‘Global Glue Is Up to Us’

There are two reasons why we are running such a large trade deficit with Japan. We have been paying for the defense of the free world ever since World War II. And we permit Japan to impose tariffs on the sale of our products in their country on the flimsiest of excuses.

“Rice is a part of our culture.” I’ve got news for the Japanese. The automobile is an even more important part of our culture. They know this and have exploited it.

Who is paying for the defense of the free world shipping in the Persian Gulf? And who does the oil go to?

There’s a simple solution. We bill Japan each month for its share of the cost of defending the free world. If the Japanese don’t pay, we confiscate whatever property they have here in the United States. And we put the same tariff on their automobiles, VCRs and computers that they currently have on rice imported into Japan.

Isn’t it obvious that these people never forgave us for bringing them to their knees in World War II? The people of Japan have been working fanatically to accomplish economically what they could never have accomplished militarily.

Let’s stand up to them while we still can. They want the money we owe them? Fine. We’ll credit it against the cost of defending them and the tariffs we never collected on all of the automobiles, VCRs and computers that they unloaded on us.

JOE GILLAM

Irvine