Trans-Pacific Partnership - Trade Deal

The United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries (excluding China) have reached a trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership that is the most far reaching trade deal in world history.   Supposedly, thousand of tariffs imposed on US Good by other countries have been eliminated, which theoretically should increase sales for US companies manufacturing in the US.  Our markets have essentially been open to other countries, since the end of World War II, which has cost the United States millions of manufacturing jobs because American companies have moved production overseas to take advantage of significantly lower costs and taxes.

With all Trade Deals, there are winner and losers.   Big Global American companies and their shareholders have been winners.  Keep in mind, since many working Americans own stock through their employer funded 401K's, they too have benefited from free trade.  American consumers have benefited by being able to purchase many things produced overseas that would cost twice as much if they were still produced in the US.  So in essence, though Middle Class wages have actually gone down during the Obama Presidency, the cost of many items have gone down, as well, because of Free Trade.   As an example, the cost of a Flat screen TV that used to cost $500 now cost $250.   When combined with lower mortgage interest rates, American consumers are ahead of the game, provided they have good paying jobs. 

The losers in these Trade Deals have been men in particular with little education and or marketable job skills.   These workers, primarily in manufacturing, that used to earn high wages can no longer compete with overseas workers willing to work for $5 or $10 an hour fully loaded.  So, there are millions of Americans that are 50 years or older that can't find jobs and or jobs at wages that are better than being on Disability Benefits.  So since these Americans are not old enough to get Social Security, they find a doctor willing to declare that they can't work because of some ailment that is really not debilitating.  Some of these people on Disability paint houses on the side, or do other work under the table.  Everyone is well aware of this scam.  It involves millions of Americans out of the 13 million collecting Disability Benefits. 

This is a real dilemma for Socialists like Obamanistas supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership.   Big Manufacturing Unions are totally opposed to these Trade Deals because they have not only cost their members jobs; but they have also reduced the size of Unions and the resultant dues going to pay for FAT CAT Union Bosses.  This is the reason that Hillarita Clinton now says she opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership even though she previously said on 45 different occasions that she supported it.  This may be the biggest flip flop in political history but Hilly is desperate for Union support, particularly sine the Big Unions blame Bill Clinton for NAFTA. 

There is an odd partnership forming between Establishment Republicans, owned by Big Business and Socialists that support Crony Capitalism, which absolutely benefits  larger global companies in our country.  Big Companies want better access to markets overseas.   And, with these trade deals in place, they still can ship jobs overseas to the countries that are part of the deal to take advantage of lower cost and taxes.   As such, most likely, those Americans that are poorly educated and lack marketable job skills will once again get the short end of the stick.   The fact is, it is impossible to earn a lot of money for doing what a robot can do over and over again.  Those jobs screwing in a bolt for $20 - $40 an hour in the United States are gone forever, with or without new Trade Deals.