia has the second largest number of internally displaced citizens, exceeded only by Sudan. One in ten Colombians have been driven off their land by the leftist or para militaries, and now there will be more. Where's the social justice in that? Hey, karma works for countries, too. We Yankees are getting some bad karma, that's all.[/QUOTE]This is almost more annoying than your usual Sandusky sponsering.

Some countries have got no comparative advantage in anything but pussy. They have to give up their independence to be subsidized forever. Hope it never materializes and we continue travel to poor shitholes. My airfare is probably a subsidy already.

[QUOTE=Hanshin Baka;1337465]This is almost more annoying than your usual Sandusky sponsering.[/QUOTE]Guys, trust me, no one cares about trade agreements. With all due respect, the political ideas posted by a mongerer, posted on a sex site, are never going to be taken seriously by anyone but yourselves.

[QUOTE=Hasideas Tao;1337458]A Colombian friend asked me to bring him an expensive camera from the US. Am I going to have to pay some customs fee?[/QUOTE]Take it out of the box and any plastic wrapping and throw away the manuals (or bring them the next time) and it will look like your personal camera. The manual should be available online (usually as a pdf file) from the manufacturer's website.

[QUOTE=Nabru;1337538]Take it out of the box and any plastic wrapping and throw away the manuals (or bring them the next time) and it will look like your personal camera. The manual should be available online (usually as a pdf file) from the manufacturer's website.[/QUOTE]Absolutely NOT necessary. Leave it in the box. He will NOT be charged a customs fee for bringing in ONE camera as a gift.

I figure I can explain I am a photographer but still.

I have not found any specific information online about what you are required to declare when entering Colombia.

Has anyone here ever been stopped at customs and actually had to pay?

Thanks.

[QUOTE=Nabru;1337538]Take it out of the box and any plastic wrapping and throw away the manuals (or bring them the next time) and it will look like your personal camera. The manual should be available online (usually as a pdf file) from the manufacturer's website.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Hasideas Tao; 1337598]I figure I can explain I am a photographer but still.

I have not found any specific information online about what you are required to declare when entering Colombia.

Has anyone here ever been stopped at customs and actually had to pay?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]Nabru's adivice is good but your over thinking things too much, I have brought dozens of cameras into the Colombia still in the box and given them away to girls and they were all still in the box [ back when digital cameras were a big deal lmfao], I usually have 3 cameras of my own I use for pics one waterproof with floatable handle, one for daytime and one for a night, the one at night is usually a cheap one.

[QUOTE=Forest;1337473]Guys, trust me, no one cares about trade agreements. With all due respect, the political ideas posted by a mongerer, posted on a sex site, are never going to be taken seriously by anyone but yourselves.[/QUOTE]Boy is that the truth!

If you just have to vent about economics, trade agreements and other such topics that most guys quickly pass over, at least put them in the general area.

Like Forest says, does anyone really open the ISG wondering what guys are thinking about Trade agreements? Doubt it.

Of course good advice about traveling and customs, etc is always helpful info.

Have fun out there!

[QUOTE=Mardonius;1337445]I wanted to ask is this hotel close as in walking distance to the clubs and casas or do you need a taxi? I am not new to mongering just new to Colombia and would appreciate this info. I will be meeting a chica and she will be staying with me in whatever hotel I choose, but I will leave open a night or two for myself to venture out and have some fun.[/QUOTE]You'd need a taxi to go everywhere. Stay in El Centro or La Mayorista if you want some action on the side and if you do not want to pay a fortune on taxi fare.

Cheers.

[QUOTE=Ezyngo; 1337848]You'd need a taxi to go everywhere. Stay in El Centro or La Mayorista if you want some action on the side and if you do not want to pay a fortune on taxi fare.

Cheers.[/QUOTE]I look at the casa map and I see a lot of the casa close together so I am assuming that is el centro. My question is about this El Polblado area because that is the area that chica is trying to steer me to as far as hotel she is saying that it is nice and it has nice clubs and restaurants etc. Now does that put me much farther away from the clubs and places I may want to check out?

Your hotel is in a very good area. I wouldn't change the hotel. Centro is not far from Poblado. Appro. 3-4 miles and 10-15 mnts by taxi (about US$4). I usually stay in El Centro or Mayorista because I do not seek non-pro actions. For you and your amiga, Poblado is better.

[QUOTE=Mardonius;1337968]I look at the casa map and I see a lot of the casa close together so I am assuming that is el centro. My question is about this El Polblado area because that is the area that chica is trying to steer me to as far as hotel she is saying that it is nice and it has nice clubs and restaurants etc. Now does that put me much farther away from the clubs and places I may want to check out?[/QUOTE]