It is increasingly clear from Rush Limbaugh's flawed pro-NAFTA/GATT rhetoric that he is closely allied with rich businessmen as well as Republican and Democratic political leadership. I have no objection to people becoming rich when engaged in fair trade, but NAFTA and GATT do not equal fair trade.
Rush claims that all of the people who lose their manufacturing jobs to Mexico (where labor is dirt cheap) will find other jobs. Recently when President Clinton claimed that he had created millions of jobs since he took office, a citizen responded, "Yes, and my wife and I have four of them." These created jobs are low-paying service jobs. The economic principle that Rush doesn't tell you about is that only manufacturing jobs enrich a country. Remove these jobs, and our money flows out of the country or only to the rich, thus impoverishing the middle class.Rush also claims that by moving these jobs to countries with cheaper labor, that Americans will benefit from lower costs of goods. The fallacy is that businessmen do not limit themselves to a fair markup. They instead charge what the market will bear.
Rush neglects the fact that the impoverished Mexicans can hardly afford U.S. exports. Nor does he tell you that these agreements weaken the protection provided by patent laws and increase our taxes by decreasing the amount of tax-free savings allowed into 401k retirement plans. The middle class is disappearing, leaving a gulf between the poor and the rich.
The only presidential candidate who understands the devastating impact of NAFTA and GATT is Pat Buchanan. Remember that all of Utah's delegation in 1994 also supported these agreements. Regardless of medians to the contrary, Buchanan supports fair trade that will maintain the competitiveness and viability of American companies.
David A Hansen
Kaysville