About That "Free" Trade
About That Free Trade . . . - New York Times
Global talks to liberalize farm and industrial trade are on life support, and there is not a single character in the cast of supposed free-trade advocates around the world willing to step up and be the doctor.Not President Bush, who has downgraded the stature of his trade office by appointing a technocrat, Susan Schwab, to succeed his political ally, Rob Portman. Not Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, who has allowed the trade component of his campaign to end global poverty to fall by the wayside. And certainly not the European Union's trade chief, Peter Mandelson, who has not lifted a finger to prod big concessions out of the bureaucrats, labor leaders and farmers in France who live, eat, sleep and drink a steady diet of government subsidies.
Ya know, when you've got the New York Times on your case for insufficient support of free trade, you've really fallen in the world. Then again, I'm sure there are a few hardy apologists out there who are sure happy that we have such a "free trade" administration in office. If only they had a success or two to point to.
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Politics-20061 Comments
"If only they had a success or two to point to."
Greg, This is the story of the entire Bush Presidency. Sometimes on the campaign trail a Bush supporter comes up to me and says, ?Bush is a great leader.? I have a simple reply, ?What has he done? Can you name one success.? They are usually reduced to the shampoo response, ?Bush is a great leader? (Rinse and Repeat three times).
Bush failures:
Osama Bin Laden is still free and alive after murdering 3000 Americans.
Iraq is in chaos.
Gas prices are at record levels.
Medicare Part D spends too much for too little.
Wages for working families is stagnant.
US debt has ballooned to $8 trillion.
No Child Left Behind shifts billions of dollars for students to testing corporations.