General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: US farmers 'helpless' as TPP boosts Australia [View all]tirebiter
(2,538 posts)And did not buy into the argument that TPP was a bigger badder version of NAFTA. My focus was on the argument that low to no tariffs only benefit big business. FDR came into office with that belief initially. The Smoot-Hawley tariffs were in place when he came in, adding considerable strain to the international economic climate of the Great Depression. Europe led mostly by England had high tariffs for anybody not a part of their empire. Smoot-Hawley was supposed to even that out. It tended to stop trade losing jobs in industry and farming. Cordell Hull pushed lower tariffs from his lips to FDR's ear. Thus the RTA or Reciprocal Trade Act of 1934
> Wiki)-"President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act (RTAA) into law in 1934. RTAA gave the president power to negotiate bilateral, reciprocal trade agreements with other countries. This law enabled Roosevelt to liberalize American trade policy around the globe. It is widely credited with ushering in the era of liberal trade policy that persisted through the 20th century."
I've had to argue these points with Trumpers and Bernie fans