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Republicans urge Obama launch free trade pact push

Cold Highway

Cold Highway

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A House Democratic aide said Obama told the bipartisan group of lawmakers that he supports expanded trade and that his November trip to Asia reinforced that support.

"But he promised no timetable for action, nor did the speaker," the aide said, referring to Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representative's top Democrat.
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If Obama does sign the Free Trade bill let it be the first thing I would be proud of him doing.

Republicans urge Obama launch free trade pact push | Reuters
 
chevydriver1123 said:
If Obama does sign the Free Trade bill let it be the first thing I would be proud of him doing.

Republicans urge Obama launch free trade pact push | Reuters
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I ask you what exactly in this "Free Trade" deal you favor?

Is it the idea that it might create jobs?

Is it the prospect of more inexpensive goods like the crap we get from China made by slave labor with which we can't compete?

I doubt you or anyone else knows what's in this agreement.

What we need is fair trade not free trade because our Government has a history of giving away the farm in these agreements almost literally.

Just look at NAFTA and the WTO both cases we got screwed and they never even said thank you or bought us dinner.

We need agreements that guarantee our jobs and don't penalize us favoring our workers and economy over those of 3rd world countries whose labor force may be unskilled but even a monkey can learn they work for bananas.

I'm just saying let's not rush into this before we have time to look it over, and not favor it because Dims (no spell error) don't, or because it ounds like a deal.
 
Councilman said:
Is it the prospect of more inexpensive goods like the crap we get from China made by slave labor with which we can't compete?
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Crap? Seriously? Care to examine how many things you use every day that you think are great that were made in China? As for slave labor, last I checked, Wal-Mart did clean up its subsidiaries utilizing PLA work camps so slave labor isn't a factor anymore.

What we need is fair trade not free trade because our Government has a history of giving away the farm in these agreements almost literally.
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Apparently you don't quite understand comparative advantage.

Just look at NAFTA and the WTO both cases we got screwed and they never even said thank you or bought us dinner.
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Define "screwed." NAFTA has created a huge amount of jobs not to mention contributes billions to our economy. Perot's giant sucking noise is totally wrong. Furthermore, WTO allows us to have a level playing field.

What free trade (or more properly, managed trade) does is push comparative advantage. In the end, consumers win out as the highest quality good at the best price is produced. Why do you want American consumers to pay more for inferior goods? Because that's what happens under isolationist stances.

We need agreements that guarantee our jobs and don't penalize us favoring our workers and economy over those of 3rd world countries whose labor force may be unskilled but even a monkey can learn they work for bananas.
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Incorrect. What we need are agreements that maximize comparative advantage. That pushes every country to excel in what they do best, resulting in greater production on the same level of resources. If that costs us jobs in certain areas, that's a price we'll have to pay. What you are arguing for is nothing more then protectionism.
 
apdst said:
Yeah, crap! In my industry, there are certain products from China that are prohibited for safety reasons.
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As there are certain products from many countries that are prohibited for safety reasons. But Councilman was clearly pushing the notion that most of the stuff we get from China is crap.

One of the best selling electronic devices in the world is made in China. 4 letters if you can guess it.
 
obvious Child said:
As there are certain products from many countries that are prohibited for safety reasons. But Councilman was clearly pushing the notion that most of the stuff we get from China is crap.

One of the best selling electronic devices in the world is made in China. 4 letters if you can guess it.
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how many Chinese produced products have been banned in the past year because of lead paint and what not? Let's not act as if China is the Mecca of craftsmanship and quality.
 
apdst said:
how many Chinese produced products have been banned in the past year because of lead paint and what not? Let's not act as if China is the Mecca of craftsmanship and quality.
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Look! apdst is again proving he can't read the written English language!

I was talking about Councilman's notion that the majority of Chinese exports are crap. Nowhere did I say that all of their products are crap.

Seriously, your utter inability to understand simple sentences is disturbing.
 
it is the only way to fix the economy









Click Me Please
 
obvious Child said:
Look! apdst is again proving he can't read the written English language!

I was talking about Councilman's notion that the majority of Chinese exports are crap. Nowhere did I say that all of their products are crap.

Seriously, your utter inability to understand simple sentences is disturbing.
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Obviously you are a child with starry eyed notions that cheep equals quality. NAFTA has cost jobs and before that every deal we make called free Trade is unfair trade and never in our favor. e can not compete on an uneven playing field and your opinion of the WTO is just silly, they are always claiming unfair when we try to save jobs, they have all but killed the steel and aluminum industries, to name a few.

I asked Janet Napolitano why she favored NAFTA so much and she said almost the samething you said. And when I asked her which industries did better under NAFTA in AZ. she couldn't come up with one.

Just look at farming and the amount of produce coming north and look up how much is going south. The answer is plenty coming up and nothing going down. Tomato farmers in FLA. were almost killed by NAFTA and the produce coming here has put people in jeopardy from unregulated pest control measures in Mexico.

All I want is FAIR TRADE. If we can protect our jobs they shouldn't be allowed to import items made with slave labor and you Walmart story if fiction. They made minor changes and I mean minor and only for PR nothing else the basic labor practices in China are the same as they have been all along. You have to stop believing the propaganda.
 
Councilman said:
obvouly you you are a child with starry eyed notions that cheep equals quality.
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And you got that were? Quality and price are two fundamentally different concepts that are in no way actually related. You can get a cheap product that's high quality and you can get a expensive product that's high quality. Same goes for low quality. What comparative advantage does is push high quality low cost. Why that's bad, I don't understand.

NAFTA has cost jobs and before that every deal we make called frre Trade is unfair trade and never in our favor.
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Of course NAFTA has cost jobs. The progression of time costs jobs. You can't stop that. But what you can do is promote comparative advantage by having countries that do certain things best specialize. We trade you A for cheap, and you trade us B for cheap and we as net consumers end up in superior positions. What do you mean "never" in our favor? How is trading in countries with no tariffs not advantageous?

we can not compete on an uneven playing field and your opinion of the WTO is just silly, they are always claiming unfair when we try to save jobs, they have all but killed the steel and aluminum industries, to name a few.
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Really? Always? So you are saying that WTO has never ruled in US's favor? Are you willing to stick to that position? :rofl What killed the steel industry (aside from a few producers) was cheap labor elsewhere. That's not the WTO's fault. As for aluminum, have you seen Alcoa's recent 10k? Killed you say? :spin:

I asked Janet Napolitano why she favored NAFTA so much and she said almost the samething you said. And when I asked her which industries did better under NAFTA in AZ. she couldn't come up with one.
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Define "did better."

Just look at farming and the amount of produce coming north and look up how much is going south. The answer is plenty coming up and nothing going down.
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Really?

Imports from U.S. (2007)--$141 billion...

Top U.S. exports to Mexico include electronic equipment, motor vehicle parts, and chemicals.
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Mexico (05/09)

Sure the US imports more, but it also exports high value products south.

All I want is FAIR TRADE. If we can protect our jobs they shouldn't be allowed to import items made with slave labor and you Walmart story if fiction.
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So you are saying that Wal-Mart never used a subsidiary that contracted labor out to the PLA?

Again, define "slave labor" because the PLA prison camp is pretty much the only instance of actual slave labor. Sweat shops where employees are free to quit is not slave labor.
 
The most interesting fact that jumps out from the article for me is the White House spokesperson making President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi equals.
 
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