First there was Ronald Reagan's war on unions and support of "free" trade, then there was Bill Clinton's support of globalization and "free" trade agreements like NAFTA. Now, coming in the guise of a solution to our unemployment problem is the next big thing in the systematic destruction of the American dream - E X P O R T I N G !
Some politicians are finally waking up to the fact that, in order to survive as a first world nation, we need to begin to rebuild our manufacturing capabilities. We have a lopsided balance of payments with China and other nations because we rely on them to do our manufacturing for us. American corporations offshore their products because they can get low cost labor in other countries but usually charge almost the same amount of money they would have charged for their products if they were made here by employees who are paid a living wage. Translation, they are profiteering and doing so on the backs of people who, in some cases only make a few dollars a month.
The solution to the problem is obvious to anyone but the politicians of both parties:
1- Eliminate ALL tax breaks for corporations who offshore their manufacturing.
2- Reinstate tariffs on most imported products.
3- Inform U.S. corporations that any product that they manufacture overseas is considered an imported product, even if they own the foreign factories and is subject to the above tariffs.
4- Unionize everything!
That's the right way to do it, here's the wrong way:
The buzz from some politicians, even our President is about bringing back manufacturing by exporting products. On the surface, that sounds like a great way to fix our trade defecit and create "jobs", it isn't. When a corporation exports a product, it is going into direct competition with foreign corporations that pay their employees much lower wages than even our minimum wage. Guess what our corporations will demand from their employees? Goodbye - middle class, hello - underclass!
Yes, there's a right way to do things and a wrong way. We can restore prosperity to our country by being our own best customers or we can continue on a self destructive road of greed that will only lead to more despair and poverty, the choice is ours. We have to let our politicians know that this is a "we'll remember in November" issue. We must do that before "the land of opportunity" is removed from the American lexicon forever!
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