Is Free Trade really good for the world?

Question

I've been seeing more and more about free trade lately. I always thought it was a good thing, but now I'm not so sure. Can someone help me to understand this please? Be as objective as possible and give me some sources please.

Answer 1

Free trade is good for MOST of the world,especially consumers.It is NOT good for the U.S. however. Americans in general don`t care about quality any more,and for the most part we`re overpaid compared with the rest of the world. Simple fact is,we can`t compete with the majority of the planet! Example; Chevrolet AND Ford are getting their buts kicked by Honda,Toyota and even KIA! Poeple (especially Americans) are sick of spending huge sums of money for junk! An american car is pretty much done at 100,00 miles. Toyotas and Hondas are just getting "broke in".

Answer 2

At the simplest level, free trade is just trade between countries without any tariffs (taxes on goods moving across borders) or restrictions. Ideally, free trade would mean that everyone has a level playing field (an equal chance of success), but because standards vary among countries, the playing field is not equal. For example, some countries have a low minimum wage or none at all, so goods can be made there more cheaply, but not in a "fair" way, and without tariffs there is no way to make up for the wage difference. If you want to create a truly free trade, you'd have to establish tariffs that would compensate for unfair inequalities, and then reduce and remove those tariffs as the inequalities diminish.

If you want a source to start reading about free trade, try the Wikipedia page on it for starters, and see where it leads you:

Answer 3

What is being referred to as "Free Trade" like NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA, EU, etc. have little to do with trade and much to do with putting an end to National Soverignty. As an example, the EU was originally sold as a Free Trade agreement between 10 European Nations and was called the "European Common Market". It later was expanded to include about 25 nations and it's name was changed to the "European Union". After these countries were sucked into the EU thinking it was a trade agreement, they learned it was a Political Union as well. Essentially, the EU has become a super Country with it's own currency and it's own Constitution which is superior to any member state's constitution. Borders between former Soverign Countries within the EU have been erased. There are no longer German citizens and French citizens etc. only citizens of the EU. There are a lot of unhappy people in the EU about this, but they are trapped. The Free trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is intended to be the counter part of the EU in OUR Westwen Hemisphere. It will combine all countries in North America, South America, and Central America into a Super Country having it's own currency (not the dollar), and it's own constitution which will supercede our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Borders between all countries within the FTAA (including US borders) will be erased. If you are not happy about losing the Constitution which guarantees you fredom by limiting the power of Government, I urge you to act now. Let your senators and Congressman know you oppose the FTAA. This is not somthing planned years down the road. The FTAA is already written, but has not been approved by the Senate or House yet. Our Constitution says that the Senate must approve a treaty by 2/3 majority vote. For Free trade treaties like NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA this is being bypassed by calling the treaty an "agreement" requiring only a simple majority in both Senate and House of Representatives. Then the "agreement" is treated like it was a treaty after it is approved. For more info, I recommend www.stoptheftaa.org. You can also go to www.yahoo.com and do a search on "FTAA". You'll get tons of info from people who are for OR against the FTAA. Isn't it interesting that you can be close to losing your Constitution and Bill Of Rights in the name of "Free Trade" and 90% of Americans be unaware of it? There is a virtual blackout on news about the FTAA in our media. I call that conspiracy. What do you call it?

Answer 4

Free trade is not good for the working people of the world. It benefits only business. Free trade is about more than just the exchange of goods. It infiltrates all aspects of our society\sovereignty. For example, in Canada we have unviersal Health Care. This is seen as an unfair subsidy by business in the US, as they don't have universal coverage, so our companies have an unfair trading advantage in their opinion. The solution, do away with our health care system, and open it up to the US market.

Free trade also prevents a country from putting conditions on the other countires that want to trade with them. For instance, a country can say "if you want to sell your goods here, than you must produce some of your goods here." Under free trade, that is not allowed. So a company can sell its goods to another country without contributing anything to the welfare of that country.

As well, free trade leads to the lowering of the standards of living in countries involved in these deals. As mentioned before, we have universal health care in Canada, as well as environmental laws and labour laws that are more stringent than other countires. Why produce your goods in Canada when you can go to Mexico where wages are extremely low, labour laws are non-existent, and environmental laws are virtually the same? The result - Canada loses jobs, and with it the tax base to support what we believe in. The answer - Canada needs to lower our standard of living, pull back on our environemntal laws to create a climate for businesses to want to do business here.

This is competition that benefits business, but not the people who live and work in any particular country.

Search out Maude Barlow. She's an expert.

Answer 5

The problem with free trade is. The other country's tax American products at a greater rate than the US does. The concept is great . However it needs to be a balanced system . Example : T shirts made in US 20.00 same shirt usually lesser quality . 4.99 . made in Taiwan . The other side is the consumer . Refuse to pay 20.00 when they can get it for 4.99 . Other country's would levy a larger import tax on the 4.99 to bring it closer to 20.00

Answer 6

Free trade is good for the rich and powerful. In the absence of customs barriers and state subsidies and aids, the peasants and workers of the world will be swallowed like tiny little sardines in an ocean infected by sharks

Answer 7

It depends on if you are willing to be ruthless in the pusuit of wealth. You can always find a country that will build your product at a next to nothing price point. You can then afford to pay a higher tariff when you import your product. If you want a source go join Amway.

Answer 8

like it or not we are moving into a world market place
free trade is a must if we are to survive
we are producing more than we are consuming and to continue in business we must have free access to the world market place to sell our products
the same applies to us as well as every other country in the world