Ross Perot was right. Free trade has many good points but from the standpoint of jobs, it is a bummer.
While we proudly proclaim our freeing of slaves, we at the same time help promote it in third world countries. American companies exported millions of jobs to countries in which workers are paid a mere pittance compared to what they were paying American workers. Working conditions are as bad as the pay. Free trade has promoted this by simply removing tariffs when these products are imported to the U. S.
While these policies lead to lower consumer prices for foreign goods, they cost American jobs and create huge trade deficits for us with these countries, especially China.
Trade deficits cause large sums of money to leave our country. They are dangerous when they are large and continue year after year. I have a suggestion which would help solve this problem.
Countries which do substantial trade with us should have a quota for the value of goods entering our country duty free. That number should be equal to the value of our exports to their country. Once that number has been reached, tariffs should kick in. To avoid paying this charge, they would have to allow us to export more to their country. This way, there would always be a trade balance or the surplus on either side would be taxed.
We used to hear "free but fair" in the case of free trade. There is nothing fair about the current system. Not only are we at a trade disadvantage, but we are helping to strengthen and arm a potential future enemy.
While we proudly proclaim our freeing of slaves, we at the same time help promote it in third world countries. American companies exported millions of jobs to countries in which workers are paid a mere pittance compared to what they were paying American workers. Working conditions are as bad as the pay. Free trade has promoted this by simply removing tariffs when these products are imported to the U. S.
While these policies lead to lower consumer prices for foreign goods, they cost American jobs and create huge trade deficits for us with these countries, especially China.
Trade deficits cause large sums of money to leave our country. They are dangerous when they are large and continue year after year. I have a suggestion which would help solve this problem.
Countries which do substantial trade with us should have a quota for the value of goods entering our country duty free. That number should be equal to the value of our exports to their country. Once that number has been reached, tariffs should kick in. To avoid paying this charge, they would have to allow us to export more to their country. This way, there would always be a trade balance or the surplus on either side would be taxed.
We used to hear "free but fair" in the case of free trade. There is nothing fair about the current system. Not only are we at a trade disadvantage, but we are helping to strengthen and arm a potential future enemy.
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