The Choice

The Choice Report


1. Page 10. “Couldn’t they exchange the yen for dollars at a bank?”

In this fallacy David had been describing how the company Merck accepts Japanese currency for the pharmaceutical drugs they send. In return, American’s use that Japanese currency to buy Japanese products. Ed wants to know why someone can’t just exchange that money for U.S. dollars.

David clarifies that one can exchange for dollars, but only because someone else wants to buy Japanese goods which requires the yen. If someone didn’t want the things from Japan they would not exchange currencies. However, what is really happening here is that the currency is making it easier to swap products, drugs for televisions.



2. Page 15. “But if the Japanese had stayed poor America would have become even richer.”

In this statement Ed is trying to figure out why the U.S would want Japan to become so wealthy. He looks at it as a threat that has kept America from being as we...