Submitted by Jack Heismann, Feb 22, 2008 00:36

I've always been amused at this so called "free trade" argument. Yes, we can close off the borders. Stop the imports, force American to, well, buy American. It's just that we can't afford it.

Sure, we've gorged on cheap foreign goods for a long time. Like we're addicted. Like we're mall rats (OK, we are mall rats). But wait.

Will a shutdown in free trade suddenly open up those Ohio factory doors? Or will Americans look at the second rate, high cost US made goods and say -- no thanks. Will consumers take their cash and --- gasp --- put that money into savings? Investment?

And what if that did happen? Wouldn't the dollar rise in value. Wouldn't Americans begin to buy assets of foreign nations, travel more (because it was cheap to go to other countries), have more wealth, live better retirement years?

Free trade was good for getting cheap goods into the US, and high cost US goods into foregin markets. All well and fair. But it also transferred our wealth to foreign nations. They own our banks, our freightyards, our manufacturing plants, our computer companies, our movie stuidios. They own us, and they are buying more. Really. Remember who just bailed out Citibank?

So Obama's against free trade. Yes, we'll suffer some hard years. We won't buy foreign goods, foreigners won't buy American goods, and everything we buy will be more expensive. But we've been through harder times, and survived. Meanwhile, 10 years from now, when it's all over, we'll be richer, have a better future, and have a strong dollar. Foreign goods will be even cheaper, foreign property will be affordable, travel will be cheap as well, and we'll start buying the assets of other countries, and buy back what is ours. Life will be good again.

Obama today. Prosperity when he's gone.

As good a reason as any.

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