Reply #118: I think the EU is a fantastic model for an economic zone. I agree with... [View All]

[AP]

...Edwards that you can't sign trade agreements with countries that unfairly compete with American labor and which compete with american industries by poluting. I believe in trade which delivers wealth to people as well as to capital. And I don't know enough about FTAA and Indo-US FTA, but I do get the impression that FT in the Americas is basically big American corporations taking advantage of captive labor markets in order to increase profit margins, and they don't even pass their lower costs of production to customers in the US through competitive pricing (and they don't pass their profits to their laborers abroad with higher wages which, consequently, drives down wage rates both in the US and the country of production -- which is a problem that can't even be mitigated by mobile labor markets thanks to restrictions on immigration and the impracticality of American labor emmigrating).

Trade in NA and SA is basically a one way flow of profits to the top, and not down to either labor or to consumers.

The EU balances the best interests of capital, labor, and consumers in a way that will create much more total wealth, and wealth which will be distributed much more fairly -- in fact, in a way that rewards productive work, productive use of capital, and maximum benefits to consumers.