Eric Massa Live Blog: Reviving our Middle Class by fixing our Trade Policies

Written by: Jared Smith on May 20, 2007 3:15 PM EDT

Two weeks ago, I announced my Declaration of Rights Which have Been Denied. This Declaration is my way of expanding upon the Rights listed in FDR’s 1944 State of the Union message to Congress, which I have touched upon in some of my more recent DailyKos Diaries. I know that the way forward for the Democratic Party is to stand with the people against President Bush and the Rubber Stamp Republicans who have sold us out in favor of Corporate Interests by denying the People these important Rights. There are many Beltway Insiders who dislike my stances, but I really don’t care... I want to serve the people of the 29th District, not the K Street Lobbyists.

This is the Third in a 10 part series where we will discuss some of the most important issues facing the American Family today. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts on each and every one of these topics, so I hope you will stay and chat with me today and every Sunday from 3-6pm Eastern.

Again, if you missed any of our previous discussions, you can read all of them right here.

#3 The People have the Right to Gainful Employment...

The success of our great nation has always rested on the shoulders of our dedicated and capable workforce.  During the Industrial Revolution, where was the United States? How about the birth of the Automobile? The Airplane? The United States has always been right up front, producing the highest quality products because our workforce is and always has always been the best in the world.

Today however, the business environment is very different. There are some who say the World is Flat as the global economy boom has become the way of all industry... I for one cannot think of a single business which has not been affected. The market is such that you no longer have to just compete with the rival shop down the road, you also have to compete with China and India where workers can earn as little as $1.23 per day. As for benefits, I’m sure you can guess what kind of healthcare the average Chinese factory worker gets.

As a result, we’ve seen a decade of outsourcing. Need to talk to a human being to change your flight? India it is. Do you have go to McDonald’s to get your kid that cherished Shrek Happy Meal toy? There’s a factory in China supplying those. How about that new Ford you’ve had your eye on? You might have to go south of the border to find the factories. The list goes on and on, and our middle class pays the price.

How the hell did we ever get to this?

When I retired from the Navy, I went to work in a manufacturing plant, but was laid off as a direct result of corporate downsizing with the downturn of the tech economy. I understand what it’s like to have trouble putting food on the table as a result of unfair foreign competition. In my sleepless nights, I couldn’t help but wonder, how the hell did it ever get to this?

Allow me to cut right to the chase... the incompetent Republican Congress, and even some members of my own Party, have allowed unfair trade policies to pull the rug out from under the feet of American families. Between 2000 and 2004, we have lost three million manufacturing jobs. Clearly our trade policies need to be reexamined and fixed. Deals such as CAFTA, NAFTA and our "free" trade agreements with many Asian nations have forced our manufacturers to move overseas in order to remain competitive. The Government has literally created an environment where it’s nearly impossible for these companies to stay in the States, leaving millions of American families without work.

In a global capitalist system, corporate CEO’s are forced to focus solely on the next quarter’s profits – short term profits over long term profitability.  If money is the only bottom line, how could companies such as Wal-Mart, GM or McDonalds keep plants in the US when they can exploit a working class that’s one step removed from slavery? This sets a whole chain of events in motion and it does not have to be this way. While anyone who has ever run a business fully understands that no profit equals no company, US Government has created an environment of industrial extinction, forcing these off-shoring behaviors. In many ways, American businesses are doing the only thing they can do to stay alive and therein lies the problem. A government not for the people but rather against it...

The declining number of manufacturing jobs, coupled with the rising costs of healthcare in the United States creates a populace with less disposable income. With less to spend, American families are forced to make tough decisions about how to stretch their dollars to the maximum. This forces them to buy cheaper foreign goods. In turn, it creates more demand for foreign labor and thus American companies are forced to go abroad sending even more jobs overseas. This downward spiral self perpetuates, and ultimately it’s the middle class that must suffer the cost.

Over the last year, we have seen our trade deficit with China increase dramatically. The Center for American Progress has the numbers on this:

The new figures show that U.S. imports from China exceeded U.S. exports to China by $57.0 billion in the first three months of 2007, almost $10 billion more than the $47.3 billion trade deficit with China in the first quarter of 2006. After registering a record bilateral trade deficit with China of $232.5 billion in 2006, the gap is possibly on track to set another record this year.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of continuing to allow China to hold our country’s mortgage scares me to death.

Solution:

On my website, I have outlined a three point plan which will create and protect jobs, allow us to compete on a level playing field and move our middle class into the 21st century, not just in the 29th District but all around the country. Last week I discussed the need to fix health care and I feel that this must be part of the solution, but this week I am focusing specifically on three other areas. We will Leverage the tax code, Create fair trade policy, and Focus our investments in strategic areas.

Leverage the tax code: We can use tax policy to provide incentives for companies to stay and grow in the U.S., and in New York State. The 29th District is positioned for global leadership in a number of new emerging fields and markets – cutting-edge fields like biotechnology and alternative fuel technology. We have a skilled work force and top-rate colleges and universities. To create more 21st century jobs, we need an engaged and responsive government and sound tax policy. As a Representative in Congress I will work to make New York State, and the 29th District, a better place to do business.

Create fair trade policy: NAFTA, CAFTA and China MFN have been a disaster for American workers. Like much of the country, this district has seen a steady exodus of jobs overseas, exported to countries with less restrictive labor and environmental practices than ours. We must implement a moratorium on new free trade agreements until we address our staggering trade deficit. Our current trade agreements must also be enforced and, if that does not work, overhauled or rolled back, to promote fair trade, not free trade, and ensure our American workers are protected.

Focus investment in strategic areas: Tourism, alternative fuel technology, optics/imaging, and biotechnology, genetic medical research and development are some key areas where the 29th District is poised for growth and for global leadership. Investment and development efforts should be concentrated in these strategic areas, and all levels of government should work together in partnership with business and educational institutions. If we want more high-quality, 21st century jobs, we need a responsive government that is a facilitator, not a barrier, to business.

We really are all in this together. We can build a better America, the tools are right in front of us, we just need the leadership and courage to stand and use them.

Conclusion:

As many of you may have already heard, there is an effort to bring Peru and Panama into a "free" trade agreement with the United States. The specific language of these deals has yet to be released, so I will reserve my judgment on this specific case until it is available, however I firmly believe we need to start putting the fire out rather than adding more logs onto it. As Americans, we should demand open trade deals which ensure fair labor and environmental standards across the board, and if we can’t enforce them then we shouldn’t sign on the dotted line. We need to strengthen American Manufacturing, not weaken it.

The right to Gainful Employment is one of the key parts of my Declaration of Rights. All of these Rights are aimed at making a better America for all of us, and I believe that we as a nation need to work to support each other, not China. We deserve a government which will stand up for us, not the Corporatists.

As many of you already know, I do not accept Corporate PAC donations, so I am relying on all of you to support my grassroots campaign and help restore power to the people. This month, I have asked for 1000 people to give $100 to this cause, and while many have already answered the call, I need you to join me. Together, we can save our manufacturing jobs, leverage entirely new industries and reinvigorate our middle class.
And as always, please feel free to ask me anything, either over the next 3 hours, or by contacting me at my website.

Thank you,

-Eric Massa

Previous diaries in this series:

#1 The Right to Not be Dragged into an Unnecessary War

#2 The Right to Quality, Affordable Healthcare

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