[saden1]

I'm a firm believer in trade but there is no such thing as free trade. That said, you can't stop trade, you can't contain it, you can merely delay the inevitability of a competitive world. The rest of the world is catching up and our manufacturing prospect doesn't look good at all. At some point all we'll be able to do is trade in intellectual property and services.

I do have a problem with free trade in the sense that corporations are taking complete advantage of cheap lobar to the extent that they are cutting corners they normally wouldn't be able to in the U.S. It's more of a moral issue for me than anything else. I have no problem with them setting up shop elsewhere if they abide by universally known labor laws. Give people breaks, let them take bio breaks without fear of losing their job. provide some semblance of health service, give them some time off, don't have child labors, don't blackmail their governments, and so on and so on.