Posted on 11/25/2002 8:15:37 AM PST by SAMWolf
I hope they don't kick me out of the Republican Party for this.
But free trade is a bad idea.
For years it hasn't set right with me, and I've tried to figure out why. And now I know. It's because it violates a simple principle of life.
And that is self-reliance.
International free trade, while certainly necessary and useful to an extent, can easily be overemphasized to such a degree that it jeopardizes a country's economic self-interest and national security.
The United States is a good example.
But first, let's look at Mexico.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, all Mexican protections against American or Canadian agricultural imports are about to disappear. That means cheaper Canadian and American farm products are going to flood Mexico.
And Mexican farms are going to close down. The impact on Mexican agriculture is going to be immense.
Which means Mexico is going to be less capable of supplying its own needs. And it means a ton of farm workers are going to be out of work and headed north. And that's not good for anybody.
Just like it's no good that the United States has a dramatic trade deficit, that it buys far more from overseas than it sells. And that there are entire sections of the American economy which are dependent on foreign goods. For whole product lines, there simply are no American manufacturers anymore. From electronic goods to clothing to steel, we don't make things anymore.
And American corporations are closing domestic factories to shift manufacturing overseas.
All of which fits perfectly into the world of free trade.
And all of which screws us royally.
Because independence is good and interdependence is bad. Because interdependence is the same as reliance and that is the opposite of self-reliance.
And history teaches that -- without exception -- prosperity and security require national self-reliance. Americans should eat American agricultural products and use American manufactured products and channel their income back into the economy that produced it -- the American economy. When a nation becomes reliant on foreign products -- as the United States clearly is -- its comfort and peace are held hostage by the producers of those foreign products.
If a nation cannot produce what it needs -- as the United States now cannot -- it is in a precarious position that weakens and enslaves it.
We will be weakened as we exchange our prosperity -- hard currency -- for foreign products, and we will be enslaved as our national policy inevitably must be tailored to preserve our access to foreign goods. These are truths which have been understood and implemented around the world for centuries. To abandon them now is to abandon national self-interest and to doom the United States to premature but certain decline.
And it is to bring the same fate to many nations of the world.
In developing countries, lingering poverty and delayed development are tied directly to a failure to be nationally self-reliant. When nations feed themselves, they do not starve. When they manufacture their own goods, they don't go without.
When they understand that their consumer dollars must be recycled into their own economies, they do not long linger in recession or unemployment.
Free trade serves a very few at the top of international corporations, but it does not serve the average American. Rather, it takes away his job and his nation's strength.
Certainly, the flow of goods and produce around the globe is needful and beneficial, but so is protection, and buttering your own bread first. The sense of national economic identity must not be lost, and neither should the commitment to protecting American prosperity -- even at the cost of limiting free trade.
Our first obligation is to feed, house, clothe and prosper American families. Every thing else comes second. That must be our attitude. Just as Mexico and every other nation must have the same attitude about its people and its economy.
Independence is good, interdependence is bad.
Self-reliance is the key to prosperity -- for individuals and nations.
There's the problem in a nutshell.
We're not. Compared to the Third World, our government places significant restrictions on domestic production and utilization of our own natural resources.
It's interesting that the 'free-marketers' proclaim "capitalism!" and then dive right in and cut deals with socialist and communist governments for inhumane sweatshop and slave labor. It seems the "free-marketers" would rather support communist and socialist governments the world over instead of supporting capitalism at home in the US.
Funny idea of freedom you have there.
So if a ship full of sugar tries to dock in the United States, you believe the navy should intercept them? After all, growing sugar in the Everglades or getting it at 3X market value from beets is the intelligent solution to the problem.Did you notice the LifeSaver candy factory just left the country? Put 2 and 2 together.
If we were at war, other nations would send ships to blockade our ports. You are suggesting we do to ourselves what enemies would do to us in times of war.
And THAT is the problem. Fascism is a terrible thing.
Make the country freer, and you will be fixing the cause of the problem.
Spot on. I made that point in an earlier post but no response was forthcoming.
The vast majority of the people who make what is described as "slave wages" have raised their standard of living by huge amounts and proportionately are well off in their respective societies.
Walter Williams would be proud.
Excellent. It is of course just fascism which is not recognised as such by most folks in this country.
The goverment is merely asserting it's power to set prices at it's whim for political purpose. They are in effect telling you that you own things only at their pleasure.
Does being "patriotic" require you to wash down that nice tasty Heaven's Gate applesauce with some Jonestown Grape Kool-Aid?
Why can't business be the same way?
Because, at some point, businesses need to make a profit.
Am I so naive, and unsophisticated I just don't understand?
Yes.
Free trade is not my religion. If there are problems with the tax code - then work to fix it.
Businesses have tried to do so, but after over half a century of Democratic politics of class warfare and envy, they realized that it was a lost cause.
Abondoning your country is inexcusable.
Actually, it's more like their country abandoned them--but only after extorting lots of campaign contributions first.
And I would add it is marginal for much of the production at least on the front end due to substandard production facilites and an undereducated work force with higher rates of training expenses and product quality control expenses.
That is why we never heard the "giant sucking sound" predicted by the populist Ross Perot.
Indeed they are. They are freeing up our resources for higher paying jobs. They are still headquartered here. Therefore, the REAL paying jobs in that company are American.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.