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In the April 23, Wall Street Journal, Senator Sherrod Brown, (D) Ohio, made a realistic assessment of current government trade policy and how it is diluting the strength of our country. I think that Senator Brown was just a bit gentle with his words, and understandably so when given his position. Suffice it to say that I agree with him for the most part, but he should have just cut to the chase. The American working class has been sold out. He also failed to make one critical point about NAFTA. It was his party and the guidance of Bill Clinton that navigated that document into law.
Partisan politics aside, I believe that current American trade standards are something we need to be ashamed of. As a free market capitalist, I have nothing against the survival of the fittest in the worlds of manufacturing and business. However, we're beholden to good sense to provide a level playing field and to maintain benchmark standards. In that regard, American workers have been shorted. Our trade deficit is a testament to the decline of the American Dream. It's a dream, while not referred to by that name, that resides in the hearts of workers the world over. Every parent wants their children to have a greater degree of opportunity and safety than they had.
For me, the crux of the matter is simple. While analysis tends to indicate that industrial globalization actually is improving living standards on a worldwide average, those workers with a higher standard of living fall victim to the averaging. I have argued long and hard that the focus should be to help the world reach upward to our own standard of living. We should not compromise our own standards to make someone else's relatively better. We should guide them to accomplish what we have.
Call me a protectionist, a knee-jerk conservative, a labor lackey, or imperialist pig. The fact remains that as the workers of other countries see (slightly) improved living conditions at the expense of American workers, the standard defined as average slowly declines for all.
Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger. He's a quarter century veteran of the manufacturing arts.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-06-2008 @ 3:17PM
John Stec said...
Our politicians have brains, lets see if they walk, like they talk?
5-06-2008 @ 3:18PM
His Majesty said...
American investors need to stop focusing on domestic problems, and start focusing on international opportunities. China's markets, for example, are growing at an incredible rate, and in a decade, Wall Street could become Wu Street. Ford and GM, in their rush to find some sliver of profitability, have invested in China, and are already seeing significant results. The global economy is changing. We can worry about it, or get in early.
5-06-2008 @ 3:42PM
sonnype said...
It is a disgrace how our goverment officals have allowed Amewrican manufactures to export good paying jobs that had pensions and healthcare.in exchange for cheap goods that now many people cant afford because they have lost their jobs. Congress needss to correct the trade agreements it has made or the standard of living in this country will continue to decline untill we are a second world country.
5-06-2008 @ 3:43PM
Elizabeth Brown said...
With the lopsided import tarifs between our countries and others, survival of the fittest does not pertain. We need a level playing field that includes a global labor union. Many in our country fought for a decent standard of living by doing without. Who could survive on $59 a month in wages as was reportedly the wage of the Nike factory workers in Vietnam? Now that Americans have maxed out their credit consuming these products, how long will these companies survive if they have to depend on their own workers to consume these goods? Hopefully, the greedy, selfish, short-sighted mega corporations will fail. If Americans purchase as little as possible, global corporations will be forced to rethink their take advantage of third world country slave labor policies.