Economy & Fiscal Issues

Economists, politicians, and executives from both parties have promised American families that “free” trade policies like NAFTA, CAFTA, and WTO/CHINA would accomplish three things:

• Increase wages
• Create trade surpluses (for the US)
• Reduce illegal immigration

Well, their trade policies have been in effect for about 15 years. Let’s review the results:

• Declining real wages for 80% of working Americans (while healthcare, education, and childcare costs skyrocket)
• A record-high 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance (due in part to declining wages and benefits)
• Illegal immigration out of control
• Soaring trade deficits, much with countries that use slave and child labor
• Personal and national debt both out-of-control
• Global environments threatened by lax trade deal enforcement

Economists Keep Advocating Policies That Aren’t Working

Upon seeing incontrovertible evidence of these negative trade agreement results, economists continue with Pollyannish blather. Some say, “Cheer up! GDP is up and the stock market’s doing fine.” Others say, “Be patient. Stay the course. Free trade will raise all ships.”

Even those economists who acknowledge problems with trade agreements offer us only half-measures—adjusting exchange rates, improving safety nets, and providing better job retraining. None of these will close the wage gap in America—and economists know it.

Why Aren’t American Economists Shouting From Street Corners?

America needs trade deals that support American families and businesses in terms of wage, environmental, and intellectual property abuses. Why aren’t economists demanding renegotiation of our trade deals? There are three primary reasons:

• Economists are too beholden to corporations and special interests that provide them with research grants.
• Economists believe—but refuse to admit—that sacrificing the American middle class is necessary and appropriate to generate gains in third world economies.
• Economists refuse to admit they make mistakes.

Economic Ambulance Chasers
Now more than ever, Americans need their economists to speak truth and stand up to their big business clients. Instead, economists sound like lawyers caught chasing ambulances: they claim they’re “doing it for our benefit”.

Debt Matters

We elect congressmen and congresswomen to represent our interests. We vote for self-described fiscal hawks who favor less government. But all we get is:

• A Congress that represents the lobbyist-money-changers in Washington
• A near $9 trillion debt
• An explosion in government spending that puts Liberal tax-and-spenders like Lyndon Johnson to shame

Integrity Matters

The moral lapses of the Clinton administration were, of course, distressing. We voted for self-described conservative representatives who claimed they would do better. But all we got was a never-ending chain of scandals ranging from sex crimes to bribe-taking to gambling promotion.

Each is driven by a combination of greed, power-lust, and arrogance. Of course, mistakes do happen. But even when individuals are caught red-handed, they refuse to take responsibility. All that results is finger pointing and excuses from congressmen hiding in rehabilitation centers. Misbehaving congressmen should be removed—period. Are we supposed to look up the definition of is again?

Immigration Matters

We are a country of laws. If you don’t like a law, change it. But a government that intentionally refuses to enforce select laws is weakening the whole “rule of law” and breaking its most sacred pledge to the governed.

Some employers are using illegal immigration to drive down wages and eliminate hard-working Americans from their payrolls. And of illegal immigrants gangs run roughshod over our communities, bringing with them:

• Violence (and the threat of violence)
• Crystal meth and other illegal drugs
• Prostitution
• And perhaps terrorists

Yet Congress and the White House repeatedly turn a blind eye in exchange for big business campaign donations and lobbying loot. The best they’ve done is pass a lame fence bill that covers no more than 10% of the problem (and they aren’t even obligated to follow through on that much). Yet many existing laws remain un-enforced.

What Should We Conservatives Do?

The Democratic Party is not the answer. It is at best beset by the same corruption as the Republican Party, and at worst completely at odds with our values. The only practical solution is to challenge Republican incumbents who fail to:

• Vote against bloated spending bills
• Demand immigration reform
• Hold their fellow members to the highest level of ethical conduct

We must stop giving money to any candidate who represents special interests over our interests.