While I agree with much of your post, I do question whether you are claiming that overall American GDP has declined.
Posted on 08/01/2003 2:05:33 PM PDT by Jeff Head
TODAY'S FREE TRADE IS NOT ABOUT THE FREE MARKET
We are in a very real battle in this nation and it is a battle for our heart and soul. It is spread out on many, many fronts...education, foreign policy, work ethic (individually and societally), immigration, the economy, moral values...and the list goes on.
Let's focus on the economy and one significant part of it...a major, growing part of it. Free Trade and foreign outsourcing.
I was going to entitle this article..."I used to make something"...or..."We used to make something in this country". But, I thought better of it and realized that such a statment was really focusing on the tail end of the issue as opposed to the root.
So, instead, I am simply calling it, "Today's Free Trade is not about the Free Market."
And it is so, today's Free Trade is NOT about the free market. Instead, in a very similar manner to other key issues in this battle for the heart and soul of America, what is happening is that a very craftily wordsmithed message of "Free Trade" has been put forth that people have bought into, thinking "How could anyone be against free trade? Why, isn't that all-American?".
Like with abortion, "How could anyone be against a woman's right to choose? Isn't that all American?".
In both cases, the craftily worded title has nothing remotely to do with what is actually going on.
The free market is the system our founders based our commerce on, where the intrinsic, underlying moral values of the people involved in the free market governed the equitable, free exchange of goods and services for other goods and services or currency. Sort of like John Adams said regarding the Constitution...
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."- John Adams, Oct. 11, 1798It is that underlying moral foundation coupled woth our liberty that made the Free Market in America the envy of the world, just like those same issues made our governmental form the envy of the world.
Well, as far as I am conerned, Adam's words could be tailored to this topic like so, ie... The Free Market was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the economy of any other.
This is a basic truth. Like our government, our free market was not supposed to be very regulated or burdened with miriad rules. The people and the companies were to use their own moral foundation to govern themselves. But, when the moral foundation is removed, you do not have what was intended for the Constitution, and you do not have a true free market.
When we use our foreign policy and economic policy to set up shop and trade with countries, societies, organizations or to implement policies that exploit their people's mercilessly, who keep them down without a hope for true liberty or freedom, who trample the moral values our own system was based upon...and when we do it knowingly, without compuction for those very underlying values, then we do not create a free market...no, that free trade has nothing whatsoever to do with, and is in no way similar to the FREE MARKET, rather, it serves to corrupt it.
Such notions, such actions are in fact wordsmithing for popularizing and putting forth a policy to drain the United States manufacturing, technological, agricultural, energy and other critical industries in order to weaken us...plain and simple...and it is working.
Based on my own travels on behalf of US firms and then later consulting for them...that is what is really happening here in my own opinion, and until we refocus as a people on that underlying moral foundation and the absolute need for it...we will continue to lose ground.
By the way, those same principles that are working at the societal level, have equal application at the personal level too...in fact, in the end it is the sum of their working at the personal level that creates the issue at the societal level.
Jeff Head
Engineering Consultant and,
Author of The Dragon's Fury Series
How current conditions could lead to World War
August 1, 2003
Emmett, Idaho
While I agree with much of your post, I do question whether you are claiming that overall American GDP has declined.
I'm with you, though.
Bush: "Congress needs to approve reemployment accounts to help citizens who have the toughest time finding work." ... "I think my idea of reemployment accounts makes a lot of sense. In essence, it says that you get $3,000 from the federal government to help you with training, day care, transportation, perhaps moving to another city. And if, within a period of time, you're able to find a job, you keep the balance as a reemployment bonus."
Maybe... maybe not. I was just curious though.
Well...have you?
If my wife were trying to kill me or my kids, then I suppose I would probably be forced to defend myself and them and react physically and only stop when that threat was alleviated. I pray I am never put in such a situation.
In a like manner, if Red China were to threaten us to the point of that type of response, then like Truman, such a decision would have to be considered. I also pray we are never put in that situation.
That does not mean that current Free Trade policies are either good, or that they lead to that particular end-game. In my opinion, the current free trade policy is watering down and making a mockery of the free market...but that's just my opinion.
Nicely said. Expect the "Free Trade Uber Alles" crowd to come mindlessly goosestepping in to take their pre-programmed shots at you. I'm with you, though.
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Yep, I'm with him too.
I like making money, I like having money, I like spending and investing money.
I try to be VERY careful how I do ALL of those things.
Making money and producing goods can be a very beneficial thing to everybody if it is done honourably and decently.
HOWEVER:
Untrammeled capitalism is evil, period.
You MUST ask yourself if you are climbing over anyone's back to make good.
Unless there is someone here who thinks it is good that little kids work 16 hour days for a pittance in sweat-shops in SE Asia so that Walmart can sell cheap T-shirts?
There are people who would have that happen here, if they could get by with it.
Ebaneezer Scrooge is alive and well today.
Tia
From the Chinese and Indian viewpoints, it is an economic war against the United States. Their own news outlets are pretty blantant about their intentions.
Both of those countries could be developing capitalistic economies internally, but that is just not happening. They are perfectly content to keep their peoples in poverty, and continue bleeding the wealth from the U.S. taxpayers and consumers.
It is far too obvious now for U.S. officials and businesses to claim ignorance about the Indian and Chinese motives.
Those who support this continued economic war against the working Americans need to be hanged, shot, stabbed, poisoned, drowned, and burned -- before the people really get upset at them.
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