HUNTER: You know, Brit, one thing we need with this smaller generation that's coming up, that's going to have to carry these massive loads -- economic loads and security loads -- is bigger paychecks.
You take a $75,000-a-year job, and you move it to China, and that guy gets a $20,000-a-year job, the amount of money that he or she contributes to Medicare and Social Security falls off the cliff.
Now, we've lost over 3 million high-paying manufacturing jobs in the last five years because we haven't insisted on a level playing field with out competitors. They all get their taxes rebated to their manufacturers. American manufacturers pay double taxes.
HUNTER: And for that reason, we've got a trade deficit with countries that have higher labor rates than we have.
Now, what we're going to have to do is demand a level playing field. That means that we're going to -- I think we should involve ourselves in what I call mirror trade, and that means that if another country is charging us a 19 percent tariff, we're going to hold up a mirror, and they're going to see it when their goods come into our country.
(APPLAUSE)
HUME: Congressman, do you really...
HUNTER: Leveling the playing field.
(APPLAUSE)
HUME: ... do you really think we can solve the Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs with trade policy?
HUNTER: Let me give you one statistic, Brit. We have a $161 billion deficit this year. We have an $800 billion trade deficit. And that is closely linked with the ability to take care of our seniors, to take care of Medicare, and to pay Social Security, absolutely.
HUNTER: Yes, just one comment.
You know, President Putin did give us one opening, and I think we should exploit it. And that is that he offered to work with us on sea-based missile defenses. The throat of the -- of missiles launched from Iran at western Europe would go over the Black Sea.
HUNTER: I think we should undertake an initiative with Putin's people and discuss the prospects of putting our Aegis missile defense cruisers in the Black Sea, ask them if they're interested in an partnership that would protect Western Europe, also protect us.
But, lastly, you know last month, we had a successful intercept above the Pacific Ocean with a missile coming out from Alaska with an interceptor coming up from Vandenberg. And we hit it 100 miles above the surface of the Earth. That was a demonstration of the new success of what Ronald Reagan started with missile defense. We've got to keep missile defense strong.
(APPLAUSE)
HUME: ... do you really think we can solve the Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs with trade policy?
HUNTER: Let me give you one statistic, Brit. We have a $161 billion deficit this year. We have an $800 billion trade deficit. And that is closely linked with the ability to take care of our seniors, to take care of Medicare, and to pay Social Security, absolutely.
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looks like Hunter forgot to take economics 101 in college