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First of all, save the sympathy because I think you'll need most of it for yourself when you finally realize what reality is instead of percentages of this or that and vague references to 70 yrs. ago when we were mired in a Depression that will be a picnic compared to what we're going to see.

Some of your assertions really mystify me, your thoughts on illegal immigration especially. Of course, they live in a rotting third country but the main reason they're here is they receive numerous benefits paid for by you and me. If you don't think it's a problem fine...but I care more about my children's future. We are subsidizing the greatest corporate welfare scam in history but I guess that's just the way things go huh?

As far as the debt issue, are you aware that the fedgov owes Social Security almost 25 TRILLION $ due to the borrowings over the last 2-3 decades that masked the true deficits we were actually experiencing but I guess we shouldn't worry....still a small % of GDP. As far as corporate debt goes I guess the stock market has yet to genuinely reflect all these "leveraged productivity gains" into more value for stockholders but I'm sure any day now it's all going to turn around and get soar to previous high levels...yep any day now.

Also, free trade must come with fair trade to make it a mutually beneficial situation. The massive drain we've seen on technology and jobs is a direct result of a very flawed model that has put us on course for a train wreck once the plug is pulled on all this cheap money that's keeping this economy barely afloat. I could go and probably write all day also, but when there's a disconnect between reality and wishful thinking it doesn't serve any purpose so good luck and really I hope I'm wrong but I know I won't be.

Some of your assertions really mystify me, your thoughts on illegal immigration especially. Of course, they live in a rotting third country but the main reason they're here is they receive numerous benefits paid for by you and me. If you don't think it's a problem fine...but I care more about my children's future. We are subsidizing the greatest corporate welfare scam in history but I guess that's just the way things go huh?

You need to read more carefully. I said "As far as the strain the illegals place on government services, I agree. Call your state legislators." in my last post.

While I did state the percentages of federal debt have improved, I recognize that the long term problem will not be resolved without addressing the socialist policies of a big brother style wealth redistributing Federal government which promotes strong disinsentives to work and create wealth.

My point here is that Free trade is not part of the problem. Any, and I mean any, resrictions on trade in our economy is detrimental to our freedom and wealth potential.

Japan subsidizes their steel industry heavily. In order to subsidize lower prices on steel the Japanese gov't must tax ordinary citizens to move money to the steel producers. We get cheaper steel paid with the tax dollars of Japanese citizens. Neat, huh? Now we take dollars that were in our less efficient steel industry and plow them into R & D for cheaper energy sources or other market driven needs. We do lose jobs in steel, but we gain jobs in new needed investments with the unused capital.

The most fundamental part of free trade confers a mutually beneficial agreement between traders or there would never be a trade. So even if other countries want to sell us candy, gloves, and cars, we won't buy them unless we see a benefit. And if someone else can make them cheaper we will switch trading partners in a heart beat.

It has nothing to do with unfair trade rules such as tariffs and subsidies. These are tools of government to confer your money and mine to special interest as they see fit. It is the same in other countries or markets. So, if you can see it, free trade removes the tyranny of gov't. and trade rules impose the tyranny of gov't and make the market less efficient. This in turn reduces our standard of living.