We’re desperate for jobs. Have been since the putative president Obama took office.
The craven Obama has had the ability to make it happen by pushing three Free Trade Agreements. Why hasn’t he? Why is he doing it now? Votes, my dear. It’s re-election campaign season.
And what of Congress? It’s now in Boehner’s and Reid’s hands. Will they do the right thing? Or will they append unpalatable amendments to it so that passage of this legislation will make us gag?
This is the stuff we should be paying attention to… wait, correction! Should have been paying attention to all along. Time to get to it…
From the Heritage Foundation:
Free Trade Agreements Are A Win for Prosperity
Free trade agreements (FTAs) have economically benefited nations the world over since their inception. Poverty rates in countries with low trade barriers are significantly lower, and data in The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom demonstrate that free trade also leads to higher incomes, more jobs, and greater equality.
That’s why it’s vitally important to quickly enact the three pending U.S. trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. These FTAs have been sitting on the President’s desk since 2007 for no good reason. President Obama has finally made them a priority by sending them to Congress last Monday night.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) endorsed the bills, and it is past time to put them through–especially considering the opportunities already lost in the four-year stall. So far, Washington’s inaction on trade has given other countries the upper hand, delivering new jobs and exports overseas and eliminating such prospects for American workers who desperately need them.
In Korea, the U.S. has lost $40 billion in exports, leaving U.S. businesses at a major disadvantage against EU competitors. Heritage’s Bruce Klingner writes, “At a time of economic malaise, a cost-free jobs stimulus initiative is exactly what the United States needs.” The FTAs are exactly that.
There’s more. Read it all, and then contact your representatives in congress. Tell them how you expect them to vote.
