Stop trading U.S. jobs away

New York Daily News ^ | May 25, 2003 | Lou Dobbs

[Madstrider]

Idiot. Trade equals economic growth, period. If other companies erect trade barriers or subsidize their industries, they only rob the consumers and taxpayers of those countries. Protection results in inefficiency; inefficiency causes economic decline.

[sarcasm]

Protection results in inefficiency; inefficiency causes economic decline.

Was the United States a declining nation when it imposed tariffs to protect its industry?

[The Duke]

Idiot. Trade equals economic growth, period. If other companies erect trade barriers or subsidize their industries, they only rob the consumers and taxpayers of those countries.

"Companies" don't erect trade barriers - nations do. And all our major trading partners do, in fact, have trade barriers in place (try selling a US-made PC in China!).

Don't you think there's a reason when you travel to Canada from the US, for example, that you have to tell the border guards that you're not coming there to work?

It's a relief to know that we do things so much smarter now, even though we're a far less educated nation then we were back in the days that we imposed tarriffs. </sarcasm>

[freeper12]

>>Trade equals economic growth, period

Growth, but for who? Even if trade does equals economic growth, it seems quite clear that the benefits of increased free trade are being reaped by fewer and fewer people at the very top of the food chain. CEO's are making hundreds of millions of dollars by firing american workers and hiring ones in China and India. If this is creating any wealth at all, it is creating it not for the average american but for the average chinese person and for the CEO's...they should have called it SHAFTA, not NAFTA.

The outsourinc of america WILL be an important election issue someday in the not to distant future.

[BushCountry]

A layman veiw.

The United States' Unemployment rate is lower than almost any other nation. If the GDP was at 3 to 5% we would have almost no unemployment (5% or lower is consider full employment). You will not get a GDP close to 5% with trade barriers, I am sorry.

[sarcasm]

Actually, 6% unemployment is very high for the United States. There have prolonged periods (1951-72) when the average was under 4%.

[Ed_in_NJ]

And can anyone tell me exactly WHO is benefitting HOW from NAFTA, etc.?

[BushCountry]

I know that the current unemployment rate is high, but it is lower than almost any other nation. We had terrorist attacks that crippled the airline industry, tourist industry, depressed consumers confidence, etc...

To be honest, I am surprised at how robust our nation is and proud of Americans for making a comeback (albiet right now a weak one, but we survived a lot). What I am trying to say is that I don't think trade barriers will help our ecomony and that if we get to 5% GDP, unemployment would not be a problem. A robust ecomony means full employment.

[sarcasm]

Your statement was that 5% unemployment represents full-employment. That statement is factually incorrect. The United States has had much lower levels of unemployment for extended periods.

[A. Pole]

"The only way we can get in on this game is to ... make penalties for those who manufacture overseas and benefits for those who manufacture in the United States," Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) told me. "I have a bill to keep the jobs in this country. It's going to be an uphill fight because we've got to really change the culture."

Free market bump.

[SSN558]

The Japs bought into the economics of globalism, and are suffering the same fate as Americans. Change occurs faster for local economies with the closest geographic location to the trade ports. This explains why CA is not far behind the Japanese.

Welcome to the 21st century and the race to the bottom. The economists are half right, third world nations have a comparative advantage of "low cost labor" a thinly disguised euphemism for sweat shop labor and CEO slave masters.

How might you ask do traders and investors become billionares by trading away a nations wealth, health, and prosperity ? Corporate welfare and political coruption is how. For example: Feinswein uses her power and position in the Senate to steer government contracts to her billionare husband Richard Bloom. Government contracts are money taken by the force of law, "taxes" from the people of the United States. Through a series of sub contractors, holding companies, and other business gimics all this wealth is then exported to third would nations such as China. In the lexicon of modern business this is refred to as, "win-win." China wins, Bloom wins, Feinswine wins, and the statists in government win having to exert ever greater amounts of control over the population.

Is it any wonder that Feinswein is an ardant supporter of gun control ? Just like the former USSR, a growing portion of domestic economic activiy is devoted to the "black" market or underground economy. By some estimates the black market in the U.S. is 10% of GNP, and this consists mostly of illegal drugs. If the U.S. government had prohibited shoes or tooth brushes instead of mind altering drugs, we would see a blosoming "black" market for these items.

Why is the "black" market called black ? End Of Rant.

[BushCountry]

Currently the Unemployment Rate is measured completely different from the 50s and 60s. However, I think most ecomonist agree that 4% unemployment is full employment. So, when I stated that under 5% is full employment it might have been a little misleading, however, under 5% is very close to full employment.

[Cacique]

ping

[arete]

A robust ecomony means full employment.

We are in the middle of a geosynchronous slowdown in economic activity. Both Japan and Germany could soon slip into severe recessions with France, the UK, Canada, Mexico, and Asia not far behind. Even China is suffering from banking problems and a lack of domestic demand coupled with high unemployment. Using the hot media word "robust" to describe anything economic today just doesn't apply.

Richard W.

[BushCountry]

Currently the Unemployment Rate is measured completely different from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80, and 90s. I wish they would quit changing how they measure it!

[sarcasm]

Department of Labor statistics for the period 1939-2001 are located HERE. The average unemployment rate has been rising since the early 1970's.

[BushCountry]

Didn't say we had a robust ecomony, just that if we had one, unemployment would not be a problem. Also, that trade barriers would not create a robust ecomony.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Put Politics Before Economy - Venezuela's Chavez Slams Pan-American Trade Pact*** Chavez proposed instead a social and political pact called the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, named after Simon Bolivar, the 19th century general who struggled in vain to politically unite South America. "We don't even need anything like Mercosur (a trade bloc grouping Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), because we can't put the economy first in terms of integration. Political unity needs to come first," he said.

Chavez's opponents, who have organized months of violent protests, accuse him of authoritarian, communist-style rule in the world's No. 5 oil exporting nation. One person was killed and 22 hurt on Saturday when shooting erupted at an anti-Chavez rally in Caracas. The Venezuelan leader declined to comment on the violence, which came a day after government and opposition negotiators agreed to a pact that could lead to a referendum on his rule. ***

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Venezuela's Government, Foes Agree Referendum Pact - Disarm civilian population*** In the 19-point accord, both sides agree to shun violence, respect democracy and hold referendums for the president and other elected officials as laid down in the constitution. The accord also endorses plans to disarm the civilian population. At least 50 people have been shot to death and several hundred injured in political violence over the last 18 months.

Both government and opposition negotiators hailed the political pact as a mechanism to reduce tensions. "This clears the path to a referendum as an electoral solution to the political crisis," opposition representative Alejandro Armas told reporters. Venezuela's constitution allows for a recall vote on the president's rule once he has completed half of his six-year mandate. In Chavez's case, this is Aug. 19. To trigger the referendum, the opposition must collect signatures from 20 percent of the electorate.

The government also insists that the National Assembly must first select a new National Electoral Commission. But the assembly, where pro-Chavez deputies hold a slim majority, is still haggling over candidates for the electoral authority which would verify the signatures for a referendum and set a date for the vote.***

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There won't be much of a market left in this region if Latin America continues to turn Left.

[A. Pole]

The United States' Unemployment rate is lower than almost any other nation.

Unemployment rate does not measure the real joblessness. Many people are not counted, others are counted as employed if they do part time temporary odd jobs, while trying to get the real job back. There are lies, bigger lies and statistics.

Also other countries count unemployment differently. Besides, your way of reasoning is - "in other countries like in Liberia or Chad people starve and get chopped into pieces so consider yourself being in the paradise", or "why are complaining about your chest pains? - the guy next to you has sarcoma!"