STIMULUS: Obama right to support U.S. products

[Joanne98]

It was interesting to read about President Obama’s stimulus plan. It seems he believes in America and wants to put money behind it. Then I also read that one reason the Republicans are against it is that Obama wants to build up our infrastructure using American-made iron and steel.
The problem with that is that corporate America abandoned America a long time ago. Now they see that since they have no ability to build American, they won’t get any of the stimulus money and they are screaming to the Republicans about trade wars and such.

One phrase that keeps turning up is “free trade.” But the Republican definition of free trade is to import everything and export nothing, hence the almost trillion-dollar trade deficit.

Now no one in the Republican Party will tell you that the other countries that we trade with do not in fact participate in “free trade.” That is a misnomer; they do not open their markets to American products and if we do persist in getting our products into their markets they tariff the products to a price that is unaffordable to the populace.

Good for President Obama for insisting on supporting America. Too bad America has been sold out by corporate America and the Republicans. Sure, the Republicans wave the flag. But it is made in China.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/letters/story/613873.html

[terisan]

1. Obama will back off later, like the pledge to hire no lobbyists it is all hat no cattle.

Caterpiller, Illinois company says it needs to be able to buy overseas or it cannot survive.

[Hello_Kitty]

3. Then they shouldn't get American tax dollars.

I'm not kneejerk opposed to trade but I'll be goddamned if MY tax money is going to go create jobs in other countries. Any industry that gets any stimulus money should have to make every effort to buy American products and hire American workers. Really, it's not too much to ask.

[stillcool]

4. Yeah..really..

thank goodness we have our representatives to listen to us. The one's who write the laws and vote on them are surely on our side. It's that bad, bad Obama we have to get rid of. Do you think a coup is in the works?

[nxylas]

2. Not quite right about the Republican definition of free trade

They see it as a race to the bottom, with America becoming "competitive" by paying slave wages and slashing worker and environmental protection laws. Of course, this does not apply to America's economic royalists, who, in their eyes, deserve every red cent of their hard-inheritedearned millions.

[TrogL]

5. You don't have enough steel. Why declare economic warfare on Canada?