The free trade agreements of the United States have been an economic and social failure that threatens the sovereignty of our country. Since 1975, the USA has shown a continuous and growing trade deficit that has weakened our nation. The loss of jobs, factories and industries are a testament to the trade inequities that have severely damaged our standard of living.

In just 2008, our country had a goods deficit of 813 billion dollars. It is interesting to note that the one time stimulus package advanced by the Obama administration is 787 billion dollars. With that in mind, imagine the ongoing and permanent stimulus that would result if our country were to rescind the free, but unfair trade agreements that have pushed all of us into debt and has forced us to rely on foreign governments to finance the National Debt.

It is improbable that Americans can compete freely with foreign countries that pay low wages; or who do not have the labor standards that Americans, by law, must have; or do not have the environmental restrictions that we must adhere to; or do not have the government regulation that Americans must abide. In lieu of these and other factors, it is no wonder that America is a loser in the free trade arena.

If, on the other hand, foreign countries had to abide by the standards of American society that have been promulgated by generations of working American, then I am certain Americans would effectively compete in the world trade arena. This is the concept of fair trade where the standards of living, labor laws and environmental conditions have been preordained as a critical ingredient of American commerce.

The concept of free trade as it exists today is a repudiation of American values and must be struck down if are to survive as an economic leader in the world. 

The missing ingredient in all of the current economic packages comprised of TARP, TALF, corporate and financial bail outs and homeowners assistance is the creation of meaningful, living wage jobs. If America were to rescind the free trade agreements, the living wage jobs impact of having to produce for our own needs would be immediate and continuous. An added benefit would be the the insurance that America can survive as a independent and sovereign nation free of the financial entaglements that make us dependent on foreign money, influence and even the shirts on our backs.