(Rebecca Lewis) – Free trade is defined as international trade free of government interference. Free trade advocates argue that a voluntary exchange of products meets the demand of justice because each party is left wealthier then they were before as it improves their own lot. It’s a give/take situation. A sharing of commodities. It’s purpose is to create good relations with other countries and provide cheaper products for citizens.
In 1993 Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with
Over 3 million jobs have been lost since 1994. After NAFTA and other free trade agreements American companies shipped their businesses overseas because it was cheaper for them to ship their products back home due to lack of taxes and cheap labor. This was great for the countries the companies moved into, due to the amount of jobs created for their citizens, but in return caused job shortages in
Not only has free trade cost American jobs and decreased some countries average income but free trade has no standards on the goods that are being provided to us, which means a lesser quality product. Moreover, the countries to where the American jobs are often shipped have no standards for fair labor which means exploitation, unfair work hours and dangerous work environments. For example, workers in
Free trade is not what the standard should be. It has caused more harm than good. As Christians we need to see that this should not be going on anymore and should look into finding something that will help solve the problem. We need to find something that will set a standard that should be the norm that will benefit all parties. One step in the right direction is Fair Trade.
Fair trade standards are met in consideration for the social, economic and environmental well-being of marginalized small producers and do not maximize profit at their expense. This means that workers are paid well and respected as human beings. Justice.
When a fairly traded product is bought, let’s say coffee, you can be assured no children worked in the farms, no one worked a strenuous amount of time without breaks, the workers received a fair wage, far above any wage of a non fairly traded product. You can be assured that those workers got to go home at the end of the day and feed their families.
It’s not about not buying unfairly traded products anymore. If we all stopped buying them there would be no business, which means no need for workers and then millions of people in other countries without jobs, food shortages and even more expensive products due to lack of supply.
Research free trade and fair trade. There are many arguments for and against each and I encourage you to take your own stance. Look at each candidate’s stance on such things as well, but don’t let this be the defining factor of who you vote for. Check out the other issues and pray about it.
For more resources visit these links:
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/123456/711805/
http://www.globalenvision.org/library/15/834
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2008/03/morning-coffe-2.html
http://staff.blog.ui.edu/dnh60/index.php/2008/08/19/wto-and-neoliberalism/
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/#trade
http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/trade.htm