Andrew Yang: Universal Basic Income, Elizabeth Warren: Wealth Tax

Andrew Yang is not a one trick pony, although he almost exclusively talks about the Universal Basic Income. His website has the richest policy proposals of any candidate with the possible exception of Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth Warren's central idea is the idea of the wealth tax. I fully support. These are two ideas that can not lose, no matter if Andrew Yang and Elizabeth Warren win or not.

That is why the presidential campaign is so important. That is why the debates are so important. These two ideas have to be hammered into the political discourse.

Bernie Sanders, similarly, talks about Medicare For All. Many candidates do. But Bernie has been the most vocal. He was talking about it also in 2016. This is also an idea I like. Obviously, three people are not going to win. There will eventually be only one winner.

But all three of these ideas must win.

And there is the Green New Deal. It is not a specific idea right now. It is more of a conversation. It is more the outlines of a paradigm. And the face associated with it is not even running, can't run. But it is the biggest idea of all. And it also must win. All four ideas must win.

The one who will win will win. But the campaign has to be conducted in such a respectful way that all the candidates together build a platform that includes these wonderful ideas.

Andrew Yang: Universal Basic Income, Elizabeth Warren: Wealth Tax https://t.co/vJ46VQwmpb @AOC @AndrewYang @SenWarren @BernieSanders

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 23, 2019

Trade War: Intellectual Property

It is easy to see why the US gets so passionate about IP, but it is not the “existential” issue so many Americans claim. IP may be central to the US’ view of itself as the world’s technology leader – but it is also a massive earner. The US may have a miserable trade deficit in manufactures, but it has a handsome surplus in services exports, and right up there is the money it earns from royalties in payment for IP rights....... In 2017, this amounted to US$128 billion – second only to earnings from tourism and education services (US$211 billion), and well ahead of financial services (US$109 billion) and transport services (US$89 billion). A tighter deal on IP protections would mean a significant boost to services exports........ Flying in the face of claims that China abuses IP rights is the reality that China pays more to the US in royalties than any other economy. Wanting to sell more IP to China is, just like wanting to sell more beef or soya, a perfectly reasonable aspiration. So is selling legal services – and there can be no bigger beneficiary of negotiating IP arrangements than the US’ army of IP lawyers. ...... China is not wrong to try to keep the cost of royalty payments at a manageable level, so there is a perfectly reasonable negotiation to be had over rules for royalty payments. There is no place for electorally pungent claims that China is in some way “stealing its way up the economic ladder”, as Christopher Wray at the FBI puts it....... The relative market calm suggests that no one believes this breakdown will not be resolved.

No trade deal? Why China should walk away and hit back at the US, in the sectors where it really hurts