What exactly is "Free trade" versus "Fair trade?" (Reply #8)

In the discussion thread: Bernie/Trump/Hillary On Trade Policy - When You Say You Are Against Free Trade Agreements [View all]

Response to PufPuf23 (Reply #5)

Tue May 31, 2016, 10:12 PM

EndElectoral (4,213 posts)

8. What exactly is "Free trade" versus "Fair trade?"

Free trade seems a phrase Republicans have used to find cheap labor worldwide for corporations to exploit. The trade agreements such as NAFTA haven't really been beneficial to American workers, but have been quite beneficial to multi-national corporations.

Most union members get it even if often the leadership is looking for political leverage with the next candidate.

The idea of "Free Trade" has recently been espoused by that bastion of the working man - The US Chamber of Commerce.

https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/open_door_trade_report.pdf

Sorry, whenever I hear the phrase "free trade" I often wonder if it's free, who's really making money out of it?

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Replies to this discussion thread

31 replies	Author	Time	Post
Bernie/Trump/Hillary On Trade Policy - When You Say You Are Against Free Trade Agreements [View all]	TomCADem	May 2016	OP
first of all these so called trade agreements have very little to do with trade	hollysmom	May 2016	#1
ditto Hollys mom	larkrake	May 2016	#2
So, if Your Concern Is Human Rights Suffering Under Trade, What About Cuba?	TomCADem	May 2016	#3
Your assumptions are false.	JDPriestly	Jun 2016	#17
+10000	Armstead	Jun 2016	#21
"What do folks think would happen if those agreements were cancelled?" Thank you	Recursion	May 2016	#4
I think that thousands and thousands of jobs have been moved to Mexico under the	JDPriestly	Jun 2016	#16
The Free Trade Agreements are complex, full of nuance, and favor trans-national corporations.	PufPuf23	May 2016	#5
The Colombia Free Trade legislation supports continued use of coal and	PufPuf23	May 2016	#7
What exactly is "Free trade" versus "Fair trade?"	EndElectoral	May 2016	#8
Free trade and fair trade defined	PufPuf23	May 2016	#10
Isn't Bernie Proposing To Impose Tariffs on Goods from Developing Countries?	TomCADem	May 2016	#11
Smoot Hartley is a red herring and omits nearly 50 years of a successful history under GATT	PufPuf23	Jun 2016	#12
Good post. Good analysis.	JDPriestly	Jun 2016	#14
Thank you. Some days wonder if it is worth the effort. alas. eom	PufPuf23	Jun 2016	#18
Why does Bernie's Tariff Work as Opposed to Smoot Hawley?	TomCADem	Jun 2016	#20
I suspect anything you don't agree with, you just dismiss as "jargon"	Armstead	Jun 2016	#22
Sorry, I don't have a Ph.D, just trying to understand if yo	TomCADem	Jun 2016	#23
I didn't write it.	Armstead	Jun 2016	#24
Sanders is proposing something different than Smoot Hawley.	PufPuf23	Jun 2016	#29
Personally, I Gravitate Toward Robert Reich's Views On Trade	TomCADem	Jun 2016	#30
I am in general agreement with Robert Reich. He is a very smart man.	PufPuf23	Jun 2016	#31
Tariffs are not the problem. It's all the other provisions hidden in these trade agreements	JDPriestly	Jun 2016	#15
Where did you get that information? Trump is proposing such tariffs, not Bernie who has proposed to	pampango	Jun 2016	#28
Note that Plan Colombia - part of neo-con plan for global dominance	PufPuf23	May 2016	#9
Bernie is for fair trade. As are most progressives. Eom	jillan	May 2016	#6
What is 'fair'? Does that mean only trading with countries with wages as high as ours?	CrowCityDem	Jun 2016	#26
Even that would be problematic. Our trade deficit per capita is higher with Germany than with China.	pampango	Jun 2016	#27
Trade is OK. But trade disputes should be settled in courts under national control	JDPriestly	Jun 2016	#13
FDR knew that, to be fair, trading rules had to be enforced neutrally or they would not work.	pampango	Jun 2016	#19
More right wing Hillspeak	AgingAmerican	Jun 2016	#25

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