Meet the Father of Free Trade.

[moondust]

73. Yes.

Last edited Thu May 14, 2015, 03:11 PM - Edit history (1)

In those days I think trade between nations was thought to be an alternative to war between nations; trading partnerships would help keep the peace. I doubt FDR even dreamed that multinational corporations would one day shut down their operations in the U.S., throwing millions out of work, move those jobs to cheap labor markets abroad and ship the goods back to the U.S. to sell to Americans. That's not trade, it's exploitation on a global scale.

Some factors making global exploitation unimaginable in those days included the higher cost of international transporation and the lack of accessible communication networks. As those changed, I've wondered if Nixon didn't go to China on behalf of businessmen who were salivating at the prospects of all that potential cheap labor and all those potential customers.