The fastest way to lose your job is to support a new “Free trade Agreement”. What some call free trade is not free trade at all. It is outsourcing our jobs to other countries with cheap labor. Even worse is it also is the transfer of our wealth. What Donald Trump, and Ross Perot before him said; it is these agreements that allow other countries to drain our wealth and our jobs. When the trade balance is negative we are removing wealth from our country and sending it to someone else.
Here is how it works, we sign a free trade agreement with say Mexico which removes all protection for say our auto industry. Now why would a company pay an American auto worker $40 an hour when they can get someone in Mexico to do exactly the same job for $5 per hour? Some say the quality of American workers is better, OK let’s hire another checker and repair person for $5 to insure that good workmanship goes out the door. Plus you have robots that are doing many of the skilled jobs. A company would be stupid to pay 4 times as much for labor here in America.
When our country was founded our founding fathers installed tariffs to protect our fledgling industries from foreign competition. Yes we had to pay a little more for things but we were able to build our industrial might and provide jobs for our people. Now comes globalism and progressive ideals. “Let’s remove these restrictive tariffs so things will be cheaper for Americans and help those poorer countries” sounds like a good idea. We no longer will have to pay more for cars. So people bought cheap cars produced in other countries and got rid of American workers. What about the cost of transportation, moving cars from say Mexico to the U.S.? Fire the American truck driver; we can get a Mexican one for ¼ the cost. Another job lost. Then it’s the parts supplier and so on.
Oh one more thing, the cost of government regulations on American business that foreign business don’t have. It has been estimated by the National Association of Manufactures that it is around $20,000 per employee big companies and for a small business $34,000. This all becomes a hidden tax which we all pay if we “buy American”. Yes workers need some protection but many people think things have gone way too far.
Cheap stuff from around the world saves the typical U.S. family maybe 5 to 10 thousand per year but the bread winner losses their job. Since there are fewer jobs some families have to go on to public assistance costing $50 to $100,000 per year. Sure it’s not all families but if it is yours tough luck, but one by one our middle class is being destroyed — with the full support and help of our government.
Who’s doing this to us? Try the progressives and the Democratic Party. When these ideas were introduced it was let’s share the wealth with those less fortunate. Sounds good and fair but the reality is that our wealth is moving away from us and going to other countries. The idea of Globalism means to make all equal which sounds good but folks, that means you lose so that others can gain. The North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA pushed through by Bill Clinton, removes tariffs that protected American workers to the benefit of Mexico. Hillary Clinton fully supports that agreement and supports the next nail in the manufacturing coffin with the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Our government has abandoned our middle class to political correctness and to the “experts” (Lobbyists) who are being funded by the multi-national corporations and foreign governments. These so called experts know nothing about economics, but then condemn “protectionism,” as if it’s not caring about all the poor people (In the world). Of course we care about the poor and those less fortunate in other countries but is it good stewardship to give away our assets and throw our own people under the bus? We are already the most generous country on earth and now they want to give away more?
The politicos promise more jobs and then vote for new trade agreement s that cost us jobs. If you want more of the same, your voting choice is easy, if you want to make America great again your choice is also easy. If you don’t care what is happening to America or do not understand the differences, please do not even vote.
Mike Young is a retired water and power executive who resides in Mesquite. Graduated from the University of La Verne he has taught communications skills and technical subjects throughout the Western Hemisphere. In addition to writing and editing technical manuals, he has a book titled “Speaking for Effect”. He has received some of the highest awards and recognition from both professional and public organizations.
To quote a lowlife Republican: YOU LIE Mike Young. Are you sooo embarrased by what YOUR GOP pushed and passed that you now want to blame it on Democrats with statements like “Who’s doing this to us? Try the progressives and the Democratic Party.” Here are some FACTS for you Mr Young. NAFTA passed the Senate with 27 Dem YEA Votes and 34 Republican YEA VOTES. In case you can’t count – that is MORE Republican Votes than Dem votes, and the NAY votes were 26 by Dems and 12 by Repubicans, so that’s 74% OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS and 52% of Dem Senators. . The House vote was DRAMATICALLY done by GOP members with 132 Republicans voting YEA and only 43 voting Nay while Dems REJECTED it with 156 NAY to 102 YEAs. Yes, Clinton signed it, but for you to try to blame the NAFTA Bill on Dems is simply a false lie…and YOU know it.
Johninnv – Wasn’t it Clinton and his staff who negotiated the deal and pushed the bill along with Hillary? And I think we all know who pushed it through, Bill Clinton. I will agree that lots of republicans voted for it and helped it become law. That’s why so many people are so upset with both parties. This lead to the rise of the Tea Party. However, the Trans Pacific Partnership is purely a Obama deal.
And the TPP has NOT been passed and many Democrats oppose it. One more item for you: Congress WRITES AND PASSES legislation. and NAFTA was written and passed by Republicans. Yes, a Democratic President did NOT VETO it and verbally supported it, but it was the GOP who wrote and passed it. In your column, you said that it was “brought to you” by progressives and the Democratic Party and that is simply FALSE.
Your jab at Hillary is also unfounded. Gee, did you blame, or give credit, to any other first ladies for legislaltion signed by other Presidents? or is your sexism only targeted at one?
Mike, Nice rant, but what is your suggestion? You say that you care about the poor around the world, but maybe not. You say you want American workers to be safe at their workplace and have benefits, but not at the price of more costly goods. You skim over the use of technology and robots doing the jobs middle class workers used to do when in fact this is a major factor in job loss, especially in the auto industry. Do you suggest we ban robots? Do you suggest tariffs? I don’t have a problem with that. A tariff on foreign made goods may help to some extent, except that where is the line drawn? Does the item have to be 100% foreign? 51%? Many autos parts are made all over the world including the U.S. so only some of the cars get a tariff? My suggestion is that we’ve evolved as a nation before and we can do it again. It is pretty narrow thinking to suggest that all our ills will be cured if the jobs that were available in 1950 would suddenly reappear. We moved from agrarian to industrial, and we can move from industrial to technological. We got to be the richest nation in the world by being the first to industrialize. It is not rational to think other countries wouldn’t take advantage of our lead and do the same; follow in our footsteps. If we want to remain the richest, most exceptional nation, we have to allow others to develop what we have already done and move into another, more modern, broader thinking new frontier. Sure it is risky, but development of anything new always is. If the Industrial Revolution had failed, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be #1. Buggy whip makers had to learn to work on assembly lines. Assembly line workers will have to learn to use a keyboard (I may be dating myself here as I’m sure there is something newer and more progressive out there beyond a keyboard). Mine is progressive thinking, Mike. Yours is regressive. I’ve offered a plan to work on development and become energy independent, communicate more effectively, and assist with industry by making building stuff more efficient. I’m not in total agreement with NAFTA or TPP, but neither is all evil. Don’t just tell me I’m wrong. Tell me how we’re going to get those jobs back.
Yes I support Tariffs. Our people need jobs, we should not give them to Mexico and China. We need too shorten the wook week to get some back and Tariffs can also help.
That’s it??? A short work week and tariffs? That sounds like a Trump plan. The old jobs are not coming back. There are still a lot here (Ford is not expanding, but they are not cutting any jobs either) and we have to develop new ones, specifically infrastructure and energy that cannot be outsourced. The rest of the world has caught up to us and we need to move on.
Also, if you want to place blame, as you seem to be doing. Poppy Bush is the one who got the whole thing moving in the first place. He would have signed it if he had been able to keep his presidency.
Thanks for explaining to me what is wrong with NAFTA. Years ago I heard working people
complain, truck drivers and construction but I needed further verification. Thanks.