"Immigration reform would most likely top Mexico's list."

What would those 'reforms' contain.  The last thing that Mexico's ruling class wants is for their impoverished citizens to remain in the country to cause an uncomfortable political situation.  Agricultural exceptions in NAFTA have put many Mexican farmers out of business driving many people into enough desperation to leave their homes and emigrate north. One of the accomplishments is that we are guaranteeing that Mexican governments will be either right or farther right.

While I agree that universal health care is needed as well as improved unemployment insurance it's also interesting that the Times admits that workers have to take lower paying jobs.  Jobs I might point out that often pay as little as one third as much.  That's only part of what explodes the whole argument in favor of free trade.

Without the space to write a full discussion of free trade it should be pointed out that the loss of manufacturing jobs does grievous harm to many communities.  When communities are damaged the social fabric can torn beyond repair.  The continued loss of manufacturing base is not in the short or long term interests of the nation.  A skill not practiced is a skill lost.

Why can't free trade be fair trade? Clinton was great on Kramer speaking about smart regulation and balance.

That's what I'm looking for- balanced trade. The fact that the natives are restless here is no wonder as  the last eight years there's been an all-out assault on everything we thought was the American Dream. I'm surprised people haven't taken to the streets with torches and pitchforks.

I am an avowed supporter of free trade agreements like NAFTA.  But I am not a rube.

1. please explain why you are a supporter of chapter 11 of nafta.
   
2. please explain what nafta has to do with free trade, other than the words are are in the title?

There are many intelligent, educated, people including economists that dislike NAFTA for many reasons and are not rubes.

Mencken's definition: demagogue: "one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots."

"I am such an avowed supporter for free trade agreements like NAFTA that it is evidence that I am a rube.  I am hopeful that what any progressive liberal democrat says about free trade is just demagoguery and not something they actually believe.  I prefer politicians lie to us in order to gain votes from idiots.  I am a Barack Obama supporter."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction

What of the race to the bottom issue? The environmental and wage pressure concerns? Let's talk about non manufacture jobs. Let's talk about white collar jobs such as lawyers and engineers , etc. The theory is that low paying jobs will be replaced by higher paying jobs.

A textile company can build a plant in a country with no labor laws and pay barely survival-level wages, but the sweatshop workers in that country cannot simply pick up and move to, say, England or the U.S. in order to earn a higher wage.

and there's the rub. not only are manufacturing jobs moving to low wage countries, they do so with environmental impunity. sure, they provide jobs to the locals, while destroying the local air, water and ground. that's the real critical economic factor, not so much wages.

when you add in transportation costs (to ship the goods from there to here), the wage differential becomes minimal. however, the fact that they have little or no environmental protection costs in most of those countries then makes it profitable.

as well, since their profits aren't taxed in the US (transfer pricing), we lose out there as well.

After the war, what nation became wealthy with "free trade". It didn't happen in Europe and it didn't happen with Japan and Corea. It isn't happening in China. Countries get rich on protectionism. Show me a different example.

It was only after these countries became relatively rich, that the rich corporate oligarchy started promoting "free" trade. Workers on all sides get screwed.

"Democrats need to tell voters the truth: First, trade is good for the economy, providing cheap imports and markets for exports, spurring productivity and raising living standards. And second, while trade can drive down some wages and displace some jobs, Democrats have real ideas to help workers cope."