Hagan on NAFTA

as long as everyone is playing on a level field.

"Fair".

Just sayin'

-b

We need to make NAFTA work better within the current rules, we don't need to start over. The latest trade war with Mexico was started by the US because we refuse to allow Mexican trucks, which have been proven safe, to travel in the USA which is years overdue. There is only one reason for this: the Teamsters union, who thinks it will cut jobs. But our trucks would be allowed to go to Mexico too, which would create jobs.

We don't need to be moving to more protectionism and unfortunatly, too many Democrats want to go that route, it appears.

and I'm glad Senator Hagan understands the fact that our manufacturing jobs are leaving the United States of America for other countries that don't enforce their labor and OSHA type laws the way we do here. This accounts for many corporations moving their manufacturing to those countries simply for the reason that it costs them less to do business there. If we have a free trade agreement with that country where the corporation has moved their manufacturing too, the money saved on not having to comply with good regulations is not taxed, it is also not subject to tarrifs. It simply goes to the bottom line of the corporation while people here in the USA see the middle class who used to do most of this manufacturing going under.

I have no problem whatsoever with a corporation making a profit. In fact, I'm all for it, get 'er done corporation! However, if they are going to add to their profit on backs of the workers who receive much less in the way of environmental/safety regulations as well as the loss of American jobs due to that profit, I have an issue. In that case, I would like to see fair trade inacted. I have yet to see a compelling arguement that would change my view on this.

A "free trade" agreement doesn't need to be hundreds of pages long or whatever. This is what is called "managed" trade for the benefit of those who have influence, just as our health care system is a "managed care" system. Don't go blaming free markets for this disaster.

It is absolutely fair to ask other countries to live up to their side of the bargain. But trying to revive dead industries isn't the answer, and putting up barriers to trade is a proven way to worsen an economic crisis.

A level playing field doesn't exist because some countries are going to be better equipped to make things than other countries. It makes no sense for countries that are inefficient in an area of production to maintain robust production in that area except in the case of national defense. But our country can find better, newer industries and better goods and services to produce. We lament losing manufacturing and textile jobs to foreign nations, but it was New England and the Northeast that lamented the loss of these same jobs to the Sunbelt a couple of generations ago. Where would we be had they not lost the jobs?

A viable idea is making sure that there is a social welfare system to take care of hardworking citizens should their jobs leave. Let's work for universal health care, real unemployment insurance. The lack of this system is a problem that America has not dealt with. As long as we don't deal with the problem it decreases the comparative advantage that America has in trade.

The lack of a welfare state, however, is not the only problem. Take the example of GM - they were hurt by the fact that car manufacturers in other countries didn't have to pay health benefits and the same high wages, but they did nothing to innovate. They killed the electric car. They built the American middle class on the grand vision of Futurama that they presented in the Thirties, but ran out of ideas.

I believe in creative destruction. When an economy doesn't innovate, it dies. America always improved because of immigration, new ideas, and better goods - and because of the fact that we could export our goods and ideas to other countries. Sometimes, people lose, but even Adam Smith believed that "regulation ... in support of the workmen, is always just and equitable." I'm all for a state that recognizes that while capitalism is the only economic system that works, it works best when you protect your citizens from consequences that are not their fault.

Trade is a two-way street that we're not in a position to close down ... though we do have the power to make them play by the rules. Let's avoid making the same mistake a second time, let's take care of the 10.8% of people in NC who are in trouble, let's allow immigration in service of helping the economy, and let's put energy into giving life to new jobs and the next great American industry.