[FITZ]

A trade deficit means you've got programs like TANF, Medicaid, Chip, food stamps, NAFTA-TAA, housing subsidies, Headstart, WIC, federal grants and bailouts, and much much more for those who can no longer provide for themselves because the jobs are gone.

Half of government spending is on handout programs. Compare government spending on social programs and compare that with the trade deficit.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

A trade deficit means you've got programs like TANF, Medicaid, Chip, food stamps, NAFTA-TAA, housing subsidies, Headstart, WIC, federal grants and bailouts, and much much more for those who can no longer provide for themselves because the jobs are gone.

We had all these programs long before we had a trade deficit. We have far fewer people as a percentage of the population in poverty today than we did in the 1950's and 60's when we last run trade surpluses.

Really, there is no connection at all.