Democrats Reject Platform Proposal Opposing Trade Deal

[creeksneakers2]

111. OK

The price is lost jobs. Its paid to keep us competitive with the rest of the world and to keep prices down.

Can you imagine what things would cost now if it weren't for imports? I remember in the 60s there was a concept called "planned obsolescence." Companies were intentionally building products to fail within five years so that you would have to buy another one. It used to be that if a car lasted for 100,000 miles that was sensational. Foreign competition changed all that. I just bought a pair of sneakers for $13. That's less than they cost me 30 years ago. While you would have higher wages without competition the wages wouldn't go as far, so you wouldn't end up that much better off.

Without competition wages would go up but that would hurt exports. We'd be isolated from the global economy and continue to fall behind. 25 years from now we'd be one of the poor countries instead of one of the rich ones.

I was taught in Catholic school as a kid that people everywhere on earth are all God's children. So if somebody who is not an American gets an American's job that isn't the end of the world for me. Somebody who is willing to work for $4 a day needs that $4 much more than I do. Protectionists complain that foreign workers are being exploited. But as long as they are working voluntarily they must have decided that they were better off with the job than they were before. Those who don't want foreigners to get jobs unless they are well paid have nothing better to offer instead of the jobs. Lower wages mean faster spreading of jobs.

The low wages don't last forever. As more companies move in competition drives wages up. The standard of living has gone way up in China. As countries become saturated new countries are opened up and capitalism spreads. I heard on NPR yesterday that we've gone from 1.5 billion people with jobs to 3 billion people with jobs in a relatively short time period.

Sometime decades from now, the entire world will be saturated and there will be far less poverty. We'll all benefit from trade because different countries will each do what they do best. We'll all of us doing what we are best at there will be more for everybody.

Instead of the fallen behind protectionist economy, future generations here will have a thriving global economy. We lost jobs now but we'll have far more in the long run.

This isn't just the opinion of the 1%. A large segment of our population believes in free trade. Some leaders feel the heat from protectionists but hold steady, knowing that what they are doing is better than winning on the cheap gimmick like Trump. The leaders aren't all corrupt.

I hope that I don't get a hide for this but when somebody is so convinced that they are right that they believe anybody who doesn't agree with them must be corrupt, misinformed or stupid, etc I think that's a poor attitude and doesn't reflect well on the person possessing it. Humility and open mindedness make us wiser.