"I'm standing up for my fellow Americans and I'm standing on the solid ground of the first 200 years of American history, as well as many previous Republican Party platforms, when I claim that Protective Tariffs make a strong America and build a strong middle-class."
While you're at it, why don't you admit you want a welfare program that subsidizes the income of certain American workers?
Ignoring 200 years of American history? Ignoring Republican Party platforms when America was great?
Just offering insults about welfare?
OPIC and the Export-Import bank are the CORPORATE WELFARE that allow offshoring to take place.
Here's how important these funds which are AMERICAN TAX MONEY were to Enron.
"Ex-Im Bank, OPIC backed 18 of firm's overseas projects to tune of $1.7 billion"
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26159 "The absence of OPIC and Ex-Im Bank financing created serious problems for Phase II planning. Publicly, Enron would not comment on the extent of the damage done by the loss of OPIC and Ex-Im Bank funding, stating only: “We are monitoring the situation and it is premature for us to predict any potential impact on our projects.”292 Later, the company would again reassure investors that sanctions would not affect the construction of Phase II of the Dabhol Power project."
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/enron/enron8-3.htm 3rd World Countries are places of near slave-wages and high risk. Their governments are unstable. The "U.S. based multi-national" corporations could tumble right along with the unrest of the country they are offshoring to.
Add in the National Security Risks that have been written about and I can provide plenty of links, including Kissinger (who said he doesn't care about the economics of it, just the politics) and there is no case to continue offshoring American jobs:
“I don’t look at this from an economic point of view but the political and social points of view. The question really is whether America can remain a great power or a dominant power if it becomes a primarily service economy, and I doubt that. A country has to have an industrial base in order to play a significant role in the world. And I am concerned from that point of view.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/947266/posts Before the Civil War the North imposed tariffs on the South because Slavery gave the South an unfair (and immoral) advantage. The last tariff brought on the Civil War and an end to Slavery. Here's Walter Williams:
"The North favored protective tariffs for their manufacturing industry. The South, which exported agricultural products to and imported manufactured goods from Europe, favored free trade and was hurt by the tariffs. Plus, a northern-dominated Congress enacted laws similar to Britain's Navigation Acts to protect northern shipping interests.
Shortly after Lincoln's election, Congress passed the highly protectionist Morrill tariffs.
That's when the South seceded, setting up a new government. Their constitution was nearly identical to the U.S. Constitution except that it outlawed protectionist tariffs, business handouts and mandated a two-thirds majority vote for all spending measures."
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams120298.asp Americans are competing against Slave-Wages of Third World Countries. It is an unfair advantage. China has devalued its Yuan and created an unfair advantage resulting in a huge Trade Deficit and the loss of many small and mid-sized AMERICAN manufacturing firms.
The U.S. Constitution granted power to Congress to "regulate commerce".
Congress is not doing its job to protect Americans and America.