Say Anything Blog

This ruling wasn’t very surprising for WTO appellate body watchers (really, we exist!).  America’s legal position was pretty weak, and WTO jurisprudence gives short shrift to cultural differences that may make a difference.*

And, it’s no surprise we won’t abide the ruling - we and the EU often don’t, because....well, why would we?  There are no WTO cops, and the threat of Antigua imposing WTO-sanctioned retaliatory tariffs doesn’t exactly produce fear and trembling.  Finally, the Bush administration doesn’t seem to care too much about the WTO, since it has put all its trade eggs in bilateral trade agreement baskets (best metaphor of the day, I’m sure).  It wouldn’t surprise me if the USITC office that deals with WTO & Nafta appeals isn’t given the resources to throw all its got at the appeal (that’s a policy decision, and totally fine.  I disagree with the Bush administration over that, but it’s a case where reasonable people can differ)

* For example, it could be argued that horse racing (the form of gambling that we allow) is a long tradition in America, and doesn’t produce the same kinds of negative social effects that online poker does such that discrimination against other countries’ gambling corporations would be justifiable.

Correction: it’s the USTR (us trade rep), not the USITC, that does appeals.

Great - I’m glad we are now safe from people that take money from idiots playing poker online.

How ridiculous is this? Is this the way the government chooses to waste our money?

Legalize it and tax it and cut my taxes.

I’m a little surprised no one has objected to the fact that an international organization has effectively ruled US law illegal. 

In more fun WTO news: the US is going to start imposing countervailing duties on Chinese imports because of Chinese subsidies.  It’s a bit of a shift for the Bush administration, which has been pretty hands off with China.  The question that comes to my mind is whether the duties are really because of subsidization or whether they actually target China’s undervaluation of the Yuan.

I’m a little surprised no one has objected to the fact that an international organization has effectively ruled US law illegal.

The reason you don’t get this complaint more often is because of the complexity ot the WTO and the fact that the people who control the WTO also control American law.