Reply #6: "Free trade" may be inevitable. [View All]

The problem is that everywhere, not just here, it is disrupting individual lives. The statistics may show that jobs moved overseas are evenutally replaced. Those statistics, however, don't reflect But we have to do something about the suffering of the many, many people who are pushed out of the labor force, lose their homes, their marriages and families, become mentally ill, etc. and can't adjust to the new job market.

Republicans seem to think retraining is the answer. But who is going to pay for retraining? If the person being retrained is to pay for it, the person's salary after the retraining has to justify the cost of retraining and they have to have an income while they are retraining. People who have already retrained several times in the rapidly changing job market are wisely cynical about doing it once again.

Also, how realistic is "retraining" for someone in their late 50s or mid-60s who still has to pay a mortgage and health insurance and save for retirement since he or she can't afford to retire because social security pays so little. This late 50s, mid-60s worker makes up a good portion of those who have given up on getting a job.

If "free trade" is inevitable, we need a better safety net for displaced workers. The companies that profit from producing goods abroad to be sold here should pay for it. They are the only ones who can afford it.