>>I disagree. Trade is a big issue this year. A recession is looming. The Dems will trash McCain using free trade. This will have an impact.<<
I think you are right.
Wait... in about 30 seconds they will hurl “protectionist! tariffs!” charges at me.
I believe that, all other things being equal, high tariffs are not good. Case in point: Smoot-Hawley 1930. All other things equal, trade is a good thing.
I think that Dems are responsible for making US companies less competitive via taxes, and have contributed to the high price of oil via restrictions on drilling and refineries.
However, I do not agree that our trade relationships with China and India are really “free.” US companies who want to set up there have restrictions that would not apply to a foreign company setting up shop here. High taxes here should not be an excuse for Bush to let China get away with cheating.
I think we should have policies that encourage our students to study engineering and science. The offshoring of too many tech jobs and the greed that leads to ever higher demands for cheaper (although in many cases US workers don’t even have a chance to tell the employer how much they will work for) tech workers, will result in more lawyers. Including the ones who make videos showing companies how not to hire US workers.
And it’s not just jobs. Last year a Chinese stealth sub surprised a US carrier group by surfacing in it. The Chinese are using the profits of our trade deficit to become much, much stronger. Anti-satellite and space weapons, nanoweapons, you name it, they want it. If China invades Taiwan and, after they disable our satellites, they sink one our carriers in the conflict, remember the trade deficit.
The economy really is likely to have a real downturn this year. If McCain ignores these issues and says, “I’m sorry, that’s just the way it’s going to be,” I predict he will be sorry in November.
Again, for the second time (or is it the third?), we do not have a free trade agreement with China. Nor do we have a free trade agreement with India.
It just fascinates me that the first thing people who disagree with "free trade" (for whatever reason) do is identify countries that do not practice free trade, and claim they do. My guess is that you simply don't like the idea of trade in general.
I agree with everything you say...I too support fair free trade. I believe our markets should be as open on a case by case basis depending on how a country treats us. They close their markets to US business, we close our markets. They subsidize their businesses...then we don’t do business with them-quite simple. China is a different issue. Here, we are selling our very security for the cheap garbage they make. It’s wrong. They spend their money on weapons which will one day be used against us.