Ron Paul on Trade

[Tod]

I have read that Ron Paul has opposed so-called "Free Trade Agreements" such as NAFTA and CAFTA and related organizations such as the WTO, etc. I've also read that he is in favor of free trade.

What does he consider free trade to really be?

What if a foreign country subsidizes an industry? For that matter, what if WE subsidize an industry (such as agriculture)?
What if a foreign country's lack of stewardship relative to the environment allows them to offer a product at a price that we, who may be more concerned with our environment, can not compete with?
How about employee safety?

These all seem to be things that would, on a practical level, make true "free trade" unobtainable.

Ross Perot correctly predicted the "giant sucking sound" that NAFTA created. Not only have huge numbers of jobs headed south of the border, but many of the jobs that have remained here have been restructured with lower wage scales under the threat of moving south of the border.

While Ron Paul did oppose NAFTA, he does favor free trade generally. Under a Ron Paul presidency, could we expect jobs to continue to be outsourced at a rate comparable to Clinton/Bush/Obama presidencies', or would his vision of free trade stem this flow by taking into account the imbalances created by subsidies, stewardship, etc?

Help educate me, please,

Thanks,

Tod

[The Gold Standard]

I have read that Ron Paul has opposed so-called "Free Trade Agreements" such as NAFTA and CAFTA and related organizations such as the WTO, etc. I've also read that he is in favor of free trade.

What does he consider free trade to really be?

What if a foreign country subsidizes an industry? For that matter, what if WE subsidize an industry (such as agriculture)?
What if a foreign country's lack of stewardship relative to the environment allows them to offer a product at a price that we, who may be more concerned with our environment, can not compete with?
How about employee safety?

These all seem to be things that would, on a practical level, make true "free trade" unobtainable.

Ross Perot correctly predicted the "giant sucking sound" that NAFTA created. Not only have huge numbers of jobs headed south of the border, but many of the jobs that have remained here have been restructured with lower wage scales under the threat of moving south of the border.

While Ron Paul did oppose NAFTA, he does favor free trade generally. Under a Ron Paul presidency, could we expect jobs to continue to be outsourced at a rate comparable to Clinton/Bush/Obama presidencies', or would his vision of free trade stem this flow by taking into account the imbalances created by subsidies, stewardship, etc?

Help educate me, please,

Thanks,

Tod

The loss of American jobs overseas has little, if anything, to do with free trade. The destruction of the dollar is the #1 culprit for several reasons:

1. Price inflation increases costs for American manufacturers.
2. Higher prices leads to the need for higher wages, which makes American labor uncompetitive globally.
3. Higher prices reduces savings and investment, which provides capital that business needs to expand their operations, develop new products , etc.
4. A weak dollar deters foreign investment in anything priced in dollars, especially American business.