[cp124]

George Bush believes in free (and unfair) trade regardless of the outcome. His father also believed in the "New World Order". I voted for President Bush and I thought there would be meaningfull change. Instead we got out of control government spending and no real tax/regulatory/tort reform. Some of the Republicans you can't tell from Democrats. There is no choice for leaders and our country is being melted into "the new world order". It is funny...this is some of what the founding fathers fought against.

[gcruse]

Free trade is to fair trade as
Capitalism is to socialism.

[cp124]

November 14, 2003

President George W. Bush
The White House
U.S. Department of Commerce
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are extremely disappointed that you have not followed through on your appointment of a "Manufacturing Czar". The rapid deterioration of our industrial base and the massive trade deficit are ruining our country. We need your support NOW!

Warren Buffett recently proposed a system of Import Certificates as a mechanism to balance our trade, in the absence of any realistic plan by Congress, we ask that you vigorously support Buffett's proposal.

· AMERICAN TRADE POLICY IS KILLING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING. THIS MISGUIDED POLICY WILL FIRST DESTROY OUR MIDDLE CLASS AND THEN OUR COUNTRY.

· OUR TRADE POLICY NEEDS TO BE SENSIBLE AND FAIR.

· AMERICAN INDUSTRY HAS OSHA REGULATIONS, EPA REGULATIONS, WORKMAN'S COMPENSATION, UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, SOCIAL SECURITY, HEALTH CARE, MEDICARE, AN OUT OF CONTROL TORT SYSTEM, THE DISABILITIES ACT AND OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS. CHINA AND OTHER OF OUR WORLD COMPETITORS DO NOT! AMERICAN INDUSTRY CAN COMPETE WITH ANYONE ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD!

· SOON WE WILL NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BUILD OUR OWN DEFENSE SYSTEMS. OUR MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRY IS ALL BUT GONE. In 2002 China purchased $5.7 billion in machine tools, the US purchased $3.3 billion one step above Italy at $2.9. Does this sound like a country that is taking our unskilled jobs?

· YOUR OWN CONGRESSIONAL REPORT U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE: DATA AND FORCASTS, UPDATED MAY 22, 2002 STATES: "Although no country attempts to balance its trade with each nation, abnormally large or rapidly increasing trade deficits with particular countries can indicate that underlying problems may exist with market access, the competitiveness of particular industries, currency misalignment or macroeconomic adjustment."

· HOW CAN OUR TRADE POLICY BE REASONABLE WHEN THE NETHERLANDS IS THE COUNTRY WITH WHICH WE HAVE THE LARGEST TRADE SURPLUS!

· WE NEED LEGISLATION TO BALANCE OUR TRADE. IF THEY DON'T BUY FROM US, WE DON'T BUY FROM THEM. We support Warren Buffett's Import Certificate plan!

· ON AN IMMEDIATE BASIS, WE MUST ENFORCE THE RULES OF TRADE. CHINA, JAPAN, THE EU AND MANY OF OUR TRADING "PARTNERS" CREATE MARKET ACCESS BARRIERS TO FAIR TRADE WHILE WE OPEN OUR ARMS TO THEIR GOODS AND CLOSE OUR EYES TO ILLEGAL TRADE, EVEN BY OUR OWN LOOSE STANDARDS.

· MOVE TO THE SERVICE SECTOR YOU SAY? ORACLE PLANS TO DOUBLE STAFF TO 4,000 IN INDIA. HOW MANY AMERICANS WON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE JOBS? FOREIGN OUTSOURCING OF ENGINEERS, CALL CENTERS, AND MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONS, ALL ARE GROWING AT ALARMING RATES.

We ask you to support American manufacturing, and we ask you to introduce legislation to make our trade policy fair. USAFAIRTRADE will post on it's website your unedited response in its entirety. Please reply to info@usafairtrade.com

Sincerely,

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Which monopolistic, unfair labor union do you belong to?

[Las Vegas Dave]

PING

"Don't Buy Chinese Goods!"

[hflynn]

Economics 101 is at work.

1. Demand - Demand summarizes the behavior of buyers. The quantity of a product or service that buyers demand varies with its price. As the price rises, the quantity demanded falls, and vice-versa.

2. Supply - Supply summarizes the behavior of producers and sellers. The quantity of a product or service produced and offered for sale depends on its price. As the price rises, the quantity supplied rises, and vice-versa.

3. Equilibrium – Equilibrium summarizes the outcome of the market process. If the price of a product or service is “too high,” the quantity supplied will exceed the quantity demanded, creating a surplus of the product. That surplus leads sellers to cut prices. However, if the price of a product or service is “too low,” the quantity supplied will fall short of the quantity demanded, creating a shortage of the product. That shortage leads sellers to raise prices. In equilibrium, the price is “just right,” with no surplus or shortage, because the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied.

When you factor the cost of Union Labor into the equation . . . . . . .

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

You Willie Green people NEVER take into account the humongous U.S. tax burden or the lunatic environmental and zoning regulations that force companies to go overseas.

Do you want to do business in America when a third of your profits is confiscated for taxes, state taxes, worker's compensation and unemployment costs?

[Merdoug]

Capitalism is our blessing and our curse. It is what made us as great as we are and it is what will destroy us. Capitalism is based on greed: the desire to have more; the desire to succeed. How can we blame greedy businesses who are following their greedy instincts and moving overseas? They are doing what every other American would do; looking after themselves first. To h@ll with America, they think: I can be rich using slave labor overseas. Those who stay here are using the plentiful supply of Mexicans coming in for just that reason. America is based on greed and it is now DESTROYING us. Face the truth.

[ServesURight]

Hey look at the bright side. Our economy will be a huge call center taking porn orders!!

[general_re]

Our manufacturing capacity is vaporizing before our eyes.

If that's the case, then why has domestic manufacturing output been rising for the last decade?

[Tribune7]

George Bush believes in free (and unfair) trade regardless of the outcome.

Dubya's been getting some serious grief for the steel tariffs.

[TrueBeliever9]

If I take my product and eliminate the American workers, sell my plant and equipment (or ship the equipment to China) my cost for finished goods drops by what 40%, 50%, and 60%? My company makes a big buck. Wall Street is joyous; the stock shoots up……along with unemployment. Gone are the manufacturing jobs. Gone is the consumer purchasing power. Gone is your business or your job. At the end of the day a few get rich. As for the USA… we spiral downward

I will not own a stock that manufacturers in China. I will not own a stock of a company that is using labor in foreign countries. If everyone would sell stock in those companies and refuse to buy these stocks that would send a message. Until then, expect these companies and their CEOs to continue to create jobs abroad. These CEOs and their boards are choosing to invest in foreign countries at the expense of Americans who need jobs!

[meyer]

Then running it with .90 Cents an hour wages, no OSHA, no EPA, no Workman’s Comp. no out of control tort system, no Disabilities ACT or countless other government mandated added costs beyond your control.

Get rid of the over-regulation and other government-mandated costs and the wage difference will not be enough to make the Chinese competitive. That difference is minimal when the cost of shipping is added in. We have over-regulated our own industries out of existance. That is our biggest problem.

[liberty or death]

As a manufacturer and distributor I would never take my product to China. What I have done is keep things small enough so that I don't have to hire anyone.I also use some automation for the same reason.
When I started I was planning to hire 6 to 10 full time workers. What I found out was by the time the taxes and OSHA were done with me I could no longer compete on the world market.
Get our government reigned in before its too late.
We have socialists all through it bent on destroying American business.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

"In declining states the leadership intuitively choses the most harmful course of action."-A Great Historian 1888

[CMClay]

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

BUMP

[ghostrider]

I have three strongly held opinions that most people do not agree with.

One is that the government can not forever create "money," unless something more than the "faith and credit" of the U.S. Government stands behind it. There has been a massive Economic brainwashing program directed at the world's shortsighted greedy people to convence them that we play by "new" economic rules. Both Republicans and Democrats are involved in this obviously flawed "conspiracy." For this belief, I have been jeered, insulted and even cursed. So be it. My skin is thick, and especially so, while I am reviewing my precious metal returns - Hehe!

The second opinion is that there is an obvious "conspiracy" to overthrow the U. S. Constitution. When you review comments from Federal Judges and Supreme Court Justices that the U. S. Constitution is not above world opinion, then it seems as if the Constitution has already been replaced by political opinion. Very likely, the U. S. is no longer a Constitutional Republic, but one based upon "Kangaroo Justice." Despite all the Republican furror over Judicial nominations, both parties are responsible for the loss of Constitutional Justice. It has been eroded over many years as political operatives on both sides have managed to get political judges appointed, and then used those judges to advance their political agenda and or to reward their financial syndicates.

My third view is that both political parties are totally dependent upon large financial backers. In order for politicians to "survive," they must accept contributions from financial backers, who "give" the money at a very steep price. The financial backers and the politicans buy and sell votes. It has always been this way, but today the "crooked" exchange is being dominated by fewer and fewer financial syndicates. The "free" marketplace for crooks has become an oligopoly marketplace, dominated by the globalists in the New World Order. However, there is nothing new about these world rulers. They have always been around. They used to be called Monarchies and Dynasties. They were always ruled by Kings, Princes, Emperors or other such tyrants. They were, and still are, the worlds Royals. They may fight among themselves, but they stand united to keep the world's peons, serfs and supposedly free people under their yoke of slavery. These financial syndicates "own" the Democratic and Republican Parties. We get to choose between their candidates. They let us fuss over issues such as abortion, homosexuality, minority rights, the Confederate Flag and religion. But, the money and power issues are left to the royals. If a peon, or God forbid a free person, poses a serious threat, then the royal syndicates backed by their Kangaroo Courts and hired politicans quickly stamp out the "rebellion."

Yes our Founding Fathers fought these royals. They gave us a Constitution to protect us from the royals, but after 200+ years, the cycle has finally turned. As before, many dark years may again pass before the cycle turns back toward freedom. The process of turning Americans from a free people to enslaved peons begins when they take away American jobs. Without income, Americans can not fight the royal syndicates, who then will march Americans uninhibited toward the serf pens.

[Held_to_Ransom]

No body wants to remember that the US became the supreme production country by have millions of immigrants work their fingers to the bone for pennies. Instead, they prefer to support China on it's path to industrial ascendency over the US by following the mantra of free trade which reduced the former manufacturing leader in the world to a third rate nation. I refer to England.

[bert]

I went outside to look.....the sky is not falling.

[bluejay]

Turn the clock back 100 years and you could write the same article about agriculture in America. BTW, manufacturing jobs are shrinking world wide (yes, in China as well) not just in the United States.