Is free trade a good thing?

[CODave]

Seems to me that because of free trade, we are losing jobs and tax revenue. This does not seem like a good thing to me. I am not economist. Will this trade deficit ever turn around? How will we repalce all the lost manufacturing jobs (other than trying to call burger flipping manufactruing) I am also concerned about our loss of independence.
I also think free trade will ultimately encourage a one world government scenario. Can anyone explain to me how this benefits us, other than we get cheap stuff from China?

[Carpicon]

Free trade is nuts. As far as I'm concerned we achieve nothing from having open trade with places like China and most other nations in the far east.

Dave, look at every single industry that is suffering and sending jobs overseas. What will you find in common with almost everyone of them?

A Union.

[Cougar Mag]

Carp., unions have little to do with companies moving overseas. You must work and be very comfortable with the non union company you work for, and enjoying the same benefits I imagine. If you are willing to work for the same wages and perks the Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesians, Mexicans, etc. do AND make ends meet....I suggest you make an offer to your employer to do so. Now tell me, how many of the tech jobs that are gone and continue to leave is Union?

It don't matter if the co. is non-union or union, either way we cannot compete costwise with labor that works for very little. I'd like to add that many Americans must be happy with non-quality products. In general, the quality is not as good and in most instances is downright shoddy in material and workmanship! But we still buy it![]

[CODave]

So Carp, you are saying that the non-free enterprise (Union) atmosphere in the US labor market is driving manufacturers to look elsewhere, in certain industries?

Dave, look at every single industry that is suffering and sending jobs overseas. What will you find in common with almost everyone of them? A Union.

My guess is that there may be some card holers on this forum. You may get some flack from that statement. [:@]

When I was in college I worked at John Deere one summer and was in the UAW. I also worked in the chauffers union in a grocery warehouse... a much weaker union than the UAW. My experience was that the unions protected the poor worker. They worked against the company. That is not a good situation. The unions should police themselves and boot the bad workers. Top dollar should mean top performance.

I don't want to get off topic. Seems to me almost all manufacturing jobs are going overseas, union and non-union.

[PABuck_HNTR]

Ever stop to think that over taxation and over regulation forces some companies to move elsewhere?

[CODave]

Fight4, yes. But here is my point about the one world gov't thing. Eventually we (and other nations) are going to have to start demanding equality in the workplaces... universal OSHA type standards, higher wages, benefits for employees, environmental standards... do you see where this is heading.... I think this was the plan from the start. Free trade... then eventually world governing of that trade. Am I off on this?

Fight4, they would'nt take it elsewhere if they had to pay the high tax bringing it back in. Right now its free trade... but it is not FAIR trade.