Congratulations to President Obama. With Mitt Romney's idea that "free" trade would bring peace to the Middle East, and nations in Africa and South America could do better if we shipped them American jobs with even more "free" trade agreements, it is clear that neither Romney nor President Obama, who passed three new "free" trade agreements last year, were good options for the United States. However, President Obama has won his second term and now citizens must appeal to him once again to make the right choices in leading this nation.
President Obama's second-term win means that America will not fall quickly into economic collapse. However, if the president keeps going in the direction he has been leading the country during his first term, things are not likely to get much better for Main Street either.
The "recovery" America has seen thus far has been one for Wall Street. Their gambling days are looking ever brighter. But the same cannot be said for Main Street. With the majority of jobs in the "recovery" coming from companies like WalMart and McDonald's, the middle class is not getting any better -- at least not to the extent seen on Wall Street.
There are a few simple things President Obama can do to truly turn this nation around:
Get out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
The TPP is shaping up to become a mega-NAFTA -- a job-killing powerhouse of economic destruction. The last thing America needs right now is to end enterprise. The proposed TPP will ship more American jobs overseas, it will stifle internet freedoms, and it will take control of banking out of America's hands.
America needs fair trade agreements with individual nations, not "free" trade blocks that have proven in the past to be economy killers in the U.S.
Get the Untied States out of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This is a simple process. All President Obama needs to do is write a letter to the WTO and Congress and we would be out in as little as six months. The WTO settles trade disputes between nations. It is a slow process that normally ends up with outcomes that favor foreign nations. We have had to change our laws to accommodate the will of the WTO. Our Founding Fathers fought a war to keep foreign influence out of our government. We would be able to make better economic decisions if we could act on our own.
Get the United States out of NAFTA.
Again, this would only take a letter from President Obama, and we would be free to begin negotiations with Mexico and Canada for new fair-trade agreements with both nations. We could be out in as little as six months. Auto companies can build cars in Mexico for as little as $4.25 an hour and ship them here with no penalties. Compare this with the $16-$20 an hour wages here in the U.S., coupled with health insurance, sick and vacation days, environmental standards, etc., and it is clear that American workers just cannot compete with their Mexican counterparts. There is no reason for America to move backwards; we must remove ourselves from NAFTA so we may begin moving forward once more.
Begin renegotiating all "free" trade deals -- reworking them into fair-trade deals.
This will take more time, but the outcome will be better for the United States. Our trade deficit with South Korea has gone up every month in comparison to the previous year since our "free" trade agreement with them took effect last March. This is just one example. A trade deficit is not just money leaving the country; it is American jobs leaving as well.
Replace "Obamacare."
Yes, Democrats fought hard for their version of Republican healthcare reform, and it is a good start. However, healthcare cost will continue to rise without a public option. Not having a public-health provider hurts America's few actual job creators--the businesses and small businesses that employ tens of millions here in this country. It will also inevitably hurt all Americans if the government cannot negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to keep costs down.
