Terrible Trade Agreements

Eric Cantor, in a Richmond Times-Dispatch Op-Ed:

We can immediately expand markets for Virginia small businesses and manufacturers by passing three pending trade agreements, with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, which would — according to the Obama administration — support the creation of 250,000 jobs.

How will a quarter million jobs be created by opening trade agreements with three countries with a combined population of less than 100 million people and a combined GDP of just $1.2 trillion?  It will do nothing to create jobs, and nothing for our economy.

It will, however make leaders of South Korea happy, so we get more clandestine access to North Korea.  It will open "trade" doors to Colombia, where human rights are a DISASTER right now, with union-rights advocates getting murdered by the dozen and cocaine flowing like water.  Then there's Panama, a country of just 3.5 million people that are mostly living under the poverty level.  How will they afford higher-priced American goods?  We're opening these trade doors to keep our pseudo-control of the Canal.

If we really want to make a dent in our economy, we need trade deals with India, Brazil, and China.  These countries have the population and money to support manufacturing moving back to America.

Update on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 11:20AM by jimmy

"Colombia" was incorrectly auto-corrected to "Columbia".  Fixed.