Erik Autor Quotations

We're going to monitor this situation very carefully over the next several months. This is a case where what happens in Washington can have as much effect on cargo as what happens on the docks.

China is expected to eliminate some key restrictions by January of 2005. Earlier, companies with a market cap of under $2 billion could operate in China only with a local joint-venture partner. This will no longer be valid.

Larger U.S. retailers have recognized for a number of years that the domestic market is mature. In order to grow sales, they have to look outside of the U.S.. China, however, is a big emerging opportunity.

This report confirms everything we've ever said about why the Byrd Amendment should be overturned,

We have more cargo coming in than last year, largely because of the end of textile and apparel quotas, but it's flowing much more smoothly from the ships to the stores than we saw in 2004,

We have absolutely no evidence that shows that the China safeguards have had any beneficial impact on the U.S. textile industry in terms of increasing orders and production.

The Byrd Amendment virtually defines corporate welfare. This is a massive payola scheme that takes money out of the US Treasury and uses it to line the pockets of private companies that have done nothing to earn it except sign on to antidumping petitions that drive up prices for American consumers.

The Byrd Amendment virtually defines corporate welfare, ... This is a massive payola scheme that takes money out of the US Treasury and uses it to line the pockets of private companies that have done nothing to earn it except sign on to antidumping petitions that drive up prices for American consumers.

As you get closer to the election, the likelihood that Congress is going to be able to pass legislation, particularly on what might be viewed as partisan or difficult issues, diminishes.

It's very challenging. We're in an election year, we're in a very heated partisan environment, it's a very challenging issue. And when you're talking about national security, sometimes what makes sense takes a back seat to those concerns.

This huge middle class has a lot of disposable income. It's also hungry for Western-branded goods. Wal-Mart early on found this fact to be very profitable.