General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Whoever believes "American jobs for Americans" is racist should give up their jobs now [View all]leveymg
(36,418 posts)Last edited Tue May 15, 2012, 10:14 PM - Edit history (1)
to be precise. We are people whose self-employment in the globalized economy is so precarious that we don't even have "jobs" to protect. We're 21st Century cottage laborers. Don't talk to me about not having sympathy for America's working class.
You are also wrong about another thing. There are tens of millions of Americans whose jobs are dependent on export trade in services, whether they be software development, research, engineering, accounting, media, etc. For decades, the US has enjoyed a surplus in Trade in Services. U.S. monthly exports in services amount to $54 billion, and imports were $38 billion. That's a net surplus that includes a lot of jobs for Americans. The latest trade figures from the Commerce Dept. reflect a large ongoing surplus in US exports in services: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/tradnewsrelease.htm
Exports of goods increased $4.7 billion to $132.7 billion, and imports of goods increased $11.3 billion to $200.3 billion. Exports of services increased $0.5 billion to $54.1 billion, and imports of services increased $0.4 billion to $38.3 billion.
The overall trade deficit is the result of four decades of de-industrialization of America and that has been a catastrophe for the middle-class. De-industrialization has been a policy choice, one made by corporate elites. It has transferred trillions of dollars from the pockets of formerly working class Americans who no longer have plants and factories to work in, shifting that income upwards into the offshore accounts of the One Percenters who actually own significant equity in global companies and banking groups.
By attacking American service workers in globalized industries, you are attacking the most vulnerable group of working class Americans - those who still have something to lose by misguided policy choices. I don't blame my fellow No-collar working class in India, China, or Ireland for my vulnerability. They are vulnerable too. They are my class brothers.
I am not asking you to accept my view of the situation, but I do ask that you answer my question and tell us how you would fix things so all our lives are more secure.