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NAFTA began at the beginning of 1994. I don't have ready figures on income before and after, but real income (adjusted for inflation) has been slightly higher every year for which I've seen figures. Unemployment since then has averaged under 5%. For comparison, unemployment during the 1980s averaged 7.2% and during the 1970s it averaged 6.2%.

Do you live in an area affected by NAFTA? It's killed this part of the country which was declared an economic disaster in the 90's when other places were supposedly booming. The middle class is moving out of the region and all the jobs are going out. Someone from one of the maquilas was telling me that the maquilas in Mexico aren't doing so well and are laying off workers ---for one it's even cheaper (cheaper than $3 a day for a Mexican) to move these companies to China where the worker quality is better.