Comments on: Senator John McCain defends free trade in Youngstown, Ohio

By: DB

DB — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:13:29 +0000

Free trade is not fair, when it comes to jobs that are leaving this country. No doubt about it unions have hurt a number of our corporations here. But greed is going to be the downfall in this country. The middle-class jobs are slowing becoming obsolete. Some of the biggest corporations in this country today are not American owned. We are in trouble and both the democrats and republicans have turned their backs on this issue. Unfortunately, there is a serious price for us to pay for this greed. The almighty dollar…..

By: blue collar

blue collar — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:38:39 +0000

I AM DEEPLY SADEN BY TODAYS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT STICK TOGHTER AND LET THE GREED OF CORPORATE AMERCIA TAKE OVER.

By: blue collar

blue collar — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:36:17 +0000

Last but not least I am sure this is going to come up GM. I know what the news says and people say oh they lost all that money there going under. BULL its a scam. I will show you very simply how they fooled everone. They have a projected income which means a goal of a certain amount of money that they hope to make as profite in a given year or quarter. So now they say they lost millons. Let me ask you this I make around 30 grand a year now I have a projected goal of makeing 130,000 a year did I lose a 100,000. No try telling the irs you had a projected income of double of what you made and see what happens to you but when a company does it well it must be true. And whare the money go you ask well look check things out it went to build new plants in mexico and china oh yea and bounes for the neck ties.

By: blue collar

blue collar — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:22:09 +0000

And one more thing I work for a living bust my ass for a company and i thank god ever day for a union. Because I have never been treated with such disregard for anykind of human life by a company such as mine. And without a union would have no way to fight back.

By: blue collar

blue collar — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:18:23 +0000

You know there are no safty standards in these contries. Look at all the toys from china with led if they were made here they would have been held to stadards. And you want a real joke all this global warming this and that. Why you think these compines go over there no EPA there dump waste right in the river people drink from in mexico. Polute the air no filters in the plant. People need to wake the hell up and look at the big piture. There is no quality in china products why? because its about quanity NOT quality but the company is going to tell you some bulllshit story how they did this or that for the commuinty or some new way they are helping the eviroment. Lets look at walmat they say save money live better. Yea what they didnt tell you save a few nikles and cost you jobs all over town maybe even the whole community. If they are so good ask them why they have lawsuits going on for 10 years trying to build stores whare people dont want them. Why did they close a brand new store they just built when the people voted a union in. Ill tell you why they are legal crooks and if you dont belive me try to do half of the stuff they get away with and you would be in jail as a small busniess owner. I can go on forever but the bottom line is this Its never enough money if they make 20 millon this year then they have to make 30 next and 40 the next. When is enough enough. The next time you go to the store look at the label and try to find USA because if it is made in china you should feel guilty because you are causeing the promblem and who sufferd to make your itam. May be a child forced to work 14 hour days for a few dollars to survive.

By: blue collar

blue collar — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:58:43 +0000

The union is not to blam for workers jobs getting lost or the price of goods going up. These greedy compines know they can get slave labor over seas. I ask you this what is the differance between what hitler did by makeing jews work for nothing and these compines working people for next to nothing.

By: Mister Guy

Mister Guy — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:10:47 +0000

And you need to brush up on your history my friend. The price of things matters little if people’s jobs have been shipped overseas in a race to the bottom, and we have not replaced those jobs with the high-tech jobs of today & tomorrow because our workforce is under-educated. Unions are NOT businesses…LOL!!! No one is making a profit from being in a union, period.

By: Cguy

Cguy — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:16:49 +0000

This debate makes me angry but i’ll just make two points. 1. Comparative advantage makes the world go round, without it everything Mister Guy was saying would have some credibility. 2. World Trade is not and never will be a Zero-Sum game; Otherwise there would be no investment structure. What you described was in reality a Coase theory practice that guarantees the most efficient transfers will be sought under a non-restricted structure. Mister Guy, you need to brush up on your trade theory and history before i can even respond to your claims. Race to the bottom for prices? Thats bad for consumers why? And unions are businesses that are out to receive the largest gains for their members. Thats the exact same structure as a corporation only somehow…more American?

By: Mister Guy

Mister Guy — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:58:17 +0000

“The only alternative to a free market is a quasi-socialist economy.”

Wrong again…the alternative is what the USA and many other countries have right now…a mixed economy of capitalism and socialism. Some of us out here think that it needs to be a little more “mixed” as well.

“Why not eliminate the unions…”

Sure, and while we’re at it, we can eliminate all the things that unions have given this country: paid vacations, paid sick leave, a 40-hour workweek, etc., etc….sounds great…for rich corporations that is.

The fact is that the U.S. can’t base it’s economy anymore on agriculture or manufacturing unfortunately. A highly educated workforce that can do the high-tech jobs of today & tomorrow is our only option IMO, and we’re still a ways off from making that a reality unfortunately.

By: Lou

Lou — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:38:33 +0000

As a Youngstown resident, I have to laugh.

Youngstown has its own problems, many of them self-inflicted. But the “It’s about time someone defended trade as a way to encourage economic growth and higher standards of living.” Doesn’t wash around here.

Not, I am not Blue collar, not union and not stuck in the past. But I have seen this area go from 150,000 people to 80,000. And Free trade was a big part of that.

We’re not even talking of growth or expansion right now: In order to stay solvent, our city has to demolish whole neighborhoods so we can shut off the power and water and don’t have to patrol the streets:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/08/real_estate/radical_city_plan/index.htm

If any of you free traders would like to invest here, I’d really appreciate it.