General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: NAFTA at 20: One Million U.S. Jobs Lost, Higher Income Inequality [View all]Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Do you think we would not have lost most of, if not all of, those jobs to other countries?
Plus, these groups calculate the job loss be applying a factor to the trade deficit between countries, assuming the jobs otherwise would have remained here. That's just wrong, but people believe it.
But, let's just assume NAFTA "cost us" 1 million jobs -- First, the jobs went to someone who probably needed them as badly as us, if not worse. Second, that only equals 0.73% of the jobs in this country. So there are a heck of a lot of other jobs available. In fact, during most of NAFTA the unemployment rate was at very low levels.
I get that it's tough if someone loses their jobs, but very few of us have had the same job all our lives. In any event, that is why assistance for job loss and retraining is so important.
But, back to reality. NAFTA didn't wreck our economy and take everyone's jobs. Tax cuts for the rich and technology are as responsible for inequality and job loss as anything. And, we better start pushing for a guaranteed living income, because a lot more jobs are going to be lost due to technology and foreign competition that we can't stop, nor should we even try.