But that is exactly where the blame should be pinned. How many near and century-old, once thriving industries and businesses have folded since the implementation of today’s “free-trade” policies?
The United States became the greatest economic power in human history by regulating trade with fair and reasonable tariffs. Less than a decade of allowing U.S. corporations to operate in foreign countries under the guise of free trade, with nations that have no commodities to trade, has brought our nation to its economic knees.
When U.S. corporations export raw materials tariff-free, and import goods manufactured from those raw materials by foreign workers on U.S. corporations’ payrolls tariff-free, how can U.S. corporations that remain loyal to their workers and our nation survive?
As long as U.S. corporations are allowed to operate in foreign countries without paying the tariffs they would surely demand if they were still operating here in the United States, unscrupulous U.S. corporations will freely trade U.S. workers’ jobs, our nation’s tax base and our economic stability for the cheap labor and lax, safety and environmental regulations of foreign countries.
Columnist Martin closed with: “But the historians will rate our state’s leaders on how they responded to the long-term challenge of preparing North Carolina and its people to prosper in a fast-changing world.” Will they? Will state leaders be rated on how well they responded to the demise of our industries, or will federal leaders be rated on how they cut North Carolina’s economic throat when they sold out to the special interests?
Robert C. Currie Jr.
Laurinburg
