Posted on 08/25/2003 4:12:50 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
ROCHESTER, NY (2003-08-25) For the first half of 2003, the U.S. trade deficit with other nations grew by more than 21 percent compared with the year before.
Congressman Jim Walsh of Syracuse says that's one more indication that America needs to protect its home industries and to fight barriers placed by other nations against U.S. goods
Walsh has a reputation as a Republican who opposes free trade agreements. He says what he's really after is agreement by all members of the World Trade Organization to follow the rules.
Walsh says there needs to be some control over foreign nations using cheap labor and lack of environmental regulation to compete unfairly against the American workforce.
Walsh represents the area from the eastern Monroe County Suburbs -- where workers face layoffs as Eastman Kodak moves its instant camera lines to China -- over to Syracuse where workers at Carrier Corporation are seeing their jobs move overseas.
Walsh says that doesn't hurt the companies, but it does hurt American workers.
About one fourth of the U.S. trade deficit is with China, where Walsh says unfair monetary policies by the Chinese government give that nation's factories an unfair edge.
The 25th District Republican says President Bush acted properly when he stepped in this year to protect the U.S. steel industry.
Walsh spoke on a visit to the Rochester area Monday.
So does Karl Marx.
But, in general, the protective system of our day is conservative, while the free trade system is destructive. It breaks up old nationalities and pushes the antagonism of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie to the extreme point. In a word, the free trade system hastens the social revolution. It is in this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, that I vote in favor of free trade.
~Karl Marx, "On the Question of Free Trade" - January 9, 1848
Ok.....
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