NAFTA worked -- so will CAFTA. Perot's giant sucking sound never came to pass because it defies economic logic, based as it is on the zero-sum game, and on the only statistic of all time to be even more meaningless than the late Game Winning RBI, the "trade deficit" (cue scary music).
Free trade is where it's at and is where the Republican Party is at. If you want protectionism, join the Democrats. Or Japan.
#4
NAFTA hasn't worked, neither will CAFTA. The only reason NAFTA hasn't done more harm than it could is that the markets are small. We've got a NAFTA-like situation currently with favored nation China. How's that working for us?
With CAFTA, we get the added benefit of a lot of authority transfer to the less-than-friendly-to-American WTO. That should definitely give the U.S. the leg up on the world market.
If you're skeptical of free-trade being the be-all end-all of utopian experiences, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're protectionist. There are ways to create a more level playing field than slapping a bunch of tariffs in place. You could (gasp) lower taxes and other government restrictions and regulations on our industries to make them more competitive. Any time you have American companies setting up shop overseas it's the sign of bad things. If you start seeing American workers/companies squeezed out of existence (not in just isolated market segments) it's a sign of bad things.
NAFTA has been a mixed bad...but it is certainly not the shining success we were led to believe....If so called "free traders" wanted the ultimate in free trade why have any "managed " trade?...simply say, no more tariffs , rules,taxes on ANY good or service crossing national boundaries....Conservatives are always talking about a "fair profit"...It's time they also talked about a "fair wage"....
Yes, of course NAFTA, GATT and all the other "free trade" bunk worked. That's why our steel and manufacturing sector is thriving so. The 8 billion that Clinton gave Brazil didn't do a thing to help kill our steel. Don't you think it's funny that the steel "glut" ended as soon as American steel died. Can't even afford to buy the stuff anymore. Call it what you want but this selling out of America is NOT free trade.
How about the Constitution Party?
I'm all for free trade, how but "free" is an agreement that consists of 20,000 pages?
Ah, but the problem with 'free trade' is that it's only free for the government and/or big business .
Otherwise, Uncle Sam and its ancillary little fiefdoms wouldn't try so hard to keep the PEOPLE (you know, those pesky sovereign citizen-thingys government was created to PROTECT) from buying drugs from Canada or smokes from Switzerland.
If the Republicans do what's best for the country by screwing the public, we WILL wind up with another Dem in the White House.
What are you talking about...there is no garment industry, steel industry, electronics industry and soon the auto industry will be gone...thanks to global 'trade'. Soon, you will hear the sucking sound too as will many American workers.