Trade Issues/Restore the Traditional Tariff System The tax and tariff structure in place when President Eisenhower left office had produced over 200 years of trade surpluses. We had become the strongest economy in the world. We were the world’s greatest creditor, lending money all over the world to countries in need. We shipped finished goods and imported raw materials. We were truly a first world nation. But, no more! Beginning in the mid-70’s we began taking that structure apart. It really picked up steam in 1981, when President Reagan took office. With the breaking of the air traffic controllers union, the assault on the middle class and the unions on which it was based became deadly serious. We are now, by all definitions, a third world country. We import finished goods and export primarily raw materials. We have piled more debt on our children and grandchildren than the world has ever known. We are cutting down the beautiful mountains of Kentucky, West Virginia, etc., and shipping the coal to China. We should be ashamed, as a nation, to allow a travesty of this magnitude to occur. The Milton Friedman, Chicago School of Economics Theory has been thoroughly discredited by the facts on the ground. Wealth has migrated to the very few at the top. All over the world, starvation and the number of people living on less than $2.00 per day has nearly doubled. All of this is carefully detailed in books by Dr. Ravi Batra, of Southern Methodist University. Oxfam, and other World watch organizations, present case study after case study demonstrating these facts. But, one’s own eyes should bear witness to the destruction wrought on our Nation as we have closed plant after plant in response to International Corporations seeking the cheapest possible labor in far-flung parts of the earth. The “level playing field” imagery is only smoke and mirrors. We simply cannot compete with, nor should we allow ourselves to be put in the position of having to compete with, 25 cent/hour labor. That Globalization cannot be reversed, that it is a done deal, is perhaps one of the biggest lies of all the propaganda surrounding this issue. We should simply walk away from the WTO, NAFTA, and all the other _AFTAs. We should reinstate the set of rules that worked for the common man. Of course corporations would scream to the high heavens, but need we remind them they said the reason to go to foreign countries was to “expand” their markets…not cheap labor. Fine, let them sell in those expanded markets. But, to sell it here, the tariffs of 1970 would have to be paid. All products that we need as a people, or that apply to our National Security should be built in the U.S.A., in union companies headquartered within our continent, and paying taxes here. None of those Cayman Island tax dodges should be permitted. In fact, if we can build it here, we simply should not allow the product to be imported…except for perhaps some luxury items. We can only be strong by being self-reliant. Then, we should walk softly in the world, but carry a very big stick. We have always been open to trade with the world, but we should never again permit a negative trade balance. That is just bad management. We need to make it possible once again for the small businessman to start, run to support his family, and leave to his children a shop in a small town. The small farms must be rebuilt. Self- sufficient communities need to be re-established. That was the prevailing model until this mega-corporate business model drove the small entrepreneurs out of business. Corporations should be here to serve our needs, we should not be relegated to the position of peons whose sole function is to serve corporate needs. ©2009-2010 John Gray for U.S. Senate, all rights reserved. No portion of this website may be reproduced without the express written consent of John Gray. Web Designs by Xpressions, Graphics Specialists Contact the Candidate Privacy Policy