Free trade loses lustre

The Sunday Times ^ | February 29, 2004

[sarcasm]

WASHINGTON: Free trade is losing support in the US, in particular among high-income Americans, as more professionals feel threatened by job outsourcing to low-wage nations.

A recent poll by a Washington research group found falling support for free trade but the shift was most dramatic among those earning more than $US100,000 ($A130,000) a year.

The University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes found the percentage of those earning more than $US100,000 who actively supported free trade slid from 57 per cent in 1999 to 28 per cent in January 2004.

These results surprised even the researchers.

"It is rare in any case that any demographic slice drops 20 or 30 points on any issue," said research director Clay Ramsay.

"It certainly provides evidence for the theory that job insecurity is creeping up the income scale."

The poll showed more white-collar Americans joining the blue-collar outcry against globalisation and cast a cloud on the ability of the US to remain a leader in free trade. It also suggested protectionist talk would rise during the presidential election campaign.

But researchers said the results showed a majority of Americans endorsed free trade in principle, even if they believed it was being handled poorly by Washington.

"Feelings about international trade have gone from lukewarm, to luker," said PIPA director Steven Kull.

"Two-thirds say they support the reciprocal lowering of trade barriers but feel more needs to be done to mitigate the effects on workers and the environment." But the trend towards outsourcing of software and engineering jobs to countries such as India had led to a rethink of the benefits.

Senator Charles Schumer wrote recently in the New York Times that free trade had to be reconsidered in light of new economic realities, notably that much of the outsourcing was going to "a relatively few countries with abundant cheap labour".

"When American companies replace domestic employees with lower-cost foreign workers to sell more cheaply in home markets, it seems hard to argue this is the way free trade is supposed to work," Senator Schumer wrote.

[1rudeboy]

Can you direct me to the document? I surfed www.ftaa-alca.org/TNC and couldn't locate it.

[hedgetrimmer]

The question was for you 1rudeboy.

Structural Convergence Funds to correct the disparities in infrastructure and services, technological and innovative capacities, and human capital among the countries must be created in order to prevent a free trade area from becoming a space with some winners and many losers

Isn't one of the tenets of communism "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"?

Isn't using the government to equalize economic differences communism?

Isn't the idea that there is no competition, no "winners and losers" economically, communism?

Isn't letting the market determine economic winners and some economic losers the essence of "free trade"?

Easy questions. You should be able to answer them.

[1rudeboy]

I refer you to my #101. Do you expect me to state my case, or are you simply interested in speaking to yourself?

[hedgetrimmer]

http://www.alca-ftaa.org/TNC/tnw242_e.asp

[1rudeboy]

You are aware that your link is to a position paper by the government of Venezuela? Do you recall who is in charge of Venezuela right now?

[hedgetrimmer]

What do you think I've been warning everyone about when I talk about the FTAA? It will be implemented under the auspices of the Organizatioof American States.It makes the US an equal voting member with Venezuela. Hugo Chavez, as an official of a member state can run for President of the OAS when it becomes the regional government as specified in the FTAA. The FTAA puts us fully in bed with and in harms way from the communists that run countries like Venezuela. They consider the FTAA and the WTO as tools to use to conquer the "rich" countries like the United States without a shooting war. They consider the FTAA and WTO as tools to subjugate America.

[1rudeboy]

Of course, Hugo Chavez is the region's most vocal opponent of FTAA.

[hedgetrimmer]

Lets discuss the intent and purposes of the FTAA and its affect on the American. Hugo Chavez is play both sides of the fence. His country is a member of the Summit of the Americas the OAS and subscribes to the FTAA or he wouldn't participate in the discussion. His country is also a member of G15 which includes other dictatorships like Zimbabwe and Indonesia, which is working to destroy the economies of the "rich" countries of the world.

If you support "free trade" you are supporting this communist because Venezuela is a fully functioning member of the FTAA and the OAS.

[1rudeboy]

I don't see it that way. I rest easy knowing that Mr. Chavez dreads the thought of a Coke in every fridge, Cargill beef on every grill, a McDonalds at every corner, and a Ford in every driveway.

[RussianConservative]

What we really NEED to do is to revert back to the FAILED "ISOLATIONIST" ways that drove us into depression, and emboldened our enemies to dare think us weak enough to challenge.

Ummm, actually that not correct...US was not trade isolationist and Great Depression was world wide...why Nazies come to power of Wiemar Germany ....all except Soviet Russia, where Stalin close off economy to rest of world...Isolated economies do not Great Depressions make.

[hedgetrimmer]

So you support the United States creating equal economic partnerships with communist dictators which means that the tax dollars of free American citizens must be given away to a communist country to level the infrastructure and economic playing field so that a corporation like Coca Cola can sell its beverages to them?

[1rudeboy]

I believe in American hegemony. Chew on that.

[hedgetrimmer]

Then one can only presume you do not believe in free trade. Because every "free trade" agreement implemented in the last 30 years has put America at disadvantage, subjugated her to communist nations and has thrown away the rights of US citizens.

[Scutter]

ping

[Scutter]

Good post.

[agitator]

What this thread needs is some babytalk from Sowell so the freetrade hacks can feel good about putting this unpleasantness to bed without straining their brains.

[1rudeboy]

Well, that's a switch from the usual "those eeeevil corporations are just using free-trade to hold the common man down" position.

[1rudeboy]

God forbid that someone like Mr. Sowell actually discuss economics, right?

[hedgetrimmer]

Thanks. The unconstitutionality of free trade agreements that exist today is a very cogent point to the discussion.

[Joe Hadenuf]

We were clearly warned about all this global free trade, NAFTA, GATT, crap.

We are now clearly seeing the results of this imposed fraud.