[CWOJackson]

1960's?

We didn't develope some of the world's largest sea ports in the 1700 and 1800 hundreds because we needed them to protect us from trade. Those sea ports were crammed with merchant ships...doing what?

[Cacophonous]

Right. In the English Empire, they were paying tariffs. So to with America.

[FITZ]

Here's something else we didn't have back then --- tens of thousands of "displaced NAFTA workers" suing for more welfare benefits and suing the federal government for discrimination because it offered English language as part of job retraining. With free trade we gave away these unskilled jobs but we kept the laid off workers who we will now have to support for the rest of their nonworking lives which can be another 40 to 50 years or more. Why is it so great to have this new unemployable group of people? This group came from Mexico in the first place but not only won't you see them going back to follow their jobs, we're taking in millions of more ---the Mexican displaced NAFTA worker who no longer has a job in Mexico who must now find welfare in the USA in order to live.

http://www.tradeobservatory.org/news/index.cfm?ID=4476

[RaceBannon]

We didn't develope some of the world's largest sea ports in the 1700 and 1800 hundreds because we needed them to protect us from trade. Those sea ports were crammed with merchant ships...doing what?

Gunner, we used Tariffs then to protect us!! You chose the wrong time period to defend on this issue!!! :)

[hedgetrimmer]

Those sea ports were crammed with merchant ships...doing what?

They were exporting raw goods, and manufactured products created by using America's abundance of natural resources and hard working citizens. Now, however, America's natural resources (timber, minerals, farms) are locked away,stolen from private property owners for their use by environmental laws and unfair trade laws.