Post by mikekerstetter on Jul 12, 2011 4:40:07 GMT -5
The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA
July 11, 2011
Trade imbalances
— With the American economy faltering, unemployment terribly high and deep cuts being made to education and social services as a result of declining tax revenue in Pennsylvania and across the United States, one of the most substantial and least discussed contributing factors was put on center stage Thursday by Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey.
Sen. Casey addressed this very issue on the floor of the U.S. Senate as it relates to a pending trade agreement with South Korea. Sen. Casey made it clear what huge unbalanced trade agreements have done to the Pennsylvania and the United States economy.
Since NAFTA and subsequent "free" trade agreements have been enacted, all with the false promise of creating jobs in America and raising the standards of living for workers around the world, the United States has seen its high-paying manufacturing jobs being sent abroad with low-paying service jobs left for the unemployed.
Consequently, trade deficits have soared, flooding our markets with cheap foreign-made products, leaving unprecedented deficit government spending to be relied upon to prop up the economy enough to continue to give the illusion that things will turn around.
The debate on the increase in the debt limit makes it clear that this economic model can not continue.
Also, former President Bill Clinton, who is responsible for many unbalanced trade agreements, warned against not raising the national debt limit. Of course he would, because preventing continued government deficit spending would put more attention on the effects of our already huge, and growing trade deficit.
I ask everyone to please keep this issue in mind during upcoming election cycles and put questions to all the candidates regarding their support for balanced trade agreements and tariffs, which will if fact support American businesses and American workers and their families.
Jeremy Frits,
Sunbury
July 11, 2011
Trade imbalances
— With the American economy faltering, unemployment terribly high and deep cuts being made to education and social services as a result of declining tax revenue in Pennsylvania and across the United States, one of the most substantial and least discussed contributing factors was put on center stage Thursday by Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey.
Sen. Casey addressed this very issue on the floor of the U.S. Senate as it relates to a pending trade agreement with South Korea. Sen. Casey made it clear what huge unbalanced trade agreements have done to the Pennsylvania and the United States economy.
Since NAFTA and subsequent "free" trade agreements have been enacted, all with the false promise of creating jobs in America and raising the standards of living for workers around the world, the United States has seen its high-paying manufacturing jobs being sent abroad with low-paying service jobs left for the unemployed.
Consequently, trade deficits have soared, flooding our markets with cheap foreign-made products, leaving unprecedented deficit government spending to be relied upon to prop up the economy enough to continue to give the illusion that things will turn around.
The debate on the increase in the debt limit makes it clear that this economic model can not continue.
Also, former President Bill Clinton, who is responsible for many unbalanced trade agreements, warned against not raising the national debt limit. Of course he would, because preventing continued government deficit spending would put more attention on the effects of our already huge, and growing trade deficit.
I ask everyone to please keep this issue in mind during upcoming election cycles and put questions to all the candidates regarding their support for balanced trade agreements and tariffs, which will if fact support American businesses and American workers and their families.
Jeremy Frits,
Sunbury
