“Free Trade” Does Not Mean “Fair Trade”

The U.S. Economy is Suffering From a Policy which allows “Unfair” Free Trade – During the 1990’s the political bandwagon of the moment was total endorsement of the concepts of “global marketing”, “free trade”, and “the global marketplace”. Political leaders of both parties were quick to accept these concepts, and consequently during the era of Bill Clinton’s presidency world changing trade agreements were consummated. Among these were NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), and the granting of ‘Most Favored Trading Status for China”. In reality, our astute politicians of that day gave away the farm. Locally, Senator Bob Graham and Representative Earl Hutto both voted for the measures. It remains uncertain how our politicians supported these trade deals for personal gain and how many rendered their support out of ignorance. That era was when Ross Perot accurately forecasted a “giant sucking sound” as jobs left America.

During the fifteen years which have passed since those unfortunate trade deals were consummated, thousands of U.S. companies have closed their domestic factories, and have begun sourcing their production needs in Mexico and Asia. In the process, the industrial foundations which have been the bulwark of America’s economy have been removed, and millions of industrial jobs have been lost. We are left with a weak, inadequate, service and technology based economy which does not begin to provide the needed number of jobs for full employment of the American labor force.

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