Why FREE TRADE was never the answer.

self | 7/28/03 | RaceBannon

[RaceBannon]

There has been a few threads on here where Free Trader enthusiasts have defended their view, and have been responded to by those who feel that Free Trade is not helping the American Economy, in fact, is part of the reason we are NOT going to see a great recovery any time soon.

I am one of the latter. The following is a cut and paste job, taken from my own comments on these threads, which I feel tell my side of the story.

Some of the points are repeatd, 3 and 4 times. That is because I feel they are the forgotten reasons and ideas why we are in what I believe are dire economic straits.

Feel free to comment.

[harpseal]

I agree with the points you made in your 340.

[searchandrecovery]

Hi RaceBannon,
Gee-Zoo-Freakin'-Whiz - what a rant! I've never seen such anger maintained over so many paragraphs. Good Job! You certainly speak from the heart - for your own situation, but mostly for America's.

My question to you - Now What? Lie down like dogs? Seems like some members of Congress are becomming aware of the outsourcing/immigrant/h1b problems (hey, where did all my english-speaking constituents go?). So - now what?

[searchandrecovery]

...I don’t think any of my (Muscovite) programmers drink...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Funny.

[RaceBannon]

1 in 10 Hi Tech goes overseas, see link below
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/955382/posts



Sunbeam closes plant?!?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/955385/posts

I honestly dont have any good advice for a person wanting to work and get ahead. Learn a trade, and stay out of the factories, that's all. Go into medical. Or food production.

Some jobs they cant send overseas...not for another 50 years ayways...

I remember hearing 25 or 30 years ago, do not work in a factory, learn a trade.

I am going to leran a trade, that's all I can come up with for a worldly approach to all this.

[searchandrecovery]

I honestly dont have any good advice for a person wanting to work and get ahead. Learn a trade, and stay out of the factories, that's all. Go into medical. Or food production.

Nah, ain't talkin' 'bout no supplication. Political activism is the answer (imho). My dream would be an organization with enough contributions from workers (the middle class) that they could buy congressmen - like corporations & other countries do. Just a dream.

[neutrino]

Bump. This is worth reading - every word of it.

[Denver Ditdat]

Excellent point. (4 countries subsidize Airbus, France, Spain, and two others).

Great Britain and Germany.

[Missouri]

Great Britain and Germany

I had thought Italy might be involved instead of Germany or Great Britain. Thanks for the info.

[RaceBannon]

Dont know if you saw this yet...

[CasearianDaoist]

As long as you join the Unions and support the Democratic party. Have you tried to get into a union in middle age. It take a decade of @ss licking to get a union card, at least it does on the East Coast. Do you really think that the solution for 3 million unemployees technolgist is to join Labor Unions?

[american spirit]

Excellent

[RaceBannon]

Wow, what a rant that was. Good thing it was a cut and paste from several threads! :)

I have been in the aerospace/utilities industry for 2.25 years now. Steady work, full time. Hurt my back last november on the job, might not ever be a mechanic again on the road.

[Old_Mil]

Racebannon, you've articulated the results of something that's based on one simple fact: a resident of the first world can never compete with a resident of the third world. The costs of inputs to produce our labor are simply too high, our standard of living too high, our expectations too high compared to those who we are asked to compete against.

An American engineer lives here:



Drives this to work:



Fills it up here:



...and might have lunch here:



By way of contrast, the Indian or Chinese engineer lives here (most likely with his parents, wife, AND children):



Goes to work on one of these:



...and has lunch here:



As you can see, this is a very visual illustration of why free trade is a lie. By the way - other nations have no trouble whatsoever reserving the best jobs for their own citizens.

I'm not willing to reduce my standard of living to a third world level - how about you?

[RaceBannon]

In light of the upcoming manufactured depression, caused by Democrats ruining the banking industry, I feel this is appropriate to be bumped up again

Think about it: If we never sent jobs overseas and dealth with the means of production differently, would we be in the spot we are in now for jobs?

[RaceBannon]

hey, what do you think of this rant now? In light of Obama’s stimulus plan?

How would the effect of keeping our jobs THEN affected us NOW?

[RaceBannon]

remember this?
Now think of pharma from China

[Black Agnes]

Yup, remember it well.

[RaceBannon]

try reading this now, 20 years later.
Tell me the main point was wrong now.
I’m not offended, but I called it back then, I called it.