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The Truth About Nafta

Published 03/10/08 Thomas Heffner - Print Article
E-mail - editor@economyincisis.org

The Truth About NAFTA
And Its Disastrous Effects

Few are aware that NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has rendered us uncompetitive in the world, has destroyed our industrial base, caused us to outsource most of our production, and killed most of our manufacturing jobs.

For political reasons, Clinton, Obama, and McCain have not discussed this true picture.

Imagine if Congress enacted a special law only for the state of Michigan that:

  • Dropped the minimum wage to $.50/Hour
  • Exempted employers from child labor laws
  • Expanded the work week
  • Reduced health and work place safety laws
  • Banned unions
  • Allowed Michigan exporters full, duty-free access to Ohio and the rest of the states

Sounds crazy, huh?

This is what NAFTA did for Mexico, to the detriment of Ohio and all of America.

Why would any company manufacture in the U.S. now when it can produce next-door in Mexico with all these unfair advantages?

Mexico now ships more cars to us than we ship to the rest of the world--and where did Mexico get an auto industry?

We are now increasingly forced to live on imports and debt at every level while thousands of our best companies are being sold to foreign interests and our industrial infrastructure is collapsing. If you are concerned for a future for your kids, you should demand that we do something about these conditions. Look at www.EconomyInCrisis.Org for all the statistics to confirm the damages that are now being inflicted on our economy.

Send this to your congressional leaders
and as letters to the Editor.

Click here to contact your Representative in Congress.

Unless the above article is already copyrighted, this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, EIC grants permission to use this article in whole or in part provided attribution is given, preferably in the form of a link back to EconomyInCrisis.org.

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Article Comments From Readers

guest says "VoteNader.org" on 03/24/08
Vote for Ralph Nader. No one else has a better record of 40+ years of public service and wants to end corporate personhood.
As long as Democrats and Republicans have free reign to ruin our nation, they will not stop until there is nothing left to spoil.

guest says "A Pro-American Party Needed!" on 03/24/08
The Dems and Pubs got us into this mess and no matter what they promise, they can't get us out! They are in cahoots with each other, we need a pro-American party started, the only criteria, doing what is good for Americans and America. Its a good idea that won't go anywhere because of this dumb indifference blanketing the nation!

guest says "The Truth About NAFTA" on 03/24/08
Thanks for your response. You have shifted the argument from free international trade to the negative effects of global capitalism. First, I think you should stay on the issue by demonstrating that free international trade has had just negative effects on the American people. I totally disagree with this proposition. Free international trade and labor movement have been helpful for the United States of America and the entire world. In fact, both movements if they are not interrupted by protectionists will unite people and prosper them. Second, you have not specified the system that will replace global capitalism with. If you think the replacement is a protected system of capitalism, then this system will create unequal development in the world. It will help the protected against the rest of the world community, and vested interests will dominate such a system. In fact, such a system will tend to create fascism and Nazism. If you want socialism to replace global capitalism, then you cannot have such a world system without free international trade and labor movement. And this socialist system will create Sovietism. It follows that your point is not logical either way, because it takes us towards fascism/Nazism or Sovietism, and both systems will destroy the environment and the working people. Thanks again and Best Regards. Adil Mouhammed, Springfield, IL.

guest says "Sorry Adil Mouhammed but..." on 03/23/08
I'm sorry Mr. Adil Mouhammed, but we are not all morons. Your dreamy ideals are at least 15 years out of date now. Not only are they philosophically incompatible with the natural aims of Capitalism, but the practical experience of millions of Americans blows your facile argument out of the water with the tangible destruction of American companies and workers jobs. You might as well argue that the earth is flat.

NAFTA and WTO and other international trade agreements are not and never were designed for the Sundae cherry smiles you imagine-except for the malevolent overwealthy who cheerfully ignore human suffering and misery as long as their bank accounts continue to fatten.

Nor are these utopian goals ever possible through Global Capitalism. Why?

Because Global capitalism's aim is to subvert the world and its workers and resources to the delightful disposal of the few for the misery of the many.

Global capitalism demonstrably:

*Destroys our planet turning it into a a giant global grave of fouled air, sullied land, polluted water and decimated species.
All for a quick buck today with no concern for tomorrow.

*Seeks to turn workers into slaves by shopping the world for the least protected and leat unionized labor.

*Destroys existent and fledgling democracies by awarding those with wealth hugely disproportional power influence and say in government affairs at the expense of other citizens.

*Global Capitalism destroys good jobs and wherever it can fires workers for robots and machines.
* Creates economic servitude and slavery for millions whose jobs are stolen and must borrow to pay their bills.

Looking at the sinful hypocracy of the taxpayer funded corporate bailout for Bear/Stearns demonstrates that the Capitalist systems destroy themselves through their own greed, mismanagement, and laziness. Look at Countrywide for another example.

Capitalism actually encourages laziness, cutting corners, and subparperformance. Why?
Because vice and deception and greed are rewarded as virtues in the USA. Hardwork, honesty, talent and integrity are treated as liabilities.
Anyone looking at the obscene CEO compensation and their performance will understand this immediately.

Savior Socialism must never rescue Criminal Capitalism. Why Because Capitalism is both unworthy and ungrateful of the favor.

Any economic system that celebrates immoral behavior (naked greed for Capitalism) as a prime virtue, by design and necessity reaps evil results upon the world.

Capitalism by definition can not and will not put public welfare and happiness of human beings first. Therefore we must continually move away from it and nearer to systems which have as their goal creating a better world for humanity and creation.
Capitalism has been tried and has failed. Time to move on.

guest says "The Truth About NAFTA" on 03/22/08
NAFTA and free international trade are designed to establish competitive environment which serves the most competitive firms under the leadership of honest entrepreneurs who always innovate new products, new methods of production, new organization, new technologies, to mention a few. Under their leadership entrepreneurs can dominate the world and benefit their nation in terms of employment, high money wages, more investments, better environment, industrialization, high quality education, high productivity, high consumption, better health care system, developed infrastructure, and more happiness to all citizens. Take this example. If our innovative entrepreneurs in the auto industry can produce efficient and high quality cars and trucks that compete globally, then this industry can generate thousands of jobs for the American people, because the entire world will become its extended market. Other industries can follow the same innovative approach. If these industries can achieve that goal, the goal of greatness, the American people will realize that free international trade is the best complementary approach to democracy and freedom that we preach. Without free international trade, there is no economic liberty. Indeed, there is economic dictatorship. But the problem is not NAFTA or free international trade; rather, it is our entrepreneur who lives under government protection. Many of those entrepreneurs have become lazy, dishonest, and dictators and have suppressed alternative ideas. They manipulate information and documents for their own self-interest, as they have done with the sub-prime case. They have also adopted the concept of the Yes Man. Consequently, they depend on handouts from their governments and cannot compete globally. That is to say, dependency has killed their innovative skills, and by the nature of interdependence they will hurt all of us. We really need innovative entrepreneurs and honest leadership. Best Regards, Adil Mouhammed; Springfield, IL.

guest says "Mexico advantages" on 03/17/08
Just two points:

1) Mexico did not have huge advantages form NAFTA. In fact, since NAFTA has been implemented their growth rate was lower than befor. Their agricultural sector was destroyed.

2) The US enforce free trade at the global level and now discover that is not always profitable how they claim for two decades? We need to remember that US wealth does not depend on manufactures but on services as most of developed countries. Social problems attributed to NAFTA depend more on the underdeveloped US welfare system as well as the bad Bush economic policy.

http://sustainabledevelopmentforall.blogspot.com/

guest says "Capitalism at its finest" on 03/11/08
Those who support the Democratic or Republican Party must understand the consequences of their votes. Saying yes to capitalism means the transformation of our Democracy into a world kingdom of slaves and with a small handful of business emperors and elites. Who are the new emperors of the world dictating policy and priorities for the nation?
Bill Gates
Warren Buffett
Dick Cheney
Paul Wolfowitz
The family of Saud
and many others some public, some secret.

Capitalism is what it is and is essntially irreformable. Why? Because it elevates greed to the citadel of virtue and gives those with the most money the most power and influence in our democracy. Average citizens have almost no say in the system.

Capitalism is freely at work transforming our workers into robotic slaves with reduced rights, priveleges, and benefits as it turns our earth into a giant grave of industrial waste and destruction and pollution. Whoa to those generations that inherit the earth. Their fate in the system has been determined before they are even born.

Those who vote for the Democratic or Republican party perpetuate this system of corporate slavery. The freedom and democracy and happiness of man is lost to a system that knows no compassion or justice but has for its goal only wealth power and greed perpetuating itself for the few at the expense of the many.