The Bible could be a victim in Trump's trade war
- Thread starter ralfyman
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Emeraldlady
New member
Interesting. I’d never thought about the uniqueness of printing Bibles but come to think of it I don’t know of any other book using such flimsy paper.
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MikeInVA
Guest
Bogus title for a poorly written article. It says that the tariffs under discussion apply to all goods imported from China, not the Bible in particular. As far as the high costs associated with publishing Bibles, I don’t see it. I just bought a Didache RSV Bible for about $40. That’s dirt cheap for a book that size. Take a look at what college students pay for their text books and tell me that Bibles are too expensive. The publishing houses are just complaining because the Bible is a steady product for them, and these tariffs could impact their profits.
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EZweber
Guest
Maybe they’ll drop all the junk translations this way. Probably too much to hope for, but it would be nice.
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DIERM
Guest
No, I don’t suppose you do.
And here is the reason:
The economics of book publishing costs is not predicated on the size, but rather on the volume to be sold. This is why text books are so expensive…the market is small.
Of course they are. This fact kind of smacks in the face of a famous politician saying that the tariffs don’t hurt American businesses, they only hurt the country where the product originates.
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MikeInVA
Guest
That means that publishers outsourced production to places where they could get the books printed cheaper, it doesn’t mean that they couldn’t buy some of these presses and use them in the U.S.
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Genesis315
Guest
It’s why we have Tradition–Bibles haven’t always been (nor are they guaranteed to be in the future) easy for all to possess and read.
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MikeInVA
Guest
If the demand is there someone will do it. Maybe not a big name publishing house, but someone will do it.
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Cathoholic
Guest
I’m glad CNN is so concerned about Bible posession and not virtue signalling.
Print em here on regular paper.
And the title of the article should be “China’s trade war”. Not “Trump’s trade war”.
At least that is my opinion.
Print em here on regular paper.
And the title of the article should be “China’s trade war”. Not “Trump’s trade war”.
At least that is my opinion.
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ralfyman
New member
It’s not an opinion piece but a news article. The Washington Post, USA Today, and Bloomberg reported similar, and interviewed HarperCollins and Zondervan, as well as referred to panel discussions involving the ITC. Given that, I don’t see the point for seeing this in light of virtue signalling.
Generally, books (including Bibles) have been exempted from trade restrictions, and according to HarperCollins, there will likely be no plans to print Bibles domestically (which decreased considerably around two decades ago) because the restrictions for religious materials might be lifted.
Finally, it was never “China’s trade war” because of the petrodollar and the Triffin dilemma.
Generally, books (including Bibles) have been exempted from trade restrictions, and according to HarperCollins, there will likely be no plans to print Bibles domestically (which decreased considerably around two decades ago) because the restrictions for religious materials might be lifted.
Finally, it was never “China’s trade war” because of the petrodollar and the Triffin dilemma.
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Cathoholic
Guest
Cathoholic . . .
ralfy . . . .
You know Bible prices are not sky high.
You know CNN used “Bibles” to try to manipulate its viewers.
You know America can publish Bibles just fine. (So what. They have thicker pages for awhile until the industry adapts here or they outsource them to Taiwan or elsewhere.)
The story is more CNN Fake News attempting to fool its dozen or so CNN viewers (OK I admit it. A little rhetorical hyperbole here.).
More CNN Fake News. At least that is my opinion.
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ralfy . . . .
It is China’s trade war and America is responding to it (at least rhetorically).
You know Bible prices are not sky high.
You know CNN used “Bibles” to try to manipulate its viewers.
You know America can publish Bibles just fine. (So what. They have thicker pages for awhile until the industry adapts here or they outsource them to Taiwan or elsewhere.)
The story is more CNN Fake News attempting to fool its dozen or so CNN viewers (OK I admit it. A little rhetorical hyperbole here.).
More CNN Fake News. At least that is my opinion.
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abucs
Guest
Maybe it’s another reason for some to live the bible.
China becomes wealthy selling products to Americans. That is not going to stop.
Everyone is just haggling the conditions and terms at the macro level.
Isn’t it the Christian way to put up with a little unease for the greater picture. That attitude seems to be the most prudent in this matter.
China becomes wealthy selling products to Americans. That is not going to stop.
Everyone is just haggling the conditions and terms at the macro level.
Isn’t it the Christian way to put up with a little unease for the greater picture. That attitude seems to be the most prudent in this matter.
ralfyman
New member
It’s not China’s trade war but the result of having the dollar as a reserve currency, which is the Triffin dilemma.
The point isn’t simply that Bible prices are high but that outsourcing started two decades ago. There is a lag time to initiate domestic printing, which they can avoid if religious materials are exempted from trade restrictions, which is usually the case.
The CNN did not “[use] Bibles to try to manipulate its viewers” but reported on a topic that’s been reported by multiple outlets and initiated by the two largest Bible publishers in the country. Claims of attempts at virtue signalling are nonsense.
Your point that “America can publish Bibles just fine” by using “thicker pages” and outsourcing “elsewhere” does not contradict what CNN reported but acknowledges it. In short, you just countered your own opinion.
The point isn’t simply that Bible prices are high but that outsourcing started two decades ago. There is a lag time to initiate domestic printing, which they can avoid if religious materials are exempted from trade restrictions, which is usually the case.
The CNN did not “[use] Bibles to try to manipulate its viewers” but reported on a topic that’s been reported by multiple outlets and initiated by the two largest Bible publishers in the country. Claims of attempts at virtue signalling are nonsense.
Your point that “America can publish Bibles just fine” by using “thicker pages” and outsourcing “elsewhere” does not contradict what CNN reported but acknowledges it. In short, you just countered your own opinion.
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Cathoholic
Guest
ralfy . . . .
Also show me how China charging more for Bibles will change the petrodollar issue.
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ralfy . . . .
Since many people read only the title or the introduction to an article, the manipulative potential remains for them.
Even with the full article, CNN also failed to state China began this trade war (President Trump is responding to them. Not the other way around).
I stand by what I have said ralfy.
Show me the other “outlets” you are talking about so I can draw my own conclusions.
Also show me how China charging more for Bibles will change the petrodollar issue.
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ralfy . . . .
No. My opinion was this was used for manipulation by CNN.
Since many people read only the title or the introduction to an article, the manipulative potential remains for them.
Even with the full article, CNN also failed to state China began this trade war (President Trump is responding to them. Not the other way around).
I stand by what I have said ralfy.
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ralfyman
New member
You can find the articles yourself. Here are some examples:
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-u...ortage-publishers-say-tariffs-could-cause-it/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/reli...-that-china-tariffs-could-lead-costly-bibles/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ad-with-trump-not-to-impose-a-china-bible-tax
There are more. Whatever claims you have concerning virtue signalling are highly questionable.
Also, you’re confused concerning China charging more for Bibles (they’re not, which is why U.S. publishers began outsourcing two decades ago) and that changing the petrodollar issue (it’s the other way round).
Finally, you appear to know nothing about the trade war. Here’s a gist: when Nixon encouraged OPEC to price oil in dollars back in '74, this led to more countries becoming more dependent on the U.S. for the petrodollar, which gained in value. The result was the Triffin dilemma, where the country whose currency is the global reserve begins experiencing trade deficits, which is exactly what happened.
That’s why the U.S. has been relying on cheap labor and resources (including printing Bibles in China) from other countries for several decades. Meanwhile, the same countries had to provide the same to the U.S. in exchange for getting more dollars, which it needed to buy various goods from other countries, including oil.
In short, the U.S. has been relying heavily on creating more dollars and then using it to buy cheap goods and services from abroad, in turn funding a very expensive military plus supporting the U.S. middle class, and it did that for more than four decades. By the 1980s, it became known as “Reaganomics” (Bush Sr. referred to it as “voodoo economics”).
Given that, China never started a trade war, as you keep claiming. Rather, it together with the rest of BRICS and emerging markets, had to keep costs low in order to earn more petrodollars, while the U.S. created more of the latter to buy cheap goods and labor from them.
Now, debt levels in the U.S. are too high (for obvious reasons), which is why Trump now wants to implement the opposite of four decades of Reaganomics. That means restricting free trade, closing off borders, and going against free market capitalism. In short, a trade war.
All that Bible publishers want (not just the two big publishers but even the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and charities that donate Bibles) is to exempt religious materials, which has been the case when it comes to trade restrictions. Why should they be forced to wait for domestic publishers to restart local Bible printing using thin paper when even that might be affected by trade restrictions?
Thus, you’re trying to insert a topic (i.e., this is all about blaming Trump) when that’s not at all the point of this news!
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-u...ortage-publishers-say-tariffs-could-cause-it/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/reli...-that-china-tariffs-could-lead-costly-bibles/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ad-with-trump-not-to-impose-a-china-bible-tax
There are more. Whatever claims you have concerning virtue signalling are highly questionable.
Also, you’re confused concerning China charging more for Bibles (they’re not, which is why U.S. publishers began outsourcing two decades ago) and that changing the petrodollar issue (it’s the other way round).
Finally, you appear to know nothing about the trade war. Here’s a gist: when Nixon encouraged OPEC to price oil in dollars back in '74, this led to more countries becoming more dependent on the U.S. for the petrodollar, which gained in value. The result was the Triffin dilemma, where the country whose currency is the global reserve begins experiencing trade deficits, which is exactly what happened.
That’s why the U.S. has been relying on cheap labor and resources (including printing Bibles in China) from other countries for several decades. Meanwhile, the same countries had to provide the same to the U.S. in exchange for getting more dollars, which it needed to buy various goods from other countries, including oil.
In short, the U.S. has been relying heavily on creating more dollars and then using it to buy cheap goods and services from abroad, in turn funding a very expensive military plus supporting the U.S. middle class, and it did that for more than four decades. By the 1980s, it became known as “Reaganomics” (Bush Sr. referred to it as “voodoo economics”).
Given that, China never started a trade war, as you keep claiming. Rather, it together with the rest of BRICS and emerging markets, had to keep costs low in order to earn more petrodollars, while the U.S. created more of the latter to buy cheap goods and labor from them.
Now, debt levels in the U.S. are too high (for obvious reasons), which is why Trump now wants to implement the opposite of four decades of Reaganomics. That means restricting free trade, closing off borders, and going against free market capitalism. In short, a trade war.
All that Bible publishers want (not just the two big publishers but even the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and charities that donate Bibles) is to exempt religious materials, which has been the case when it comes to trade restrictions. Why should they be forced to wait for domestic publishers to restart local Bible printing using thin paper when even that might be affected by trade restrictions?
Thus, you’re trying to insert a topic (i.e., this is all about blaming Trump) when that’s not at all the point of this news!
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MikeInVA
Guest
There is absolutely nothing in the ongoing negotiations with China that deal uniquely with Bibles. Bibles are one of a wide range of products that could be impacted by a tariff. The tariff is not a “Bible tax” and to imply that it is, is poor journalism.
ralfyman
New member
The purpose of these news items is not to write about the “wide range of products that could be impacted by a tariff” but how Bibles will be affected. Given that, the term “Bible tax” is logical, and your point (that “non-poor” journalism will report on all products affected by a tariff) makes no sense at all.
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