Why Trump is wrong on trade

[Macfan4life]

I was born in the rust belt so I know how it feels there (sorry but I could not resist a Stevie-ism). I was born in a suburb of Pittsburgh PA. My grandfather would walk down a huge hill to work at the Homestead mills in the 1950's. Homestead had the first labor strike in the USA where many were killed. My father followed his father and also worked in the steel mills. Fortunately my dad transferred to Westinghouse nuclear before the mills closing. The early 80's were a horrible time in western Pennsylvania. Our industry and the backbone of our life was coming to a halt. Cheap Japanese steel was flooding the markets. Our unemployment rate but early 1983 was over 14%. I remember my friend's dad being laid off and washing cars, delivering newspapers, doing anything they could to support their families. Blue collar democrats ruled the day. Our county (Westmoreland county) was a major suburb of Pittsburgh. Our county voted for Carter during the Reagan landside of 1980. We voted for Mondale/Ferraro during the Reagan landslide of 1984. We voted for Dukakis/Bentsen in the Bush landslide of 1988. Our county was pure labor democrats waiting and hoping for steel, manufacturing, union jobs to return to the region.
In the late 1980's we even engaged in Japan bashing (Google it). Representatives from our region would smash Panasonic radios with sledge hammers on the steps of the US Capital. We were bitter everyone was buying cheaper, inferior Japanese steel. Japan was producing more than steel. They perfected mass productions of TV's, VCR's and other electronic products. Japanese cars were also very popular getting very good fuel economy and tremendous customer satisfaction.. Not only were the steel mills closing but General Motors and Chrysler were in a down fall.
It was easy to Japan bash. It was easy to demand everyone buy a Dodge in 1980 no matter how crappy it was. Ronald Reagan avoided Pittsburgh at all costs. He came once during the early 80's and had to be snuck out of the city because of protests. The Reagan administration told everyone that the flood of imports was good for the economy because it showed how strong our economy was because the American people had money to buy products. We thought this was the most insane thing ever.
In 1992 George Bush negotiated the North American Free Trade Amendment (FAFTA). he lost re-election surprisingly so he never got to sign it into law. Bill Clinton won in 1992 and signed NAFTA into law. It was hugely unpopular with the democrat party. It passed Congress with majority of republicans and a small number of democrats and signed into law by Bill Clinton. The law eliminated tariffs in North America.
NAFTA did cause some loss of jobs in the United States. But it also cost the loss of some jobs in Mexico and Canada. However the economic positives were much higher. The impact of NAFTA was a major reason for the economic boom of the 1990's. Unemployment fell under 4% in the United States and the stock market reached record highs. American auto makers had record years. No one buys American cars in Europe or South America. But Canadians and Mexicans buy American cars. NAFTA made the cars more affordable by lifting tariffs. Under NAFTA whoever is most productive with products wins. It make products affordable in other countries. Consumers will always buy the most affordable and reliable product.
Trump wants to start trade wars. He wants to impose tariffs on products which in turn puts huge tariffs on American products trying to be sold abroad. You cant start a trade war with China. China owns the US with financing part of our debt. China could cause more harm to Americans than any tariffs imposed on Chinese products could cause in China. Tariffs on American cars would put the cars out of reach for Mexicans and Canadians. Trump wants to rip apart NAFTA. NAFTA has created more jobs in the USA than it has killed jobs in the USA. No one wins in a trade war.
Paul Ryan (Speaker of the House) is for free trade and so are most republicans. Trump cannot stop NAFTA without Congress. A republican congress will not rip apart NAFTA. Bernie Sanders is wrong on trade. And even Hillary Clinton is flip flopping on trade. Every major party candidate for President of the United States has given in to lies and false statements about free trade. Free trade promotes workers. Unfree trade only promotes sham workers who push inferior products because of tariffs.
Free trade = jobs = competition = stable economy