On Wednesday morning, more than two dozen members of the United Steel Workers and other employee unions protested outside Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson’s office in Oshkosh to show their disapproval for the economic policies Johnson supports, policies that include free trade agreements that have led to what Johnson calls the “creative destruction” of American jobs.
Speaking at the protest, United Steel Workers District 2 Director Michael Bolton issued a statement outlining the group’s opposition to Ron Johnson:
“Ron Johnson says that NAFTA is a success and that jobs lost to it and a dozen other trade agreements are a form of ‘Creative Destruction’. He is a person without solutions and should not be seriously considered to represent the hard working families of Wisconsin.”
Here’s some video of the protest:
Mr. Johnson’s comments prove that he is not intelligent enough to grasp the indisputable fact that trade deficits hurt our economy, regardless of the people who suffer. America has always been a free trader. International companies relocating to China in order to pollute, pay poverty level wages without benefits or safety rules –just so they can “creatively” charge American consumers inflated prices — is hardly free trade. Our trade unbalance makes it impossible to stimulate or pull out of a bad cycle according to traditional Keynsian principles because pretty much all consumer goods are made in China. A 600B deficit creates a multiplier effect of “destruction” that the best economists cannot even estimate the damages.
If the unions would be really concerned about jobs this video would have meant something.
Lets just remember who signed NAFTA into law, December 8, 1993 Democrat Bill Clinton.
And Clinton has said in recent years that he regrets the parts of NAFTA that have encouraged the movement of American jobs to Mexico.
Bill Clinton led the charge which ultimately removed all tariffs, taxes, fees, inspections and regulation of consumer goods coming across our borders. How do you think he got so rich?
Yeah, there’s no doubt NAFTA really screwed us over in that respect.
And he knew that would happen when it was signed. Just more hot air ….
Creative destruction” of American jobs.
Cannot find Johnson say that, can you give the link to the quote?
Zack, you should know better. You have done this in the past where you don’t put the links to where you come up with the stuff. Sloppy!!!!!
http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=204592
Zack, Johson didn’t say “creative destruction” that was what the WisPolitics Staff said. Where is the exact quote?
Johnson acknowledged that the agreements, as in all free-market capitalist systems, have created “winners and losers.” But he noted that the U.S. still makes some 25 percent of the world’s goods despite only having about 5 percent of its population. And he said that type of “creative destruction” is essential, saying, “If it weren’t for that, we’d still have buggy whip companies.”
Well in a free market capitalist system there are always winners and losers. It’s creative destruction. That just happens. It’s unfortunate. But lets face it, if it weren’t for that we’d still have buggy whip companies.” [WisPolitics Luncheon at the Madison Club on 7/26/10]
http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=205351
2 seconds on Google. Or is this one of those he didnt really mean it this is what he meant kind of things?
The point is that Johnson’s “creative destruction” smucky remark was a stupid thing to say in lieu of our huge trade deficits. The deficit causes the value of the dollar to DROP and hurts our economy just like 4 bucks/gallon gasoline. When the dollar loses value we have to pay more for everything. That’s in addition to losses of wealth associated with that ever increasing mountain of trade transferred since 1992. The American people are the losers and China is the winner.