tomsprat
Draw Me A "Cold One"
Premium,ExMod 2002-04
join:2000-11-03
Fort Lauderdale, FL
clubs:
| quote:
said by TheMadSwede :
Ultimately, we can talk about fairness and all that jazz, but it's each of our responsibilities to take care of ourselves.
that sums it up very well, right there. very well said.
Another thing that amazes me is the people who complain about the loss of American labor, yet they go to Wal Mart and buy piles of imported products.
Sorry, but I think that’s just plain silly. Certainly, government can’t be expected to take care of everyone and guarantee their futures, but the reason for their existence is to protect the best interests of their populous. If laws didn’t exist, murder, extortion, rape, and a host of other activities that we, as a society, deem to be unacceptable, would run rampant.
Of course we need to take care of ourselves, but there also needs to be policies set and enforced that protect us from those who take advantage. Wal-Mart touted their “Made in the USA” campaign for years, until two studies in 1998 revealed that 90% of the apparel items were produced overseas, many in countries where sweatshops and child labor are prevalent. Once the media revealed the secret, there was public outrage, and it was only then that Wal-Mart changed their buying policies. Give credit to the public, but certainly not the corporations or the government.
Who can blame the public for buying products that are legally available to them? Are we all supposed t o research the origin of every product, including parts that may have been manufactured in the U.S., if the country of origin has fair labor standards, or if the tariffs imposed on their importation are fair and equitable? That’s the government’s job.
The U.S. has had the most open international trade policies for decades, although other countries impose unreasonable tariffs and restrictions on our products. Try buying a GM vehicle or parts for them in Japan. We wanted to set an example for the rest of the world, but were, and are, being taken advantage of. China is the worst offender. Children work in sweatshops for less than $.25 an hour to produce goods that are exported to the U.S. and we accept their trade to maintain relations and promote corporate revenue. How can American workers compete with products that are manufactured so inexpensively?
Bush isn’t the only one to blame. As much as I liked Clinton’s Administration, one of his biggest screw-ups was NAFTA. His intentions paralleled Bush’s. Corporate greed. If you recall his arguments for NAFTA, he claimed that it would open the markets, so that all could compete fairly. What a croc! In 2002, imports from Mexico outpaced exports to the country by $3.5 billion. But Mexico wasn't alone in exporting more to the United States than it imported from U.S. shores. Deficits were also recorded with most other major trading partners, as the gap with Japan reached $6.4 billion, and $9.4 billion with Western Europe. In light of such fears, the politically sensitive deficit with China renewed its record by hitting $13.6 billion, as imports of $16.4 billion far outpaced the level of U.S. exports to the country totaling $2.9 billion. So far this year, the trade gap with China has reached $103.3 billion.
NAFTA was a bad decision for the American people, but a boon for many American corporations. Zenith, for example, moved it’s manufacturing plants there, due to decreased labor costs for manufacturing and for taxes. They are only one on a long list. In addition to lowering costs, they were ultimately forced to, due to competition from Japan, China, and South Korea, who could manufacture, export and sell electronic products at a wholesale price that was less than those manufactured here by Zenith. Was Zenith paying too much to its’ employees by paying minimum wage?
Recent declarations about the improvement in the U.S. economy would be amusing if they weren’t so pathetic. Like the federal deficit, the U.S. trade deficit has set an all-time record, surpassing $40 Billion . The upcoming election necessitates the existing Administration to, not only disguise existing figures, but the true intentions of changes to come. Free trade serves only one purpose, to lower costs and increase profits for corporations and the rich all at a cost to the American worker. If you don’t believe this is true, you may wish to review the warning signs that, at present, consist of the decrease in worker benefits that have already begun to expose themselves, e.g. the drastic decrease in health benefits provided by employers.
I happen to be fortunate. I am self-employed and, therefore, control my own destiny. Not everyone in my position, however, yet contribute greatly to our society and its’ philosophy for individual rights, as it is a combination of individuals that determine the greatness of their country. We have spent centuries fighting for individual rights. Should we now throw all of that away for the benefit of a few?
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Anything that ever was, was once a dream... |
