Thread: When were you first affected by globalization?

1948 - GATT

1994 - NAFTA

1995 - WTO

1998 - H-1B

2000 - Y2K*

2004 - CAFTA

2005 - SPP

2010 - NAU

* just seeing if you're paying attention!

they keep claiming that NAFTA was great for all three countries, trade having quintupled between the US and Mexico, for instance. However what they fail to point ou is the fact that whereas the US had a $6B trade surplus with Mexico BEFORE NAFTA (1992) , we now (2002)have a $41 Billion deficit... so while the trade is certainly good for the exporting companies in both cases, the COUNTRY AS A WHOLE is worse off.... since the Federal Treasury has to borrow money to pay the $41 Billion

Total trade (imports + exports) with Mexico went from $76B to $235 B, but...in Mexico's favor.

so when they say increased trade is good, they mean trade is good for those companies that export and import... but the taxpayer makes up the difference in the current account....

of course this is in line with 29 years of steady TRADE DEFICITS ....some lousy "free trade" policy!!!

our national debt now is $8 Trillion.... 3 T more just in the last 6 years...

$3 Billion = 3,000,000,000,000
$3 Trillion= 3,000,000,000,000,000

Having grown up in the Detroit area I can say it was even before NAFTA. For us it started with Japanese auto imports which also decimated the steel industry as well as the auto industry. But with the inception of NAFTA it has become a thousand times worse.

I opened a small children's and maternity clothing business in the mid 90's. At that time, most everything I stocked was made in USA, exceptions being Mama Mia maternity (Mexico) and REBEL jeans (Canada). I bought from many US manufacturers, Jack Tarr boys wear, Good Lad kidswear, LeTop baby to name a few. Within 12-18 months only ONE company was still manufacturing in the US, a high-end maternity line: OLIAN (Florida). The quality of Jack Tarr got SO bad I was returning EVERY shipment. Most everything else wasn't much better. I wound up closing the doors in 2001 because I couldn't get quality merchandise anymore, not to mention virtually NOTHING made in the USA. And by the way--the wholesale prices DID NOT decrease with the quality. Instead, everything went UP!

So, Bill- Tell me again how NAFTA is good for Americans?