I have gotten a surprising number of responses from people in this thread. Obviously this is a very contentious issue that is splitting the Conservative community. In my opinion, this is also an issue that is demagogued for political advantage by both parties and they are both dead wrong.
First of all, personal stories are always illustrative, and there are a lot of very interesting ones on this thread, but we have to keep in mind that at any given time economic conditions can be good and bad in different areas of the country.
Secondly, this IS a free trade issue. Free trade benefits everyone. Why is this a free trade issue? Because government is standing in the way of economic freedom and preventing private enterprise from hiring who they wish. Remember Adam Smiths golden rule: an economic transaction will not take place unless both parties benefit from it.
Thirdly, I understand that having more high tech workers COULD lower wages for SOME American high tech workers. People on this thread have been writing like this is a certainty. Not true. What might happen is that an American Engineer hires some of the foreign Engineers to work FOR him and then the American worker/company makes a higher salary then before because their business is more competitive and/or the American Engineer has more supervisory responsibility.
Fourthly, the American consumer gains big, which helps spur economic growth. Prices will fall for a product or service, which in turn cut costs in other areas. All other industries and consumers benefit from this.
Fifthly, Foreign investment is encouraged. Why move a company to a country (US) where the cost of your high tech workers is sky high? Why build a Toyota plant here, when you can build one in China and pay your high tech workers less? As President Bush said at the Republican Convention, "American needs to be the best place to do business in the world". That means companies that come here need to have the best hiring options available to them.
Sixthly, American companies become more competitive globally. If a company can lower costs 10% by hiring cheaper engineers, then maybe they can boost exports 40% and hire even more workers then they would have without this ability to hire. Also, these talented workers are with US companies instead of with US competitors. Furthermore, American companies might be more tempted to outsource overseas if they can save big on labor costs in these areas
The more savings they can get here the less likely they are to outsource. Now let's stop for a second, arent you all against outsourcing?!?!?
Seventhly, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe many of these foreign workers use this first step as a stepping-stone to citizen ship. I think it either speeds the process up, or makes the success of their application more likely, especially if they continue to work for the company here in the US. Bringing these productive, hard working, knowledgeable people under the American flag can only advance our nation and our economic strength. We are a nation of immigrants and we should not forget that. Currently the brain drain flows TO the US. Let's keep it that way.
Finally, all you people who are sooooo upset about this are almost reacting just like liberals: with pure emotion. Take a step back and look at what is actually happening. It is a win-win-win-win situation. Like liberals, politicians who rail against free trade are doing so for purely political reasons. They are doing it to get elected. In reality, it is atrocious policy. It is disturbing to me that so many 'Conservatives' are against something that is such a benefit to the American economy.
Free Trade IS a conservative idea. Reagan was a HUGE free trader (although like Bush Jr I believe he made some exceptions out of political necessity). Clinton passed NAFTA against a lot of objection in his own party (and some conservatives like Buchanon and the Perot crowd). NAFTA has been a huge success. The doom and gloom crowd were dead wrong about it. Now, Kerry is talking about fair trade and environmental and labor standards, which is code signifying his intention to use government to skew the goodies towards his special interest contributors.
Let's not turn back to the failed policies of the past. We need to unite Conservatives around this issue.
Sure it has --- the national debt has never been higher, Texas and California are facing almost impossible state budget deficits, the number of impoverished people is growing at about 1 million/year. Immigration from Mexico is at previously unimaginable rates. The regions along the Mexican border are in economic disaster and require billions of dollars in federal relief. The recent elections in Mexico showed them making a sharp turn to the leftist parties and the violent crime rate is skyrocketing. How many NAFTA displaced workers are still living off government programs like NAFTA-TAA, Medicaid, food stamps, housing subsidies, free job retraining? It's been a huge success for a very few.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,39028,00.html
"It is no wonder that many doctors feel the lure of the US these days.
There was a net migration of 49 neurosurgeons from Canada from 1996 to 2002, said the Canadian Institute for Health Information - a large loss, since there are only 241 neurosurgeons in the country."
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Lesson learned: Good for us and Bad for Canada. Let's keep it up. I don't see Neurosurgeon salaries dropping. The more government meddles and restricts the more people flee and the more the economy stagnates.
Bull... Free Trade is a scam! The very notion one must be Free Trade to be conservative is a flat out lie! One that anyone who's seriously thought about it cannot contend it remotely in the best interest of the nation.
"Free" trade is a huge scam, always has been always will be. It undermines national sovereignty, places greed before sound long term fiscal policy and frankly props up despotic and authoritative regimes. It is absolutely UNCONSCIONABLE that a nation that uses political prisoners as slave labor can import goods to the United States, let alone do it Duty Free!
Trade should be bilateral agreements between nations, and the US should be using its position of strength in this area to require second and third teir nations to improve themselves in order to get access to our markets. If Uganda or some other 3rd world nation with a corrupt governmental system wishes access to our markets, we should use that access to force them to improve their nation, private property laws, a seperate judiciary, and accountable government, freedom of the press and increase their ability to bring in trade accordingly.
I have nothing against sharing the wealth in terms of international trade, or building up future consumer bases around the world by it, but our goal must be to not only allow money to flow to these nations... because if that's all it is, you will wind up with more despots who live even higher than they already are off the backs of their people and the labor they produce.
Free Trade is the absolutely greatest bald face lie EVER perpetrated on the american people... it is even worse than the Federal Reserve Act!
Ronald Reagan always placed America First! in his priorities.
Wrong.
Reagan was a HUGE free trader
Not precisely (he instituted a plethora of quotas and other barriers), and to the extent he was, he never did fully shake the FDR dogma he had been indoctrinated with.