Buy American to fight trade battle

Buy American to fight trade battle
Your voice: Hubert Brown

Free trade is a great concept. A free flowing of goods between countries inspires honest competition between workers, companies and countries. But it isn't that easy.

Ganesh Balasubramian gave a great example in his "Your Voice" column ("Free trade more complex than just jobs," March 9). He is right about how American workers who produce a pen to sell for $1 are at a disadvantage to an imported pen that costs a dime.

There was a day when companies had morals. Competition was between a company in Peoria and a company in Cincinnati. Both had similar plants and similar workers. An innovation made one company more successful than the other. Profits were steady, and most of the money was poured back into the company. The workers saw steady employment, small raises and decent benefits (health care, pension).

Those days are gone. The competing factories are not in Peoria anymore; they are overseas. The foreign workers get much more than they ever dreamed, but it is still much, much less than an American worker. The company pays pennies on the dollar for the imported goods they used to make, but they still charge close to what the price was with American workers. The profits are outstanding, all of which is split among the chief executive officer, the directors and the stockholders because, instead of a manufacturing plant and employees to spend (invest?) it on, they now rent a warehouse with few employees. Then they move the company headquarters to the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes.

What is the government's role? Embrace free trade and forget about American workers? That's what we have seen.

Why doesn't President Bush extol the virtues of buying American? Why aren't there commercials from our government telling us how important it is to buy American and which companies use American labor? Corporate rule over our government makes sure that the U.S. government does nothing to promote buying American.

Most of us make enough money to buy American products. If more people bought more American products, the price would go down, the economy would go up and we all would be better off.

Free trade isn't free. You don't see the profits (health care, pension, decent raises, job security) in free trade. The CEOs and their friends do. Stop contributing to the demise of the American worker and make a serious attempt to buy American.

Hubert E. Brown, an electrician, is a Whitewater Township trustee.