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doc03

(35,148 posts)
28. It is hard to modernize when you are competing against
Sun Jan 12, 2014, 10:45 PM
Jan 2014

someone paying 50 cents an hour, no environmental controls and no labor laws. Much of China's steel industry was still 19th century technology so modernizing their mills eliminated a lot of jobs. The engineer that worked on building our EAF built one in China before ours. He said first of all they built a new coal fired power plant (using our coal no doubt) nearby to supply electricity. They have no pollution controls like ours, he said the area around the steel mill is covered in red dust and the workers live in tin shacks next to the plant. He talked about street vendors having chickens hanging out in the filth at the mill and kids playing in the streets where heavy equipment was operating. Why is it we are trading with communist China but have punished the people in Cuba for 50 years? Now we have another Democratic president pushing for NAFTA on steroids.

Thanks, Bill! jsr Jan 2014 #1
Can we now pronounce neo-liberalism an epic fail? Baitball Blogger Jan 2014 #7
Absolutely. Enthusiast Jan 2014 #17
but, but... abelenkpe Jan 2014 #2
Proponents always say nice things about terrible ideas...and those that author them. R. Daneel Olivaw Jan 2014 #11
And NAFTA / Clinton were one reason we lost a lot of blue collar votes in places like rural Virginia X_Digger Jan 2014 #3
Clinton 2016. It's inevitable. L0oniX Jan 2014 #23
Two words... Fumesucker Jan 2014 #4
Ross Perot was right. democratisphere Jan 2014 #5
He certainly was. Barack_America Jan 2014 #6
I don't believe it hurt Mexico more than the US, after all doc03 Jan 2014 #8
Is Mexico Adding Auto Jobs or Is It Just Losing them Less Rapidly? El_Johns Jan 2014 #13
China produces 4 times the steel we did even when we were number one in the world. From doc03 Jan 2014 #25
"working harder" = No. Investing in new plant & equipment. But part of that is foreign capital El_Johns Jan 2014 #26
It is hard to modernize when you are competing against doc03 Jan 2014 #28
Nothing to disagree with there. El_Johns Jan 2014 #31
Well they did get a lot of battery waste disposal jobs. L0oniX Jan 2014 #24
So presumably Mexico will be moving to pull out of NAFTA soon. Nye Bevan Jan 2014 #9
They have greedy and wealthy profiteers as well. TheKentuckian Jan 2014 #20
It was Bush Sr. that fast-tracked it before he left office indie9197 Jan 2014 #10
Interestingly, both Joe Biden and John Kerry sure do solarhydrocan Jan 2014 #12
those videos suggest its not a theory TL_dem68 Jan 2014 #21
And with access to US packaged foods .. Mexicans flamingdem Jan 2014 #14
Excellent interview with Lori Wallach octoberlib Jan 2014 #15
NAFTA and welfare reform is why I stopped being a registered Democrat... Luminous Animal Jan 2014 #16
Kicked and recommended a whole bunch.....nt Enthusiast Jan 2014 #18
Message auto-removed Name removed Jan 2014 #19
Mexico is now the dumping ground for hazarous waste ...like batteries and the like. L0oniX Jan 2014 #22
NPR (Neocon Public Radio) on NAFTA last week IDemo Jan 2014 #27
The horrible things now called tomatoes are no success story. El_Johns Jan 2014 #29
How can Mexicans afford Walmart etc. treestar Jan 2014 #30
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»After 20 Years, NAFTA Lea...»Reply #28