Post by unlawflcombatnt on Mar 13, 2012 11:47:17 GMT -6
The author here sums up my views almost perfectly.
from Economy In Crisis
Full Speed Down a Path of Destruction
March 13, 2012
by Thomas Heffner
"In recent years the U.S. has been steadily traversing down a path of destruction. While many Americans have begun to open their eyes to America’s plight, most are still oblivious to the factors that led to our downfall. Recently, the media has been touting recovery, but there are numerous urgent changes that need to be implemented before the U.S. can even think that we are emerging from today’s recession/depression.
The New Depression
The economic decline in the United States began long before the official beginning of the recession in December 2007. The U.S. is not merely experiencing a “down cycle.” Very simply put, we are no longer producing wealth. Our balance-of trade deficit is constantly on the rise; Americans individually are living beyond their means and the government has followed suit. We are forced to live on imports and debt at every level as we no longer produce enough in our own factories to support ourselves. To make matters worse, we are losing over 20,000 jobs a day as our factories are closed, sold or bankrupted.
“Free Trade” Is Destroying Us
The American media favors “free trade” almost unflinchingly, despite the fact that even a cursory overview of global economies shows that no nation is being more adversely affected by this practice than the U.S.
The U.S. is oppressed by the chains of “free trade” through treaties like the North America Free Trade Agreement, undemocratic and secretive trade regimes like the World Trade Organization and border tax inequities allowed by the WTO, such as the Value-Added Tax, which is utilized by 150 of America’s economic competitors.
America is no longer able to compete economically on the world stage. Our nation is gradually allowing Japan, the European Union and emerging economies in China, India and Brazil to overtake the U.S. as the world’s lone economic superpower. Eventually, if all remains the same, NAFTA, the WTO and the VAT will be responsible for America’s complete and total economic downfall. The nation is already well on its way, and without wholesale changes to our economic policy, we will certainly find ourselves in the economic gutter.
Our trading partners have unrestricted access to our markets. Without restrictions, these countries can predatorily price their exports to us. Their prices are designed to put any company or group of American companies out of business and our companies are increasingly going under. We must stop these self-destructive agreements. The WTO and NAFTA are choking U.S. companies out of business.
We Must Renegotiate NAFTA
What incentives do American companies have to produce in the U.S. when they can produce in Mexico? NAFTA has outsourced jobs to Mexico where labor is incredibly cheap and there are no environmental laws, thus driving down wages and forcing American workers into more direct competition with one another.
Over 20 percent of our country’s good manufacturing jobs have been lost during the NAFTA-era, only to be replaced by low-paying service sector jobs with little or no benefits. Our priorities are misdirected. We are doing nothing to promote American owned manufacturing.
Where is the Outrage?
Our political system is flawed and no longer benefits Americans. It is to a great degree directed by lobbyists hired and paid for by special and foreign interests for their benefit – not ours.
Most of the lobbies include former elected and appointed government officials with intimate knowledge of what it takes to have legislation passed for the benefit of their sponsors. As lobbyists, former elected officials may make up to 20 times more than the salary they earned as government employees. It has become obvious that our representatives are not representing us at all; our present condition is absolute proof.
Two Party System
The present 2-party system is no longer working. Politicians are more interested in their own party’s success than they are in the country they are supposed to represent. Politicians spend a huge percentage of their time fund raising for their party. Their largest contributors usually demand favors–to ensure the funds keeps flowing in, political leaders vote to repay their contributors interests instead of voting for what is in the country’s best interest.
To remedy this debilitating cycle, we must change the way our candidates are funded and the campaign period must be shorter."
from Economy In Crisis
Full Speed Down a Path of Destruction
March 13, 2012
by Thomas Heffner
"In recent years the U.S. has been steadily traversing down a path of destruction. While many Americans have begun to open their eyes to America’s plight, most are still oblivious to the factors that led to our downfall. Recently, the media has been touting recovery, but there are numerous urgent changes that need to be implemented before the U.S. can even think that we are emerging from today’s recession/depression.
The New Depression
The economic decline in the United States began long before the official beginning of the recession in December 2007. The U.S. is not merely experiencing a “down cycle.” Very simply put, we are no longer producing wealth. Our balance-of trade deficit is constantly on the rise; Americans individually are living beyond their means and the government has followed suit. We are forced to live on imports and debt at every level as we no longer produce enough in our own factories to support ourselves. To make matters worse, we are losing over 20,000 jobs a day as our factories are closed, sold or bankrupted.
“Free Trade” Is Destroying Us
The American media favors “free trade” almost unflinchingly, despite the fact that even a cursory overview of global economies shows that no nation is being more adversely affected by this practice than the U.S.
The U.S. is oppressed by the chains of “free trade” through treaties like the North America Free Trade Agreement, undemocratic and secretive trade regimes like the World Trade Organization and border tax inequities allowed by the WTO, such as the Value-Added Tax, which is utilized by 150 of America’s economic competitors.
America is no longer able to compete economically on the world stage. Our nation is gradually allowing Japan, the European Union and emerging economies in China, India and Brazil to overtake the U.S. as the world’s lone economic superpower. Eventually, if all remains the same, NAFTA, the WTO and the VAT will be responsible for America’s complete and total economic downfall. The nation is already well on its way, and without wholesale changes to our economic policy, we will certainly find ourselves in the economic gutter.
Our trading partners have unrestricted access to our markets. Without restrictions, these countries can predatorily price their exports to us. Their prices are designed to put any company or group of American companies out of business and our companies are increasingly going under. We must stop these self-destructive agreements. The WTO and NAFTA are choking U.S. companies out of business.
We Must Renegotiate NAFTA
What incentives do American companies have to produce in the U.S. when they can produce in Mexico? NAFTA has outsourced jobs to Mexico where labor is incredibly cheap and there are no environmental laws, thus driving down wages and forcing American workers into more direct competition with one another.
Over 20 percent of our country’s good manufacturing jobs have been lost during the NAFTA-era, only to be replaced by low-paying service sector jobs with little or no benefits. Our priorities are misdirected. We are doing nothing to promote American owned manufacturing.
Where is the Outrage?
Our political system is flawed and no longer benefits Americans. It is to a great degree directed by lobbyists hired and paid for by special and foreign interests for their benefit – not ours.
Most of the lobbies include former elected and appointed government officials with intimate knowledge of what it takes to have legislation passed for the benefit of their sponsors. As lobbyists, former elected officials may make up to 20 times more than the salary they earned as government employees. It has become obvious that our representatives are not representing us at all; our present condition is absolute proof.
Two Party System
The present 2-party system is no longer working. Politicians are more interested in their own party’s success than they are in the country they are supposed to represent. Politicians spend a huge percentage of their time fund raising for their party. Their largest contributors usually demand favors–to ensure the funds keeps flowing in, political leaders vote to repay their contributors interests instead of voting for what is in the country’s best interest.
To remedy this debilitating cycle, we must change the way our candidates are funded and the campaign period must be shorter."