FREE TRADE ON PALEO RADIO

GREAT VIDEO ON IRRATIONAL TRADE

My friend Blake on the irrational attack of libertarian purists against those of us who support free trade under the proper conditions but do not believe that those conditions are currently being met in light of burdensome regulations, taxation, and fiscal policies. Great video!

PRECIPICE IN FRONT, WOLVES BEHIND

Miss American Pie bids farewell to the Working Class Jack as companies downsize, outsource, and offshore what were once American jobs. This once great nation of producers has run out of steam somewhere between Pauperism and the ghost town of the eternal Proletariat. Our microchips are now potato chips, our steel manufacturers are now McDonald's. All the while our politicians and economists whistle away the day, not knowing for a second what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the pink slip.

Those hit worst are the young, the poor, and those without a college education.

The young could work these jobs, believing that it was a stepping stone to something better. They knew that while the job may be tedious and redundant, it looked excellent on a resume. And with wages superior to Taco Bell, they could save up for a home or higher education.

The poor are hit especially hard here. Many of these people are willing to work long hour on the line in order to meet the demands of a meager life. These jobs may not have the skill level of the medical field or law, but it put food on the table, clothes in the closet, and checks in the bill statements. And with enough savings, little at a time, they had a greater chance at social mobility.

For those without a college education, jobs of this nature were a way to feel the pride of work and private ownership without having a degree to their name. They may have gotten married right out of high school. They may have had difficulties that would be difficult to overcome in a college setting. They may have come from a family without sufficient funds to send them to college. Maybe they simply wanted to dodge the bullet of student loans that so many spend years paying off in full. Whatever it may be, they had their reasons, and now their hopes are dashed to pieces.

And let us not forget the elderly. While I did not mention them before, it would be foolish to ignore the impact downsizing, offshoring, and outsourcing has on them. Many of them, ripe in age, have hit hard times. Social Security just isn't what it was made out of be. Health risks increase and insurance is hard to find. There may have been a death of a loved one, leaving them with less money and more bill. These people often find themselves back on the line, working tough hours, but it allows them to get by, and with some sense of accomplishment.

All of these people are hurt by the absurd faith based economics of so-called free trade. Each of these groups have been hit hard by executives who would rather benefit from slave labor and wages that work out to pennies on the dollar compared to the pay given to their fellow Americans. The almighty dollar is their creed, capitalism is the executive's national anthem.

Still, our politicians hold their breath in hope that their faith based economic theories will benefit America in the long run. We are assured over and over again that the loss of these jobs will result in the creation of other jobs. This may be true, it may not. The bigger question is what kind of jobs will be created. As it stands right now, the fast food industry and janitorial services are leading the way.

THE ILLS OF FREE TRADE

Forrest Research projects these being the top-10 jobs in demand over the next 10 years:

1. Waiters and waitresses
2. Janitors and cleaners
3. Food preparation
4. Nursing aides, ordinaries, and assistants
5. Cashiers
6. Customer service representatives
7. Retail salesperson
8. Registered nurses
9. General and operational managers
10. Postsecondary teachers

As Lou Dobbs rightly points out, only three of these require a college degree.