Is Free Trade a good thing

Started by King Kandy2 pages

Originally posted by kgkg
Welfare it's pretty good.

Who's welfare? Not Americans, who are left jobless by the millions.

Originally posted by King Kandy
Who's welfare? Not Americans, who are left jobless by the millions.
Canada has a decent welfare. I really do feel sad for people that can't get any job. People are jobless because they won't work for low paying/minimum wage jobs not because there are no job out there.

Not the case in 3rd world countries.

Originally posted by kgkg

Than what's the point of outsourcing if they can't profit from it? Demand for work is to high in developing counties to make this feasible.

A job is better than nothing.

That's the whole point, to prevent outsourcing and keep the jobs here in this country. It is the responsibility of the national government to do what's best for the MAJORITY of it's citizens. Our "winner take all" system of capitalism is failing. I'm not advocating a central planned economy, just one that incorporates balance.

Originally posted by kgkg
Canada has a decent welfare. I really do feel sad for people that can't get any job. People are jobless because they won't work for low paying/minimum wage jobs not because there are no job out there.

Not the case in 3rd world countries.


In 2008 unemployment was at 5.79%. In 2009, it was at 9.26%.

Do you think that 3.47% of the population spontaneously became lazy and decided that they weren't going to work? No, those are jobs that no longer exist.

I can't attest to Canada but in terms of US policies, what you say is totally clueless. I know lots of people who are completely unemployed and cannot even get minimum wage jobs. We have college graduates being forced to work in fast food, with just a high school degree the job market is completely inhospitable in many places.

Originally posted by kgkg
Canada has a decent welfare. I really do feel sad for people that can't get any job. People are jobless because they won't work for low paying/minimum wage jobs not because there are no job out there.

Not the case in 3rd world countries.

3rd world countries have much lower standards of living and consequently people can survive on a lower wage. Also they of toxins in the water and food, but that's what they get for choosing to be poor.

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
That's the whole point, to prevent outsourcing and keep the jobs here in this country. It is the responsibility of the national government to do what's best for the MAJORITY of it's citizens. Our "winner take all" system of capitalism is failing. I'm not advocating a central planned economy, just one that incorporates balance.
Outsourcing might seem like a bad idea but not outsourcing in a global economy will hurting the US economy in the long run.

Originally posted by kgkg
Outsourcing might seem like a bad idea but not outsourcing in a global economy will hurting the US economy in the long run.

How so? How does it help the long term health of the US economy to eliminate the middle class and concentrate more wealth at the top, which are direct result of free trade. Or do you believe the propoganda of Fox News?

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
How so? How does it help the long term health of the US economy to eliminate the middle class and concentrate more wealth at the top, which are direct result of free trade. Or do you believe the propoganda of Fox News?
It hastens the day when the market and society corrects itself by realizing the error of it's ways and begins hurling conservatives, economic libertarians, and objectivists off the top of the Empire State building.

Originally posted by King Kandy
In 2008 unemployment was at 5.79%. In 2009, it was at 9.26%.

Do you think that 3.47% of the population spontaneously became lazy and decided that they weren't going to work? No, those are jobs that no longer exist.

I can't attest to Canada but in terms of US policies, what you say is totally clueless. I know lots of people who are completely unemployed and cannot even get minimum wage jobs. We have college graduates being forced to work in fast food, with just a high school degree the job market is completely inhospitable in many places.

How much of the increase is attributed to outsourcing? From what I understood this increase is mainly due to continuing recession.

Originally posted by kgkg
How much of the increase is attributed to outsourcing? From what I understood this increase is mainly due to continuing recession.
I've heard estimates that 40% of all jobs could conceivably be outsourced.

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
How so? How does it help the long term health of the US economy to eliminate the middle class and concentrate more wealth at the top, which are direct result of free trade. Or do you believe the propoganda of Fox News?
So you don't see how protectionist policies can't hurt the US economy?

Originally posted by Darth Jello
I've heard estimates that 40% of all jobs could conceivably be outsourced.
Say what?

Originally posted by kgkg
So you don't see how protectionist policies can't hurt the US economy?

It could stifle some foreign investment and raise the prices of some products but overall it will narrow the wealth gap and drive wages up which will give more spending power to the middle class which will ultimately stimulate the economy. There might be a few less billionairs which will make the editors at Forbes magazine angry but I really don't care about them.

Originally posted by kgkg
How much of the increase is attributed to outsourcing? From what I understood this increase is mainly due to continuing recession.

A recession caused by excessive risk taking and cowboy capitalism. Same with the Great Depression. More regulation of large banks and major corporations in general is what's needed and they must not be allowed to offshore operations out of the country and then continue to be allowed to do business here.

Hell, we even had a war, the invasion of Iraq, at the behest of a major global corporation, Haliburton, which no longer has it's corporate headquarters in the United States.

Say we go to war with China some day, the US military will have a very difficult time getting many components for it's hardware as many of the parts are now made in China.

[sarcasm]But free trade is gooooooooooooooood[/sarcasm]

China in turn will lose its largest market.

Originally posted by kgkg
Say what?
you could sustain the economy on just the richest 20% of consumers and outsource virtually all service and management positions and all manufacturing. You run you country south america free market style, throw 40% of people out of work, build gated communities with guard towers and take a helicoptor to the office.

Free trade is a pretty ironic term. It promises prosperity but only to those who are deceitful and corrupt.

I take one look at what capitalism has done to the environment, workers rights, and humanity and I can only shake my head in disgust. Free trade is a death machine.

I think free trade was A-ok in its primary state. It was fine in America until people began to learn how to manipulate it which began the industrial revolution. I think that people just got greedy and that's what caused all of the shit to go down. Before people learned how to manipulate it, free trade was the fairest economic system up to date and certainly offered the most social mobility. Though it may now be a corrupt monstrosity, respect is still due to its creators who had pure thoughts in mind but unfortunately didn't have amazing powers of foresight.