Our Trade Policy

Does anyone think that our current trade policies are working? The current discussion is now focusing on a free trade agreement with Columbia. Oh wonderful, another country where our workers have to compete against slave wages. Also what the mainstream media seems to leave out is that paramilitary groups are assassinating union leaders in Columbia. In just one week three were killed and a child of another was kidnapped. Columbia is one of the most dangerous countries to be a union leader in.

 

So again we are making a deal for the international corporations who don’t care if the government of Columbia is violent and corrupt, but it is just being rapped under the euphuism of “Free Trade.” The only thing that is free is what it costs corporations for labor and our manufacturing base is getting smaller and smaller every day as jobs and factories leave. Does anyone know of even a TV that is made in this country anymore?

 

Several decades ago we passed the Maquiladora Trade Treaty with Mexico even before NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). This treaty was suppose help Mexico’s economy and provide better jobs for Mexican citizens. In theory better wages would provide growth and prosperity for Mexican’s and as their standard of living grew, so would what they could buy from US Companies. But in reality US Companies did build and move their factories over the border and what benefits did the Mexican people get? They got living conditions that still kept them in squalor, wages that were a small fraction that US workers used to be paid for the same job and environmental standards that were supposed to be enforced. Hazardous waste was being dumped in open trenches and anyone who tried to organize a union had their skulls split.

 

Now let’s look at China. China machine gunned down over 2,000 of its citizens in Tiananmen Square as they marched for democracy in 1989. Organizers were given a trial and then executed and the cost of the bullet was charged to their family. Catholic Priests and other Christian leaders are still serving prison sentences under false charges. Since the 1950’s over one million peaceful Tibetans have lost their lives under the Chinese Government. Even today we are seeing soldiers in Tibetan streets shooting protestors. In Beijing the air is so polluted that some Olympic athletes are only showing up on the day of their events. The government also is unfairly controlling the value of its currency which in itself is creating unfair trading practices with the US. In 2007 for every $1 of US exports to China we imported $256 worth of stuff. And what is the Communist Government of China doing with all the US dollars they are sucking out of this country? Just building up their military and using the technology their spies stole from us.

 

The part of all this that I see is actually comical is that we deal with all these countries that are run by brutal dictators, communist regimes to now to include Vietnam where we lost 58,000 lives, but fifty miles off our coast is Cuba. Since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 what kind of threat has Cuba posed against the US? None. But till this day we have to have an embargo that is serving no military or international purpose. When Katrina devastated our Gulf Coast the Cuban government said to the Bush administration that they know we have our differences but if for now we could put that aside, they would like to send 1,200 doctors and medical staff to offer assistance. The reply from this administration was no, so I guess Bush felt that if he wasn’t going to react immediately to the crisis, no one else should be allowed to either.

 

The Cold War is over and I truly feel if we opened trade and travel with Cuba and families could reunited after 50 years, the Cuban people themselves will bring about changes that will make for a better neighbor. I for one would rather visit Cuba than our so called ally Saudi Arabia and I have friends who have gone to Cuba and said the people are wonderful.

 

Remember any politician who wants “Free Trade” is not working for the good of America. “Fair Trade” Yes …. “Free Trade” No such thing! Over 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000 should say it all.