Reply #16: "The trade agreements are directly related to the decline in American wages and increase in the

[pampango]

disparity in income between rich and poor."

The "decline in American wages and increase in the disparity in income between rich and poor" is certainly true, but where is the evidence that it is tied to trade agreements rather than to regressive taxation, shattered unions, weakened safety nets and deregulation? Our problems started with Reagan's tax cuts, union-busting, dismantling of the safety net and deregulation of corporations and markets. While he also talked the talk of a "free trader" he didn't walk the walk. NAFTA was still 5 years in the future with other "free trade agreements" even more distant.

If the progressive countries with stronger middle classes and equitable distributions of income have more trade agreements than we do, how does one cite trade agreements as the cause of our problems? Perhaps a strong middle class and equitable society are linked to these other factors and not to trade (which progressive countries apparently think is a good thing).

We love to blame our problems on foreigners. That seems to be true in most countries, though Europeans has tempered their nationalism since WWII as they have opened up to each other. It's always easier to blame "them" rather than deal with the problems that "we" have created for ourselves.