Humor alert.
“By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president. “
Just an other example of why I say the beast will be our next president.
This poll clearly didn’t include a lot of freepers.
We wont have to worry about that either way if Canada, Mexico and the USA become the “North American Union”.
We will have those trans continental toll “Corridors” and a common monetary unit and everything will be just fine.
Perhaps Duncan Hunter's views would be of interest to 6 in 10 Republicans.
Free trade came to mean that the US would by and large open its markets while most of Asia did not.
Because people, some of them Republicans, have no understanding of economics.
I don’t know why this dude is shocked. Maybe he has polls over several years for comparison, but NAFTA was opposed by almost two-thirds of Americans. But “trade” is a misnomer for what is actually happening because all these nations we have agreements with have few products to sell us. We’re simply trading American jobs and production facilities for cheap labor and lax regulation where products will be produced and shipped to the US. Our trade deficit is fast approaching a trillion dollars annually.
Maybe the American people are contemplating this “trade” philosophy where the only value is the cheapest production cost.
As with most subject, it is ignorance which spawns fear. Too many do not understand the laws of economics, so they fear them instead. What makes prices go up and down is a mystery to them, so it's treated like voodoo.
Every, and I mean every, voter should carefully read Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. This would go a long way toward shining the light of truth and reason on the subject of economics in voters' minds. Once the mechanisms of fixed economic reality are clearly understood, free trade is no longer the hideous monster it once appeared to be.
Free trade is not the issue, fair trade is, as Duncan Hunter likes to point out.
Those who think foreign imports are so bad should simply stop buying them. They can buy only American-made goods—or do without.
Instead, they would have the government tell people what they may or may not buy.
It goes without saying that most Americans(Republicans included) don’t know a darn thing about economics. You don’t need a poll to tell you that. Haven’t you heard? “Those evil underhanded furriners are taking our jobs and destroying our manufacturing base.” Of course unemployment is low, our manufacturing output is higher than ever, and our GDP is monstrous, but that’s just silly economics.
We’ve all been through this right here literally thousands of times. Free traders can explain the benefits, post the numbers, and a month later the same exact posters will be back posting the same protectionist/socialist nonsense. It’s like the socialized medicine argument, all of the emotion is on one side of the equation and you have to argue uphill everytime it comes up.
Hmmmmmm. now what presidential candidate is MOST inline with this American Majority opinion....
Maybeeeeeeeeeeee....
DUNCAN HUNTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Free trade would be great if there really was a level and fair playing field.
The problem is that in the US the American consumer has the money. His apatite for foreign made products and services are un-satisfyable, but abroad you’re dealing with consumers with lower disposable incomes in most the world; people who can’t afford expensive high end products. Then you have the nature of the American market, which is highly deregulated in areas that are in fact state run in many places; a deregulated airline, banking, even many city services etc. The “hands off” approach of our government is in stark contrast to others, who play games with pinning currencies, impose import restrictions based on bogus environmental, health, and other reasons, or who have hidden taxes on imports etc.; you don’t see these games being played by our government like elsewhere. Finally you have a very world open heterogeneous society that has no real preferences for US made products; the American consumer will buy what brings him the greatest bang for the buck at Wal-Mart or at a car dealership may that be a Hyundai or a TV made in China, while abroad you’ll see much more loyalty to nationally produced products.
The US has a sound infrastructure; we have a highly skilled labor force and indeed in some areas are number one in skill sets (IT, biomedicine, aerospace). We have a low tax burden, productivity is among the highest, labor laws are generally favorable to business, and the US has a culture that is Judeo-Christian (ethics/time sensitive etc.), yet we loose out in trade because it is frankly impossible to overcome the obstacles placed in front of US business abroad all awhile Americans want to continue to consume foreign made products. The Boeing-Airbus issue is a classic example of this. You have American private airlines buying an Airbus because they see a good deal and greater profit margins for them if they buy the Airbus, yet a Boeing product that beats out the Airbus product in Europe gets passed over because the state run airlines will buy the state built airplane, no matter what. Like the boarder and greater immigration issue in this country, trade and the problems associated with it are not new. Trade is generally positive and a win-win situation like immigration if done correctly. However, like the illegal immigration issue, where our government has failed the people and nation, the trade issues we face today are largely because of administrations past and present that do nothing to correct a large problem that is not pretty to fix, so the answer is to ignore it, like the illegal alien problems facing us.
The DOW looks great, if you are a multi-National. Looks like arse if you are a small player trying to gain market share or a middle income worker trying to find a job.
Free trade is fine. What isn’t is the nonsense we currently have that is called ‘free trade’.
Free trade is great but we’re running an 850 billion dollar trade deficit. So discipline and tariffs or other measures are in order. Such a level of borrowing for imports is idiotic. No responsible nation does this.
The US dollar is sinking because ——— of the trade deficit, stupid. So work on that before you trumpet these wonderful free trade ideas
They haven’t seen the effects of too much government control of trade lately (which are much worse than the “unfair” competition they fear), so they think open markets are costing jobs, lowering living standards etc. After a few years of government control, they will see the mistake in their thinking, and opinion will trend back toward favor of free trade.
Temporary self-delusion is sometimes part of the price we pay for self-government. It’s worth it, even though it causes inefficiency at times.
Didn’t a democrat (Clinton) sign NAFTA?