Looking at our trade deficit and the horrific loss of manufacturing jobs since Reagan became president, I think we need a new industrial policy. I say it's time to withdraw from some of the trade treaties we have entered into and start imposing tariffs on imported manufactured goods. We have had years of government and trade policy that didn't care one whit about the working people in this country. The main thing they cared about was pleasing those at the top of multi-national corporations who made tremendous profit by closing down factories in the US and have products made in Asia. It's time to stop the give away of our middle-class jobs. An import tariff would promote domestic manufacturing, raise a ton of needed money for the US treasury and signal to the rest of the world that America is no longer going be a sucker who buys products from countries who don't reciprocate and buy our products in any sort of balanced way.

There's nothing to fear. Other countries want to start a trade war and not participate in the largest market in the world? Let them. Some prices may go up slightly but that would be more than offset by higher employment and higher wages as well as lower trade deficits and lower federal budget deficits.

:spikey: