More Free Trade by AnthonyT

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More Free Trade

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Friday, October 14, 2011 16:40
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Thursday, October 13, 2011 4:27 AM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

We are about to enact more free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. I'm not convinced that the previous free trade agreements have proved to be a benefit to the country. If I recall correctly, the last gasp of home grown manufacturing slipped away after the previous free trade agreements and preferred trading.

What do you all think? Is my perception flawed?

--Anthony

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"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 4:53 AM

M52NICKERSON

DALEK!

Well free trade did not drive out all manufacturing from the US. We are still one of the largest manufacturing countries in the world and I believe still the world’s largest overall exporter.

The problem with free trade in general is that it does tend to shift manufacturing jobs to places that have a cheaper labor force, and usually less safety and labor regulations.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 5:01 AM

BYTEMITE

Quote:
We are still one of the largest manufacturing countries in the world and I believe still the world’s largest overall exporter.

Nope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports

Quote:
The problem with free trade in general is that it does tend to shift manufacturing jobs to places that have a cheaper labor force, and usually less safety and labor regulations.

Yep.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 11:48 AM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I agree with Anthony, free trade is luh suh and the only people who win is other countries, we've got to look out for ourselves and we aren't doing it. If we were looking out for ourselves then we wouldn't be beholden to China. Down with free trade, up with terriffs, even if it means stuff from Ireland will be a lil' more expensive.
I feel strongly about this.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 1:38 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Quote:
We are still one of the largest manufacturing countries in the world and I believe still the world’s largest overall exporter.

Nope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports

Quote:
The problem with free trade in general is that it does tend to shift manufacturing jobs to places that have a cheaper labor force, and usually less safety and labor regulations.

Yep.

Wow.

Okay, EU doesn't exactly count as a "country", but I was surprised to learn that Germany exports more than we do. Not *that* surprised, because I knew they were one of the biggies, but I thought they were a bit behind us, not a bit ahead.

And yep on the last part.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 2:45 PM

M52NICKERSON

DALEK!

Quote:
Originally posted by RionaEire:
I agree with Anthony, free trade is luh suh and the only people who win is other countries, we've got to look out for ourselves and we aren't doing it. If we were looking out for ourselves then we wouldn't be beholden to China. Down with free trade, up with terriffs, even if it means stuff from Ireland will be a lil' more expensive.
I feel strongly about this.

The problem is that we still are a large exporter. If we place tariffs on other countries good they will do the same to ours. It is a catch 22. Perhaps the best thing to do is try and maintain innovation and keep those higher tech jobs here.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011 4:32 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello,

We are about to enact more free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. I'm not convinced that the previous free trade agreements have proved to be a benefit to the country. If I recall correctly, the last gasp of home grown manufacturing slipped away after the previous free trade agreements and preferred trading.

What do you all think? Is my perception flawed?

A lot depends on what you're willing to pay for stuff.

Do you, or did you, buy only American manufactured goods to keep jobs in the country, or did you just look for what had the best price point for the quality or features you wanted?

If you ran a clothing company and you could get your sport shirts sewn 50% cheaper out of the U.S., would you stay with ILGW workers in the U.S. or go offshore?

We really can't compete on piecework, since our citizens - even the ones who used to do that work - have expectations of a much higher standard of living than the folks who do it now.

We really need to find the stuff we do best, and market that.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Friday, October 14, 2011 3:00 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
We really need to find the stuff we do best, and market that.

I have no idea what that would be. The USA has natural superiority over grain production, but you really don't want to be just an exporter of raw materials. AFA exporting "innovation", ideas are cheap and easy to steal. Intellectual services, like radiology and help centers? Gone. We also tried our hand at financialism, and where did that get "us"?

No, if you want to create a healthy economy with jobs you have to MAKE A WHOLE RANGE OF STUFF. Factories move to China to be closer to their supply lines as well as labor... since China makes the steel, springs, plates, bolts, capacitors, chips, boards, chemicals, plastics, etc. which are used in a whole raft of downstream products.

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What we REALLY should do is simply not trade with nations which do not allow free elections and labor unions, or which do not follow the same rule governing currency exchange. (Yes, China manipulates its currency to our disadvantage) Free trade, as currently practiced, only means that we (the 99%) get to chase each other to the bottom of the barrel, and who benefits from THAT? (Except the factory-owners, of course).

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Friday, October 14, 2011 4:40 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
The problem is that we still are a large exporter.

The upside is, we are a net importer.

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