Thread: Another reason to consider Duncan Hunter

Received this in an email from America First today:

America First 2008
Update

Since I am the author of America First: Why Americans Must End Free Trade, Stop Outsourcing and Close Our Open Borders, I will state my opionion first: Free Trade is the poison pill of the American workers. It drives down the price of labor and drives up the return on capital. Wall Street Capitalists love it if manufactured goods are produced abroad, costs go down and profits go up. Workers hate it. Jobs flee and lives are ruined. 5 million high paying manufacturing jobs have been lost in during the Bush years.

Immigration and free trade are the flip side of the same coin: the replacement of American labor with cheap foreign labor, either by importing products or by directly importing the labor, legally or illegally, into the country. The result is a lower living standard for the average American. In the past twenty years, the difference between the mean income (average) and the median (half above/half below) has increased. This is because the rich have become richer. (example: if three houses in town go from $500,000 to $1,500,000 in value, the mean goes up, but the median stays the same.)

Pat Buchanan is the one politician who really understands economics and has been a staunch opponent of free trade and immigration. For other information on stopping free trade go to http://www.tradealert.us/\

Alexander Hamilton was a protectionist, as was Lincoln, and the Republican Party. This was the party platform:

1912 Republican Party Platform
We reaffirm our belief in a protective tariff. The Republican tariff policy has been of the greatest benefit to the country, developing our resources, diversifying our industries, and protecting our workmen against competition with cheaper labor abroad, thus establishing for our wage-earners the American standard of living. The protective tariff is so woven into the fabric of our industrial and agricultural life that to substitute for it a tariff for revenue only would destroy many industries and throw millions of our people out of employment. The products of the farm and of the mine should receive the same measure of protection as other products of American labor.

Free trade became the rage in the 1960's largely through the lying of Milton Friedman. He used his conservative spending and monetary expertise to give credance to a bogus, utopian economic theory.

In his Monetary History of the United States, the Smoot-Hawley tariff is even mentioned. In his book Capitalism and Freedom, he disengenuously lies by saying, The United States had tariffs throughout the nineteenth century, and they were raised still higher in the twentieth century, espeÂ*cially by the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill of 1930, which some scholars regard as partly responsible for the severity of the subsequent depression.

This is true, but he was not one those scholars. Friedman was essentially a globalist ideologue, in which all boats would rise in a uptopian fashion. Nothing has been further from the truth. Free trade is a race to the bottom for American workers. Workers without job don't care how cheap the prices are.

The supporters of Free Trade are academics, libertarians and newspaper columnists. Put the word "free" in it and they bend over backwards for it. Two other big enthusiasts for free trade were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels because they realized that free trade destroys economies of the working people and makes them ripe for revolution.

Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo

Ron Paul does not have a listing on his campaign issues for Free Trade. This is probably because it is not going to get him and votes. But his opinions can be found here. It is the usual libertarian nonsense about free choice. Free trade is always justified in terms of "lowest world price" with no reckoning of the cost to labor, the foreign policy implications or the damage to the strength of the nation. Ron Paul is at heart a libertarian, and in libertarian thinking all nations can be eliminated.

The fact is that American should import no manufactured goods, and it would be better off. A close protected economy, such as Japan's produces a society that has a more equitable distribution of wealth. A free trade society (think the Confederacy) produces a wealthy elite and slaves and semi-slaves.

http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=100

http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=866

Tom Tancredo's positions are equally ignornant. But at least he admits them on his issues page.

Falling U.S. taxes on imported products and slowly crumbling foreign barriers to U.S. commerce have provided a number of benefits for Americans and American businesses. American consumers have unprecedented choices when it comes to everything from cars and computers to cell phones and coffee. U.S. manufacturing and agricultural exports have grown strongly over the last decade. Between 1994 and2004, for example, exports in U.S. manufacturing and agriculture have increased 65 percent and 38 percent, respectively. And United States exports of high technology products have grown by a whopping 67 percent during the past 10 years.

Pat Buchanan would say this is nonsense. Five million jobs have been lost. American workers wages are stagnant for twenty years, while the top tier has gained unprecedented wealth. Note that both Tancredo's and Paul's defense of Free Trade is based on cheap goods. What Tancredo does not discuss is that imports have increased even more dramatically, and we have trillions of dollars of debt. Of course, you can have cheap goods when you have slave labor.

Neither do Tancredo and Ron Paul mention that the U.S. has a three trillion dollar trade deficit and that the Chinese are one of, if not the, largest holder of U.S. securities. They could bankrupt the U.S. by dumping their securities.

Immigration is not self-correcting. If enough people invade your country, they take it over.

Free trade is self-correcting. Eventually the free trade economy collapses and the country goes into a worse than 1929 Depression.

My short article: The Myth of Free Trade and an article on the effects of NAFTA.

John Kerry almost won the presidential race in Ohio, when he made remarks about Benedict Arnold CEO's outsourcing jobs to foreign countries. But then he flipp-floped on a winning issue, and lost.

The strongest possible message to American workers would be Enforce Our Immigration Laws--Kill NAFTA. Unfortunately, both Tancredo and Paul have only about half of it

Paul Streitz

www.americafirst2008.com

amfirst@optonline.net

Here's where Hunter, Tancredo, and Paul stood in 2002 (gathered from the sources provided):

Duncan Hunter on Free Trade
Republican Representative (CA-52)

China is cheating on trade by devaluing their currency
Q: You have said that you would deal with the enormous trade deficit America has with China. How?
A: China is cheating on trade. They devalue their currency by 40%. That undercuts the American markets, wipes American products off the shelf not only here but around the world. We've lost 1.8 million jobs in the US, high-paying manufacturing jobs, to China. I would enforce the law with China, the trade rules with China.

Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina May 15, 2007

Eliminate all manufacturing taxes to increase US hiring
Q: Name a tax you'd like to cut.
A: Right now our manufacturers are getting killed. We're seeing manufacturing move offshore because a dumb trade deal that we signed with the rest of the world allows all of our exports to be taxed twice while their exports to us are not taxed at all. The only way that we can even come close to leveling that playing field is to eliminate manufacturing taxes. So eliminate all taxes on Americans who will stay in the US and make products and hire American workers.

Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007

China is cheating on trade; junk our bad China trade deals
China is cheating on trade. Let me tell you how they're cheating. If this podium was made in China, and cost $100, and it's exported from China to the US, when it goes to the water's edge to be exported, the government gives a check to that company, for all their taxes. They give their taxes back, at about 17%. So if this podium was $100, they give them back $17 in cash. When an American podium arrives to be sold in China, they give our exporters a bill for $17.
So before the international competition in trade even begins, before the opening kickoff of the football game, they've got 34 points on the scoreboard.

Just to make sure the American manufacturer never wins, they devalue their currency by 40%. [That 40% discount causes] the world to buy their products, and it's pushing American products off the shelf. When I'm president, I'm gonna junk the bad trade deal we have with China. I'm gonna force them to the table and we're gonna make a good deal.

Source: 2007 IAFF Presidential Forum in Washington DC Mar 14, 2007

Voted NO on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade.
To implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement. A vote of YES would:
Progressively eliminate customs duties on all originating goods traded among the participating nations
Preserve U.S. duties on imports of sugar goods over a certain quota
Remove duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations
Prohibit export subsidies for agricultural goods traded among participating nations
Provide for cooperation among participating nations on customs laws and import licensing procedures
Encourage each participating nation to adopt and enforce laws ensuring high levels of sanitation and environmental protection
Recommend that each participating nation uphold the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Urge each participating nation to obey various international agreements regarding intellectual property rights
Reference: CAFTA Implementation Bill; Bill HR 3045 ; vote number 2005-443 on Jul 28, 2005

Voted YES on implementing US-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: implementing free trade with protections for the domestic textile and apparel industries.
Reference: Bill sponsored by Rep Tom DeLay [R, TX-22]; Bill H.R.4759 ; vote number 2004-375 on Jul 14, 2004

Voted NO on implementing US-Singapore free trade agreement.
Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the United States and Singapore. The trade agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Singapore. The agreement would remove tariffs on goods and duties on textiles, and open markets for services The agreement would also establish intellectual property, environmental and labor standards.
Reference: US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement; Bill HR 2739 ; vote number 2003-432 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted NO on implementing free trade agreement with Chile.
United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the US and Chile. The agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the US and Chile. The trade pact would decrease duties and tariffs on agricultural and textile products. It would also open markets for services. The trade pact would establish intellectual property safeguards and would call for enforcement of environmental and labor standards.
Reference: Bill sponsored by DeLay, R-TX; Bill HR 2738 ; vote number 2003-436 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted YES on withdrawing from the WTO.
Vote on withdrawing Congressional approval from the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization [WTO].
Reference: Resolution sponsored by Paul, R-TX; Bill H J Res 90 ; vote number 2000-310 on Jun 21, 2000

Voted NO on 'Fast Track' authority for trade agreements.
Vote to establish negotiating objectives for trade agreements between the United States and foreign countries and renew 'fast track' authority for the President.
Reference: Bill introduced by Archer, R-TX.; Bill HR 2621 ; vote number 1998-466 on Sep 25, 1998

Rated 24% by CATO, indicating a pro-fair trade voting record.
Hunter scores 24% by CATO on senior issues
The mission of the Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies is to increase public understanding of the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism.

The Cato Trade Center focuses not only on U.S. protectionism, but also on trade barriers around the world. Cato scholars examine how the negotiation of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements can reduce trade barriers and provide institutional support for open markets. Not all trade agreements, however, lead to genuine liberalization. In this regard, Trade Center studies scrutinize whether purportedly market-opening accords actually seek to dictate marketplace results, or increase bureaucratic interference in the economy as a condition of market access.

Studies by Cato Trade Center scholars show that the United States is most effective in encouraging open markets abroad when it leads by example. The relative openness and consequent strength of the U.S. economy already lend powerful support to the worldwide trend toward embracing open markets. Consistent adherence by the United States to free trade principles would give this trend even greater momentum. Thus, Cato scholars have found that unilateral liberalization supports rather than undermines productive trade negotiations.

Scholars at the Cato Trade Center aim at nothing less than changing the terms of the trade policy debate: away from the current mercantilist preoccupation with trade balances, and toward a recognition that open markets are their own reward.

The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

Source: CATO website 02n-CATO on Dec 31, 2002

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Duncan_ ... _Trade.htm

Ron Paul on Free Trade
Republican Representative (TX-14)

NAFTA superhighway threatens widespread eminent domain
Today, we face a new threat of widespread eminent domain actions as a result of powerful interests who want to build a NAFTA superhighway through the United States from Mexico to Canada. Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society. Without the right to own a printing press, for example, freedom of the press becomes meaningless. The next president must get federal agencies out of these schemes to deny property owners their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
Source: Campaign website, www.ronpaul2008.com, "Issues" Sep 1, 2007

Voted NO on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade.
To implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement. A vote of YES would:
Progressively eliminate customs duties on all originating goods traded among the participating nations
Preserve U.S. duties on imports of sugar goods over a certain quota
Remove duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations
Prohibit export subsidies for agricultural goods traded among participating nations
Provide for cooperation among participating nations on customs laws and import licensing procedures
Encourage each participating nation to adopt and enforce laws ensuring high levels of sanitation and environmental protection
Recommend that each participating nation uphold the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Urge each participating nation to obey various international agreements regarding intellectual property rights
Reference: CAFTA Implementation Bill; Bill HR 3045 ; vote number 2005-443 on Jul 28, 2005

Voted NO on implementing US-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: implementing free trade with protections for the domestic textile and apparel industries.
Reference: Bill sponsored by Rep Tom DeLay [R, TX-22]; Bill H.R.4759 ; vote number 2004-375 on Jul 14, 2004

Voted NO on implementing US-Singapore free trade agreement.
Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the United States and Singapore. The trade agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Singapore. The agreement would remove tariffs on goods and duties on textiles, and open markets for services The agreement would also establish intellectual property, environmental and labor standards.
Reference: US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement; Bill HR 2739 ; vote number 2003-432 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted NO on implementing free trade agreement with Chile.
United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the US and Chile. The agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the US and Chile. The trade pact would decrease duties and tariffs on agricultural and textile products. It would also open markets for services. The trade pact would establish intellectual property safeguards and would call for enforcement of environmental and labor standards.
Reference: Bill sponsored by DeLay, R-TX; Bill HR 2738 ; vote number 2003-436 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted YES on withdrawing from the WTO.
Vote on withdrawing Congressional approval from the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization [WTO].
Reference: Resolution sponsored by Paul, R-TX; Bill H J Res 90 ; vote number 2000-310 on Jun 21, 2000

Voted NO on 'Fast Track' authority for trade agreements.
Vote to establish negotiating objectives for trade agreements between the United States and foreign countries and renew 'fast track' authority for the President.
Reference: Bill introduced by Archer, R-TX.; Bill HR 2621 ; vote number 1998-466 on Sep 25, 1998

No restrictions on import/export; but maintain sovereignty .
Paul adopted the Republican Liberty Caucus Position Statement:

As adopted by the General Membership of the Republican Liberty Caucus at its Biannual Meeting held December 8, 2000.
WHEREAS libertarian Republicans believe in limited government, individual freedom and personal responsibility;
WHEREAS we believe that government has no money nor power not derived from the consent of the people;
WHEREAS we believe that people have the right to keep the fruits of their labor; and
WHEREAS we believe in upholding the US Constitution as the supreme law of the land;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Liberty Caucus endorses the following [among its] principles:
The US government should inhibit neither the exportation of US goods and services worldwide, nor the importation of goods and services.
The United States should not be answerable to any governing body outside the United States for its trade policy.
Source: Republican Liberty Caucus Position Statement 00-RLC9 on Dec 8, 2000

End economic protectionism: let dairy compacts expire .
Paul sponsored the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact resolution:
Declares that the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact should be allowed to expire under its own terms on September 30, 2001. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution should not be used to renew the interstate economic protectionism of our Nation's early history.

Source: House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HR230 on Aug 2, 2001

Rated 76% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record.
Paul scores 76% by CATO on senior issues
The mission of the Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies is to increase public understanding of the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism.

The Cato Trade Center focuses not only on U.S. protectionism, but also on trade barriers around the world. Cato scholars examine how the negotiation of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements can reduce trade barriers and provide institutional support for open markets. Not all trade agreements, however, lead to genuine liberalization. In this regard, Trade Center studies scrutinize whether purportedly market-opening accords actually seek to dictate marketplace results, or increase bureaucratic interference in the economy as a condition of market access.

Studies by Cato Trade Center scholars show that the United States is most effective in encouraging open markets abroad when it leads by example. The relative openness and consequent strength of the U.S. economy already lend powerful support to the worldwide trend toward embracing open markets. Consistent adherence by the United States to free trade principles would give this trend even greater momentum. Thus, Cato scholars have found that unilateral liberalization supports rather than undermines productive trade negotiations.

Scholars at the Cato Trade Center aim at nothing less than changing the terms of the trade policy debate: away from the current mercantilist preoccupation with trade balances, and toward a recognition that open markets are their own reward.

The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Ron_Paul_Free_Trade.htm

Tom Tancredo on Free Trade
Republican Representative (CO-6)

Fast track authority should not be renewed
The President's fast track authority should not be renewed. The constitution gives Congress--not the Executive--the power to "regulate commerce with foreign nations." Presidents have abused the power. Instead of sticking to trade agreements, they make commitments on matters of domestic policy, like immigration and carbon dioxide emissions, in the guise of international accords.
Source: Campaign website, www.teamtancredo.com, "Issues" Sep 1, 2007

Voted NO on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade.
To implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement. A vote of YES would:
Progressively eliminate customs duties on all originating goods traded among the participating nations
Preserve U.S. duties on imports of sugar goods over a certain quota
Remove duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations
Prohibit export subsidies for agricultural goods traded among participating nations
Provide for cooperation among participating nations on customs laws and import licensing procedures
Encourage each participating nation to adopt and enforce laws ensuring high levels of sanitation and environmental protection
Recommend that each participating nation uphold the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Urge each participating nation to obey various international agreements regarding intellectual property rights
Reference: CAFTA Implementation Bill; Bill HR 3045 ; vote number 2005-443 on Jul 28, 2005

Voted YES on implementing US-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: implementing free trade with protections for the domestic textile and apparel industries.
Reference: Bill sponsored by Rep Tom DeLay [R, TX-22]; Bill H.R.4759 ; vote number 2004-375 on Jul 14, 2004

Voted NO on implementing US-Singapore free trade agreement.
Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the United States and Singapore. The trade agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Singapore. The agreement would remove tariffs on goods and duties on textiles, and open markets for services The agreement would also establish intellectual property, environmental and labor standards.
Reference: US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement; Bill HR 2739 ; vote number 2003-432 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted NO on implementing free trade agreement with Chile.
United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act: Vote to pass a bill that would put into effect a trade agreement between the US and Chile. The agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the US and Chile. The trade pact would decrease duties and tariffs on agricultural and textile products. It would also open markets for services. The trade pact would establish intellectual property safeguards and would call for enforcement of environmental and labor standards.
Reference: Bill sponsored by DeLay, R-TX; Bill HR 2738 ; vote number 2003-436 on Jul 24, 2003

Voted YES on withdrawing from the WTO.
Vote on withdrawing Congressional approval from the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization [WTO].
Reference: Resolution sponsored by Paul, R-TX; Bill H J Res 90 ; vote number 2000-310 on Jun 21, 2000

End economic protectionism: let dairy compacts expire .
Tancredo sponsored the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact resolution:
Declares that the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact should be allowed to expire under its own terms on September 30, 2001. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution should not be used to renew the interstate economic protectionism of our Nation's early history.

Source: House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HR230 on Aug 2, 2001

Rated 61% by CATO, indicating a mixed record on trade issues.
Tancredo scores 61% by CATO on senior issues
The mission of the Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies is to increase public understanding of the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism.

The Cato Trade Center focuses not only on U.S. protectionism, but also on trade barriers around the world. Cato scholars examine how the negotiation of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements can reduce trade barriers and provide institutional support for open markets. Not all trade agreements, however, lead to genuine liberalization. In this regard, Trade Center studies scrutinize whether purportedly market-opening accords actually seek to dictate marketplace results, or increase bureaucratic interference in the economy as a condition of market access.

Studies by Cato Trade Center scholars show that the United States is most effective in encouraging open markets abroad when it leads by example. The relative openness and consequent strength of the U.S. economy already lend powerful support to the worldwide trend toward embracing open markets. Consistent adherence by the United States to free trade principles would give this trend even greater momentum. Thus, Cato scholars have found that unilateral liberalization supports rather than undermines productive trade negotiations.

Scholars at the Cato Trade Center aim at nothing less than changing the terms of the trade policy debate: away from the current mercantilist preoccupation with trade balances, and toward a recognition that open markets are their own reward.

The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Tom_Tan ... _Trade.htm

This is worth repeating:

Hunter

Rated 24% by CATO, indicating a pro-fair trade voting record.

Paul

Rated 76% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record.

Tancredo

Rated 61% by CATO, indicating a mixed record on trade issues.

If you want fair-trade vice free-trade, it would appear Duncan Hunter would be the better choice. This is definitely a case where the lower score (CATO score) is better for the American worker and jobs. I guess Hunter is the biggest protectionist we have running. IMHO, that's a good thing.

America also owes Hunter a big "thank you" for his pivotal role in sinking the Dubai Ports World fiasco.

POTUS wrote:

America also owes Hunter a big "thank you" for his pivotal role in sinking the Dubai Ports World fiasco.

Amen, POTUS.