There has been talk lately about the Free Trade Agreements. The United States will soon be negotiating one of the biggest free trade agreements in history and there is barely a peep about it on the news. Years ago, Ross Perot and others warned that if NAFTA was implemented there would be a "giant sucking sound" as millions of jobs left this country. It turns out they were right.
The next round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (also known as the "NAFTA of the Pacific") will begin in Chicago. So why are not the Unions protesting this real destruction of American jobs as they did the changes in Wisconsin? Turns out they may be part of the negotiations this time around. Obama wants to help them "organize" workers in other nations. This could add millions to their union rolls. So do you think they will stand up for the American worker and lose the potential millions of new foreign labor union members? The Unions will sell outs it's American members in a heartbeat for added power.
By merging our economies with the economies of societies that are far different from our own, we have created a "race to the bottom" that is incredibly destructive to the U.S. economy. If our middle class jobs keep getting shipped overseas, our prosperity is going to vanish. In 1970, 25 percent of all jobs in the United States were manufacturing jobs. Today, only 9 percent of the jobs in the United States are manufacturing jobs. Factories are closing faster then the economy is dropping. Millions of American jobs are lost and more will be destroyed with this new trade policy Obama is intent on imposing onto America just as he did his failed healthcare.
The truth is that even the "next generation jobs" and the "green jobs" that Obama keeps talking about are rapidly leaving the country. For example, the third-largest producer of solar panels in the United States, Evergreen Solar, is leaving America. Evergreen is shutting down its factory in Massachusetts, laying off 800 American workers and moving production over to China.
California solar power company Solyndra, which got $535 Million in stimulus money, just went bankrupt and was raided by the FBI. Documents show the company had made plans to move its operation to China but the news of its financial problems became public forcing them to file bankruptcy. But when they reorganize the new plans are to establish their operations in China. And not one word from any Union has yet to be seen.
For every Apple worker in the U.S. there are 10 people in China working on iMacs, iPods, and iPhones. The same roughly 10-to-1 relationship holds for Dell, disk-drive maker Seagate Technology (STX), and other U.S. tech companies. Almost all of the tech firms have their customer call centers overseas. Have you called one of these lately? If you have you more then likely got to talk to "Peggy" as in the Discover Card T.V. commercials.
Or perhaps you can relate to the other commercial that ends with the "Whats in your wallet" question... for most Americans trying to survive in this economy the answer is very little. But we do have the "change" in our pockets left from Obama's failed leadership. Soon he will have a chance to show leadership or to fail the nation once again. What do you think he will do?
Free trade is a scam for large corporations to make more money. The basic tenants of free trade state that a country that specializes in a product will be able to produce that product with a higher quality, a cheaper price all at a faster rate. Total BS. America produces crap quality food, China produces crap quality junk, and India has crap quality service. I don't believe this is a union conspiracy though.This is big business in bed with government. This is rich people selling us out again. Wall street is the problem. Support Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteJust look at the facts. Every industry where Unions have exerted power and grown has imploded. Union corruption is rampant today from small town main street to big Government Pennsylvania Ave.
ReplyDeleteHigh cost from Union contracts have sent more jobs overseas then any other factor. Simple truth and fact.
The only economic system in the history of the world that has encouraged real economic growth and prosperity is capitalism. It allows for people to grow as far as their abilities can take them. It rewards hard work and supports the common good better then all other forms of economic modules.
The problem we face is a corrupt government feed with Union support chocking the life blood out of the economy. Detroit is all but a ghost town in manufacturing now because of Unions. Politicians who use tax dollars to reward their political supporters like Obama did with Solyndra show he held responsible for the losses of BILLIONS of dollars used in their political payoffs.
Except in Germany. Germany has one of the highest percentages of union labor forces in world. They have one of the lowest wage gaps between management and worker around. I agree our unions are out of control but I see the problem being in campaign contributions. Reforming campaign contributions would solve a shit ton of problems. We have the union shoring up the dems and the mega corps shoring up the gop coffers. I'd like to someday vote for a president that doesn't owe anybody anything. But until campaign contribution reform im just picking the lesser of two evil. On one hand I have unions and on the other I have oil who would I rather see succeed?
ReplyDeleteUnion growth is concentrated in short periods of dramatic social upheaval; since 1880 until now, 67 percent of growth comes in only five years, and over 90 percent in only ten years. Unions grew by over 10 percent a year in years with the greatest strike activity but by less than 1 percent a year in the years with the fewest strikers. So it is clear to see that for Unions to grow they must create a "Crises" to attack members.
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