One of the hardest lessons for me was to learn that all those free trade models in economics class were wrong: Free-trade is indeed beneficial between nations that both abide by the rule of law and have similar living standards/wage levels. It is not beneficial for a wealthy nation to have free trade with Third World country that does not abide by trade agreements, does not respect intellectual property rights, lacks worker freedoms that result in higher wages, and has a much lower standard of living. All of these apply to China.
Roos Perot was wrong. Our troubles are caused by our own policies. The democrat war on wealth is succeeding.
what, free trade sucks?
Perot was a gun grabbing statist, but he was right about the Debt and Trade.
I voted for Perot and all i got was 8 years of Clinton!
Perot in ‘96 was my first vote for president. I will likely vote 3rd party for the 2nd time if Mitt gets the nomination.
Our technology base is moving to East Asia while our open borders policy makes America more like Third World Latin American countries.
Thank God we still lead the world in Womyn’s and Gender and African-American Studies scholarship! After all, we’re gonna need something to fall back on.
It was noted long ago that an idea would take hold in America and one could not shake it. We have been victims of the influence of narrow minded Free Trade fanatics over the last forty to fifty years. This bizarre 18th century ideation is certainly one of the factors sending the American economy into a tail spin. The others being: EEOP, regulations, Environmentalism, a tax system out of control, the collapsing social system, bad morals etc. etc.
Ross Perot was right and the free traitors were and are wrong.
The free traitors will say, but, but what about inflation if we produce our own products.
The US produced most of its products for most of its history without massive inflation.
How is it that the US could exist all those years with every consumer product known to man and the average consumer was able to afford it all?
How it is that the American standard of living was already the best in the world before all this outsourcing?
Before Japan, China, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Mexico came on to the scene, the US was producing and consuming just fine.
Nobody was suffering and starving because we weren’t buying crap from China.
After one decides who to blame (and anyone will do, since it is the placing of blame that is important), what's next?
Protectionism won't solve the problem. Protectionism (which is collectivism) will produce inferior products at a higher price. Eventually the old Soviet joke becomes a truism. “Everyone’s working but there's nothing on the shelves.” Why would we turn to a failed system to “protect” us?
The solution is twofold. Compete where you have equality or advantage. Where you can't compete, don't. Simply take advantage of the cheap goods available and buy them. Competing directly against extremely cheap labor is impossible. How many times do we have to learn that lesson? It's been evident for centuries.
We must retrain our labor force to perform at a higher level than people overseas who can push a couple of buttons on a factory machine or do piecework for a few cents an hour. Like everything else about this economic situation, the fix is going to take a long time.
I forgot about saving the country or the world long ago. I got busy and saved myself. I learned how to compete with people in my industry who underpriced me by not competing with them on price, but on trust.
I left the world-saving to the lefties. This left me with a few important lessons:
You can't make a good deal with a bad guy.
Beware the naked man who offers you his shirt.
Never sign anything in a room with a chandelier.
Don't trust anyone who wears sunglasses inside.
The amateur always blames the equipment.
The skill levels are converging too.
Too much is wrong with the country and the world now. Even those opposed to Obama disagree with each other and fight each other. Too many issues as well. Perot might have been right in 92, but he ruined the election for Bush, and I am not a fan of either Bush, but hate Clinton.
bttt
Yep, Ross was right and shame on everyone who voted for Dubya Sr!
ka-bump
THE PEROT VOTERS ARE THE KEY TO EVERYTHING, GODDAMNIT!