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Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico?

Yes_Minister

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Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico? How has Canada massively gained at the expense of the US? How has Mexico massively gained at the expense of the US?
 
Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico? How has Canada massively gained at the expense of the US? How has Mexico massively gained at the expense of the US?
Imo here's the issue with free trade agreements. Consumers enjoy lower costs at the expense of American workers. American workers enjoy a higher standard of living and a higher standard of work conditions than most countries. American currency is also stronger than most of our neighbors. So if Mexico can make a widget that Americans pay $20 for here and it only costs them a few pass to make there they can sell that widget here for $15 and still make a better profit than manufactor ing that'd widget here.

Now the idea behind it was that if we sent money to a poor economy like Mexico it would improve the standard of living there by creating jobs. This would fix the illegal immigration problem and the drug trafficking. It just has not worked out that way.

I am an advocate of basing our tariff rates on the living standards of the country we are doing business with. So for instance I would place a relativity liw tariff on a place like Canada because our standard of living and current values are close to equal but I would use high tariffs on places like jexico to pressure them into improving their standard of living. Invest in your people and America will invest in your country type of mentality.

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Imo here's the issue with free trade agreements. Consumers enjoy lower costs at the expense of American workers. American workers enjoy a higher standard of living and a higher standard of work conditions than most countries. American currency is also stronger than most of our neighbors. So if Mexico can make a widget that Americans pay $20 for here and it only costs them a few pass to make there they can sell that widget here for $15 and still make a better profit than manufactor ing that'd widget here.

Now the idea behind it was that if we sent money to a poor economy like Mexico it would improve the standard of living there by creating jobs. This would fix the illegal immigration problem and the drug trafficking. It just has not worked out that way.

I am an advocate of basing our tariff rates on the living standards of the country we are doing business with. So for instance I would place a relativity liw tariff on a place like Canada because our standard of living and current values are close to equal but I would use high tariffs on places like jexico to pressure them into improving their standard of living. Invest in your people and America will invest in your country type of mentality.

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Great informative post.
 
Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico? How has Canada massively gained at the expense of the US? How has Mexico massively gained at the expense of the US?

Canada exports $13,000 worth of goods per person per year, America $5,000 has a lot to do with it. Do you recall Obama mocking Russia "They dont make anything that anyone wants to buy (paraphrase maybe)"? That stings, and Canada has us beat by a mile.

Canada vs United States Economy Stats Compared
 
Canada exports $13,000 worth of goods per person per year, America $5,000 has a lot to do with it. Do you recall Obama mocking Russia "They dont make anything that anyone wants to buy (paraphrase maybe)"? That stings, and Canada has us beat by a mile.

Canada vs United States Economy Stats Compared
IM not unclar on the point your making. Canads population is 1/10th of ours. How are they beating us by a mile?

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Canada exports $13,000 worth of goods per person per year, America $5,000 has a lot to do with it. Do you recall Obama mocking Russia "They dont make anything that anyone wants to buy (paraphrase maybe)"? That stings, and Canada has us beat by a mile.

Canada vs United States Economy Stats Compared


You should look at the information in your link before you post crap
 
Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico? How has Canada massively gained at the expense of the US? How has Mexico massively gained at the expense of the US?


I doubt Trump thinks that at all. Trump is just taking advantage of the ignorance of his supporters and pandering to them.
 
Imo here's the issue with free trade agreements. Consumers enjoy lower costs at the expense of American workers. American workers enjoy a higher standard of living and a higher standard of work conditions than most countries. American currency is also stronger than most of our neighbors. So if Mexico can make a widget that Americans pay $20 for here and it only costs them a few pass to make there they can sell that widget here for $15 and still make a better profit than manufactor ing that'd widget here.

Now the idea behind it was that if we sent money to a poor economy like Mexico it would improve the standard of living there by creating jobs. This would fix the illegal immigration problem and the drug trafficking. It just has not worked out that way.

I am an advocate of basing our tariff rates on the living standards of the country we are doing business with. So for instance I would place a relativity liw tariff on a place like Canada because our standard of living and current values are close to equal but I would use high tariffs on places like jexico to pressure them into improving their standard of living. Invest in your people and America will invest in your country type of mentality.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


Actually the standards of living between Canada and the US are not close to equal. On average Canadians make about $7,000 a year less than Americans do.
 
Imo here's the issue with free trade agreements. Consumers enjoy lower costs at the expense of American workers. American workers enjoy a higher standard of living and a higher standard of work conditions than most countries. American currency is also stronger than most of our neighbors. So if Mexico can make a widget that Americans pay $20 for here and it only costs them a few pass to make there they can sell that widget here for $15 and still make a better profit than manufactor ing that'd widget here.

Now the idea behind it was that if we sent money to a poor economy like Mexico it would improve the standard of living there by creating jobs. This would fix the illegal immigration problem and the drug trafficking. It just has not worked out that way.

I am an advocate of basing our tariff rates on the living standards of the country we are doing business with. So for instance I would place a relativity liw tariff on a place like Canada because our standard of living and current values are close to equal but I would use high tariffs on places like jexico to pressure them into improving their standard of living. Invest in your people and America will invest in your country type of mentality.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

Is it really the job of he US to micromanage he economies of other countries?
 
Imo here's the issue with free trade agreements. Consumers enjoy lower costs at the expense of American workers. American workers enjoy a higher standard of living and a higher standard of work conditions than most countries. American currency is also stronger than most of our neighbors. So if Mexico can make a widget that Americans pay $20 for here and it only costs them a few pass to make there they can sell that widget here for $15 and still make a better profit than manufactor ing that'd widget here.

Now the idea behind it was that if we sent money to a poor economy like Mexico it would improve the standard of living there by creating jobs. This would fix the illegal immigration problem and the drug trafficking. It just has not worked out that way.

I am an advocate of basing our tariff rates on the living standards of the country we are doing business with. So for instance I would place a relativity liw tariff on a place like Canada because our standard of living and current values are close to equal but I would use high tariffs on places like jexico to pressure them into improving their standard of living. Invest in your people and America will invest in your country type of mentality.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

Do you think Trump is threatening to dissolve NAFTA in order to get Canada and Mexico to renegotiate? Or is he serious about it?
I am not an economist, so I don't know what the implications of dissolving NAFTA would be.
 
Do you think Trump is threatening to dissolve NAFTA in order to get Canada and Mexico to renegotiate? Or is he serious about it?
I am not an economist, so I don't know what the implications of dissolving NAFTA would be.

Trump is just pandering to his ignorant base...no more.
 
Trump is just pandering to his ignorant base...no more.

I'm not entirely convinced its simple rhetoric.

But, as I said...I am not an economist, so I haven't a clue as to what would happen if NAFTA were dissolved.
 
I'm not entirely convinced its simple rhetoric.

But, as I said...I am not an economist, so I haven't a clue as to what would happen if NAFTA were dissolved.


tariffs would go up on mexican products. the mexican economy would crash and we would have another wave of illegals come here.
 
Actually the standards of living between Canada and the US are not close to equal. On average Canadians make about $7,000 a year less than Americans do.
I think maybe you missed the general point I was making. I did not claim they were equal. Im saying I would put a lower tariff in place with Canada than mexico because Canadas standards are closer to ours than mexicos. The tariff rate would be set at the appropiate level to allow domestic manufactoring to compete on a level playing ground here at home. As mexicos standards of living increases their tariffs would lower to maintain the equaliberian

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Is it really the job of he US to micromanage he economies of other countries?
no its not and in principle I agree with the argument your most likely setting me up for, if its let the free market work it out. Its an argument that I generally make but this is one of those rare exceptions where I dont think the free market benefits the U.S. economy.

Free market would work fine if we were all competing on equal ground. That however is not the case when dealing with impoverished nations and nations with less regulation oversight. American manufactoring needs a counter weight to combat the disadvantage it has. I believe propperly set tariffs is a good way to solve the problem. Its not about social justice as much as its about economic justice.

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Do you think Trump is threatening to dissolve NAFTA in order to get Canada and Mexico to renegotiate? Or is he serious about it?
I am not an economist, so I don't know what the implications of dissolving NAFTA would be.
Im no economist either nor do I have any insight to Trumps motives but if I were a gambling man I would absolutely guess yes to your answer that Trump wants a new trade deal that benefits US manfactoring. I dont think its an adle threat. I think he wants out of the current agreement and wants to renogiate a new one.

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Actually the standards of living between Canada and the US are not close to equal. On average Canadians make about $7,000 a year less than Americans do.

You are right... Canada does not have 3rd world conditions like the USA.

Canadian's can't believe this is real life in the USA:



It should be easy to google up an equivalent or worse on any Canadian city if in fact "living standards" are so beneath the USA.

The Canadians--certain cities at least--are ahead of the United States in infrastructure now. Is it Vancouver that requires in building codes that all new commercial and residential buildings that are built must be wired with fiber optics? I think so.

Toronto has almost as many skyscrapers are Chicago but a lot less of the crime. :lol:

Also, Canadian standard of living, their concept of "freedom" is that one should feel free and safe to go to sleep with their doors unlocked.

There are poor areas of Canada but there are plenty in the USA too. Even as a small child it was clear to me when my family drove into Toronto that the city was vastly cleaner and with nicer drivers than the USA. Than Milwaukee at least. But that would certainly hold true for Philly or any number of other US cities.
 
tariffs would go up on mexican products. the mexican economy would crash and we would have another wave of illegals come here.

Why would the Mexican economy crash? And Mexico could simply put up protective tariffs on US goods. That would benefit business in Mexico in terms of their domestic market.

Mexicans will come to the USA irrespective because it makes sound financial sense. Just like some US retirees in the Northern states move to the Southern states to retire or to Mexico (former expat communities) or to Panama. Why not move to the USA work for American dollars and send some of those dollars back to Mexico--to family still in Mexico or to build a house there?

NAFTA benefits corporations--not countries. It's been a long time but if I recall correctly those American and Canadian companies that locate their factories in Mexico underr the NAFTA deal makes it illegal for the Mexican workers to unionize at those companies. I might be remembering incorrectly but that's in my mind from what I remember about NAFTA years ago.

NAFTA was pushed through by Bill Clinton (just like welfare reform) in part because he subscribed to something termed "The Third Way." It essentially was a view that Democrats were traditionally wrong on some economic policies and Republicans were correct, so, you as a Democrat adopted some of the Republicans economic policies: like NAFTA and welfare reform.
 
You are right... Canada does not have 3rd world conditions like the USA.

Canadian's can't believe this is real life in the USA:



It should be easy to google up an equivalent or worse on any Canadian city if in fact "living standards" are so beneath the USA.

The Canadians--certain cities at least--are ahead of the United States in infrastructure now. Is it Vancouver that requires in building codes that all new commercial and residential buildings that are built must be wired with fiber optics? I think so.

Toronto has almost as many skyscrapers are Chicago but a lot less of the crime. :lol:

Also, Canadian standard of living, their concept of "freedom" is that one should feel free and safe to go to sleep with their doors unlocked.

There are poor areas of Canada but there are plenty in the USA too. Even as a small child it was clear to me when my family drove into Toronto that the city was vastly cleaner and with nicer drivers than the USA. Than Milwaukee at least. But that would certainly hold true for Philly or any number of other US cities.



when its all said and done on average canadians make about $7,000 less than Americans. About 1% of all canadians are homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_Canada read my post before you quote it.
 
no its not and in principle I agree with the argument your most likely setting me up for, if its let the free market work it out. Its an argument that I generally make but this is one of those rare exceptions where I dont think the free market benefits the U.S. economy.

Free market would work fine if we were all competing on equal ground. That however is not the case when dealing with impoverished nations and nations with less regulation oversight. American manufactoring needs a counter weight to combat the disadvantage it has. I believe propperly set tariffs is a good way to solve the problem. Its not about social justice as much as its about economic justice.

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I'm not setting you up for anything. I don't believe the US should be in the business of other countries business. For one thing we are not very good at it. For another it seems like we've plenty to worry about on our own soil.
 
I'm not setting you up for anything. I don't believe the US should be in the business of other countries business. For one thing we are not very good at it. For another it seems like we've plenty to worry about on our own soil.
Ok fair enough so how would you address balancing the trade imbalance

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NAFTA has always benefited the U.S. the most, just by sheer per capita economy. Canada and Mexico signed it because it would benefit them, but only on a smaller scale.

I think Canada made a huge mistake signing NAFTA. It gave the U.S. access to all our fresh water, something that we should really be preserving for the future.

And because the U.S. has all the trade power, NAFTA is sometimes irrelevant... like when Trump decides that the U.S. is going to resume taxing Canadian lumber, which is a violation of NAFTA. These goons in the White House do whatever they want. If Canada denied the U.S. a product, we would be totally screwed because the U.S. could withhold vital trade with us; but when the White House does something flippant, Canada is just supposed to deal with it.
 
Why do Trump and his supporters think NAFTA unfairly favors Canada and Mexico? How has Canada massively gained at the expense of the US? How has Mexico massively gained at the expense of the US?

First you need to understand the connection between manufacturing and prosperity. When you have a trade surplus, money accumulates in your country as it did in the US between 1890 and 1970. When you have a trade deficit, money flows out of your country as it has from 1970 until now. When money flows in, prosperity increases, when money flows out, prosperity decreases.

In the 1960's any worker... cook, factory worker, mechanic, truck driver, could afford to buy a home and support a family on one income.

Today, most millennials don't have a pot to piss in.

So long as we let Corporation export our jobs so they can reap huge profits and get rich on their stock options we will continue to decline in our prosperity and our standard of living. It is not that hard to understand for anyone who can think critically, unfortunately we have become a nation of idiots who cannot begin to think critically.
 
when its all said and done on average canadians make about $7,000 less than Americans. About 1% of all canadians are homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_Canada read my post before you quote it.

#1 That's not how math averages work. If you're talking about per capita income. An average is a balancing point in the weight of numbers. It's not necessarily representative of "most" people in a population, unless you're talking about the mode math average which is rarely done, and for a reason. If most Americans--particularly Black-Americans--ever found out just how little some of them made they might want to pick up guns, torches, and ropes and go out a lynch politicians (and maybe the rich).

The per capita income is used by economist to gauge how wealthy the average citizen of a country is. But the problem with math averages is they can be pulled up and down without giving much indication of how equal the wealth distribution in a society is.

The per capita income of the United States of America is far above the per capita income of the City of Milwaukee. And that's the better story for Milwaukee... because when you look deeper into the what percentages of the Black-American population makes between A and B, C and D, E and F it would make most of planet earth eyes bug out like this ----> :shock:. It's horrendous. It's almost on par with black African leaders having sold black Africans into the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. But fortunately for Milwaukee their infrastructure, housing infrastructure is much better than Detroit's, Baltimore's, and East St. Louis.



#2 Being homeless can mean you're in a nice homeless shelter. There are no equivalent Skid Rows of LA in Canada. Not Toronto, not Montreal, not Vancouver... not no where in Canada.
 
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