Tariffs on Canadian paper pose an existential threat to community newspapers ....

[summer_in_TX]

Do you rely on your local newspaper to keep up with how your tax dollars are being spent? If so, tell your congressman you don’t want a new tariff to put the paper out of business.

A new study reveals that communities that lose their newspapers see an alarming increase in the cost of local government because there’s no watchdog reporting on how your hard-earned money is spent.

A new “temporary” tariff on Canadian newsprint — the paper used to print 75 percent of American newspaper pages — poses a dire threat if it becomes permanent. Simply put, your hometown paper can’t exist if it costs more to print than it earns in revenue…

Under the arcane and almost unfathomable rules of U.S. trade policy, the newspaper industry isn’t allowed to formally make its case to the administration, which will decide soon whether to make the tariff permanent. Members of Congress, on the other hand, may submit official comments to be considered. Very few have done that.

https://www.caprockcourier.com/2018/06/12/tell-congress-newsprint-tariffs-threaten-your-paper-and-you/
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Our small-town weekly newspaper had this editorial in this week's newspaper. In searching for more info, turns out a whole lot of Texas newspapers had the same editor. They're urging readers to urge their members of Congress to write the Commerce Department and International Trade Association, since only members of Congress have standing to make the case apparently, and newspapers can't even send representatives to make their case to the administration. Apparently only 4 Texas reps have so far.


I missed a couple of earlier DU posts on this tariff including this one: https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10142081919

[Kilgore]

1. Newsprint was once made in the US and was plentiful and cheap.

One of the pressures on US mills was even cheaper Canadian newsprint.

Here is an example of a Newsprint mill in Oregon that can produce the needed product but it in mothballs. There also hundreds of good paying union jobs that could be filled. The former staff just needs to be called back and the mill restarted.

Remember, there are two sides to every story and tariff.

[Iliyah]

2. Control the message also. Union jobs, a no go.

Low paying jobs yes. Cost high. Back to turn of the 20th century. There is also a third to fourth side as well.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. The real reason most of these Mills closed was this,

all the cheap Pulp wood is gone as well as the Workers. Just like the soft wood Lumber business,the cheap harvest-able trees are gone.

[Iliyah]

4. Well

people did travel by canoe travel to Rapa Nui. Wherein, used the max of the Island's life source and destroyed it.


A country needs to restore what it takes. Balance and respect. Right now, no respect.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. So true,seems our

Forest Service became compromised as a replenishment of Forests to a Sales tool of the Corporate Lumber Barron's in the late Sixties. All the Propaganda about how all the Lumber Companies were planting trees for the future tuned out to be pure Propaganda.

[summer_in_TX]

6. Good feedback!

Thanks for educating me - and doing so kindly. I'm genuinely grateful.

I have something to get off my chest. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a good idea to directly address the sources of my frustration - too likely to lead to being flamed and piled onto as I was recently on Twitter when I gave my opinion on a tweet that advocated for an end to civility. We are in a time when there are a lot of things that make one feel like one has to censor oneself - not conducive to dialog, only good for shutting that down.

I've made other posts and get the occasional response that seems to have a sneer behind them, or read and see it happening to others. The dark side of DU these days. It used to always (or so it seems in my memory) to be a community with a friendly culture. Of course that was before the horrible 2016 results and unleashed a level of fury that in some cases seems to scorch everyone, and assume that if we don't know or don't agree, something is wrong with us. Very tiresome when that happens. And this space doesn't seem as safe as it used to.

So I especially thought you all should be thanked, even though in other times I suspect it would be just what we all expect of ourselves in terms of the way to treat one another.