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Patrick J. Buchanan Examines "The Slow Awakening of George W."
Washington Times ^ | 09-17-03 | Buchanan, Patrick J.

Posted on 09/17/2003 7:06:29 AM PDT by Theodore R.

The slow awakening of George W.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 17, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

Last July, U.S. Trade Representative Bob Zoellick delivered a halftime pep talk to dispirited globalists, thrown on the defensive by the hemorrhaging of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

"What ... a surprise," Zoellick railed at his troops, "to see that the proponents of [free trade] ... have so often abandoned the debate to the economic isolationists and purveyors of fright and retreat."

But by September, Zoellick's own boss seemed to be drifting toward the camp of the "economic isolationists and purveyors of fright."

At a rally in Ohio, which has lost 160,000 manufacturing jobs since mid-2000, President Bush railed: "We've lost thousands of manufacturing jobs because production moved overseas. ... America must send a message overseas – say, look, we expect there to be a fair playing field when it comes to trade."

Yes, friends, at long last, we have their attention.

What's behind this radically revised presidential rhetoric? It is this: U.S. manufacturing jobs are vanishing, and unless he turns it around, Bush's presidency may vanish along with them.

The numbers are breathtaking. Manufacturing jobs have been disappearing for 37 straight months. Not since the Depression have we lost production jobs three years in a row. Since 2000, one in every six manufacturing jobs, 2.7 million, has disappeared. These jobs paid an average wage of $54,000.

Unfortunately for President Bush, while he has a good heart, he was horribly miseducated at Harvard. He simply cannot comprehend that it is free-trade globalism that is destroying U.S. manufacturing jobs, and may yet destroy his presidency.

The serial killer of manufacturing jobs is imports, which are now equal to almost 15 percent of GDP, four times the level they held between 1860 and 1960. What has caused this flood of imports? The trade deals that people like Robert Zoellick negotiate and George W. Bush celebrates.

Consider the numbers.

In July alone, the United States exported $86.1 billion in goods and services. But we imported $126.5 billion, for a trade deficit of $40.4 billion. The total trade deficit for 2003 is estimated at between $480 billion and $500 billion. But the deficit in goods will run closer to $550 billion.

The president's father and Bill Clinton contended that every $1 billion in exports created 20,000 jobs. Thus, a $550 billion trade deficit kills 11 million production and manufacturing jobs.

Say goodbye to blue-collar America.

What is the Bush prescription for curing this metastasizing cancer? In Ohio, he declared, "See, we in America believe we can compete with anybody, just so long as the rules are fair, and we intend to keep the rules fair."

How, Mr. President?

Consider the nation that runs the largest trade surplus with us. In July, we bought $13.4 billion in goods from China and sold China $2.1 billion. U.S. imports from China this year should come in around $160 billion, and U.S. exports to China at $25 billion.

We will thus buy 10 percent of the entire GDP of China, while she buys 0.25 percent of the GDP of the United States. Is this "fair trade"? But how does Bush propose to close this exploding deficit? How can he?

Where a U.S. manufacturing worker may cost $53,000 a year, a factory in China – with $53,000 and using the same machinery and technology as a U.S. factory – can employ 25 reliable, intelligent, hardworking Chinese at $1 an hour.

If you force U.S. businessmen to pay kids who sweep the floor a $5-an-hour minimum wage, while their rivals pay highly skilled Chinese workers $1 an hour, how do you square that with the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection of the laws?

Does the president, when he goes on about keeping "the rules fair," mean he will insist that China start paying its skilled workers $25 an hour and subject their factories to the same payroll taxes, wage-and-hour laws, OSHA inspections and environmental rules as ours?

Beijing will tell him to go fly a kite, Made in China.

It is absurd to think we can force foreign nations to accept U.S. rules and regulations on production and American standards on wages and benefits. And why should foreign nations comply, when – with their present policies and laws – they are looting our industrial base and walking away with our inheritance?

The men who have custody today of what was once the most awesome manufacturing base the world had ever seen are ideologues, impervious to argument or evidence. Like the socialists of Eastern Europe, zealots like Zoellick are beyond retraining. They are uneducable. They have to go. The sooner they do, the sooner we can get about rebuilding the self-sufficient and sovereign America they gave away.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: bush; china; deficits; manufacturing; minimumwages; ohio; trade; zoellick
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Comment #681 Removed by Moderator

Comment #682 Removed by Moderator

To: Uno Animo; Chancellor Palpatine
He may as well, but he will be the last Republican president for a long, long time. Prepare to abandon ship and return to the land our forefathers came from if any one can escape the ensuing horror that is to befall upon America. These things I predict.

We're all doomed.

683 posted on 09/21/2003 9:37:49 PM PDT by Texas_Dawg (Waging war on the American worker.)
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Comment #684 Removed by Moderator

To: RockyMtnMan
Barring some unforseen stimulus, I would state that unemployment will get worse and the credit bubble may pop.

Unemployment was 6.1% when you posted this (see #502-504). It's 5.7% (and falling) now. There have been 759,000 jobs added to the economy since then. Average hourly earnings in August '03 were $15.41. For March '04, they were $15.54.

So...

685 posted on 04/27/2004 2:36:07 PM PDT by Texas_Dawg
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To: hchutch; Poohbah; Dane; ArneFufkin; Coop; austinTparty; Lazamataz; Willie Green; mhking; rdb3; ...
See #685.

686 posted on 04/27/2004 3:44:14 PM PDT by Texas_Dawg (2004 Doom World Tour.)
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To: Texas_Dawg
bttt
687 posted on 04/27/2004 3:47:55 PM PDT by PRND21
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To: TomB
Re your photo... Is that supposed to be funny?

It isn't.

688 posted on 04/27/2004 3:52:01 PM PDT by Jennikins (It matters not what we want, as we are being ruled, not governed.)
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To: Texas_Dawg
We're doomed!
689 posted on 04/27/2004 3:54:07 PM PDT by Poohbah (Darkdrake Lives!)
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To: Walkin Man
You can not only thank free-traitors for massive unemployment in America, you can say hello to 8 years of demoRat control, all thanks to the free-traitors.

Exactly. And the free-traitors can anticipate being reminded (frequently) of what they brought forth.

690 posted on 04/27/2004 3:55:05 PM PDT by neutrino (Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences. Robert Louis Stevenson.)
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To: Texas_Dawg; Poohbah
"Unemployment was 6.1% when you posted this (see #502-504). It's 5.7% (and falling) now. There have been 759,000 jobs added to the economy since then. Average hourly earnings in August '03 were $15.41. For March '04, they were $15.54."

Guys I can save all the socialists the trouble of posting a rebuttal to your above points there Dawg...

I got 'em all down pat now and if any of you need a refresher just surf over to DU or the Kerry 04 website they will have the list posted there...

So here goes:

< leftist rant mode >

Unemployment at 5.7% is a lie, the real unemployment number is in the 20% range, everyone is out of work because Bush stole the election, and no one can afford to give me a pony!

The 759,000 jobs added to the economy are all McJobs because Bush stole the election and Gore Didn't get elected and buy me a pony!

So what is the Average hourly earnings in August '03 were $15.41 and for March '04, they were $15.54, The evil Bush Cabal Invaded Iraq and raised the gas prices and sent all our jobs overseas so he could become King of the World and not give me a pony!!!

ad infinitum ad nauseum

< /leftist rant mode >

691 posted on 04/27/2004 3:59:38 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (French: old Europe word meaning surrender)
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To: Gargantua
Re Your post #80. AGREE! You said it, but much better than I ever could have. Thanks for a great post.
692 posted on 04/27/2004 4:00:07 PM PDT by Jennikins (It matters not what we want, as we are being ruled, not governed.)
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To: Jennikins; neutrino; Poohbah; Mad Dawgg
Ummm... Jennikins and neutrino...

You might want to check #685 before you start responding to posts on this 8-month old thread.

Geez.
693 posted on 04/27/2004 4:10:43 PM PDT by Texas_Dawg (2004 Doom World Tour.)
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To: Mad Dawgg
Hey, I want a pony, too!

WHERE'S MY PONY?!!?
694 posted on 04/27/2004 5:23:39 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (Is Arlen Specter a conservative Republican? Umm... "Not proven.")
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To: Jennikins
Re your photo... Is that supposed to be funny?

It isn't.

And it only took you SEVEN MONTHS to decide that?

Typical patsy.

695 posted on 04/28/2004 4:38:12 AM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
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To: Texas_Dawg; RockyMtnMan
Unemployment was 6.1% when you posted this (see #502-504). It's 5.7% (and falling) now. There have been 759,000 jobs added to the economy since then. Average hourly earnings in August '03 were $15.41. For March '04, they were $15.54. So...

Geez, that was like taking candy from a baby, TD. Wish I had gotten in on that bet. :-)

I saw yesterday that the initial estimates for job growth in April (based on mid months surveys) was 175K. Even if they're 50K too high, that's still an impressive growth trend.

696 posted on 04/28/2004 5:33:43 AM PDT by Coop (Freedom isn't free)
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To: Texas_Dawg
I've seen a significant pullback in offshoring and a large upswing in defense hiring in my area. Our company is also beginning to see an increase in capital expenditures both private and federal.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing job growth. I did not anticipate a pullback in offshoring but since this is an election year it's not too surprising. Low interest rates are definitely keeping the "credit bubble" in check and I hope it stays that way. I would love to see any stats that indicate people are beginning to save more, otherwise we are just delaying the "pop" for the next economic downturn.

I'm still concerned that many VC's are almost demanding that startups use a high percentage of offshore labor as part of their initial business plan. Exposing future competition to our entrepreneurial processes and latest technologies is going to create very unwanted competition in the future. This will lead to losses in market share for emerging technologies.

All in all I'm happy to "lose" this type of bet and I hope things continue. I would say that one more quarter of positive growth and I'll switch from cautious to bullish on the future economy.
697 posted on 04/28/2004 8:03:12 AM PDT by RockyMtnMan
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