Mar 27 2008
Lassiter Comments on Free Trade
Duskin Lassiter often sees the world through a windshield. A few months ago that view was distressing enough that it motivated him to run for the U.S. Senate.
Lassiter is a self-employed trucker in Lexington who hauls everything from rolls of paper to Philadelphia or table salt to upstate New York. The effects of international trade agreements hit him head on.
“I service the manufacturing sector of this economy,” said Lassiter, 37, “and every time (U.S. Sen.) Elizabeth Dole or the Democrats sign a free trade agreement, my customers go out of business.”
Last fall, no Democrat had filed to run against Dole, a Republican, so Lassiter said he would. He began an uphill challenge to raise the money and earn the public recognition necessary to challenge Dole’s celebrity status. At the end of December, he had raised $635, of which $600 was his.
Putting aside the fact that the rest of Lassiter’s ideas are kooky and he doesn’t have a chance in Hell of winning this primary (though I do give him props for standing up and trying) he is absolutely right on the issue of free trade. It is unquestionable that NAFTA has cost this country hundreds of thousands of mostly blue collar, manufacturing jobs and that is taking a huge toll on the middle class. All of our trade agreements need to be revised and other countries who are cheating at these agreements, like China, need to be brought into compliance. This trend simply cannot continue.
That’s why free trade is completely different than free trade agreements. Economic forces will always be stronger than legislative forces. Hence the illegal drug market!
More to the point: What drove most US manufacturers out of the country wasn’t the free trade agreements, it was the AFL-CIO and it’s Veruca Salt Ideology: “Don’t Care How, I want it NOW!”
Take it from someone who’s worked in several unions and drawn unemployment due to all of them: A person can’t have their cake and eat it too.
Add to this all of the ignorant laws like exorbitant medical expenses, legal defense, workers comp fraud and the lot and it makes more sense just to outsource it all than it does to make less profit.
And lest you forget that these “evil corporations” have shareholders who are mostly American folks investing in 401k plans. We can hobble the corporation, only at the hobbling of those same blue collar workers.
It’s why I love to hear dem’s talk about oil company windfall profit’s taxes when more than 30 percent of middle class folks are invested in oil companies through mutual funds shares held in their 401k plans! It’s downright hilarious!