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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Bernie/Trump/Hillary On Trade Policy - When You Say You Are Against Free Trade Agreements [View all]EndElectoral
(4,213 posts)8. What exactly is "Free trade" versus "Fair trade?"
Free trade seems a phrase Republicans have used to find cheap labor worldwide for corporations to exploit. The trade agreements such as NAFTA haven't really been beneficial to American workers, but have been quite beneficial to multi-national corporations.
Most union members get it even if often the leadership is looking for political leverage with the next candidate.
The idea of "Free Trade" has recently been espoused by that bastion of the working man - The US Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/open_door_trade_report.pdf
Sorry, whenever I hear the phrase "free trade" I often wonder if it's free, who's really making money out of it?
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Bernie/Trump/Hillary On Trade Policy - When You Say You Are Against Free Trade Agreements [View all]
TomCADem
May 2016
OP
first of all these so called trade agreements have very little to do with trade
hollysmom
May 2016
#1
"What do folks think would happen if those agreements were cancelled?" Thank you
Recursion
May 2016
#4
I think that thousands and thousands of jobs have been moved to Mexico under the
JDPriestly
Jun 2016
#16
The Free Trade Agreements are complex, full of nuance, and favor trans-national corporations.
PufPuf23
May 2016
#5
Smoot Hartley is a red herring and omits nearly 50 years of a successful history under GATT
PufPuf23
Jun 2016
#12
Tariffs are not the problem. It's all the other provisions hidden in these trade agreements
JDPriestly
Jun 2016
#15
Where did you get that information? Trump is proposing such tariffs, not Bernie who has proposed to
pampango
Jun 2016
#28
What is 'fair'? Does that mean only trading with countries with wages as high as ours?
CrowCityDem
Jun 2016
#26
Even that would be problematic. Our trade deficit per capita is higher with Germany than with China.
pampango
Jun 2016
#27
Trade is OK. But trade disputes should be settled in courts under national control
JDPriestly
Jun 2016
#13