Review of The Great Betrayal by Patrick Buchanan
Synopsis of book: Patrick Buchanan explains his theory of how free trade is destroying the manual labor working force of America.
Summary:
Patrick Buchanan was a supporter of free trade from early on in his career until 1987. At that time, while he was seeking the Republican nomination for President, he was on a campaign trip. He visited a small town which was based around a plant. 500 people were about to loose their jobs. He spoke with workers and they blamed competition from international trade. That event changed his mind about free trade. He believes that the social benefits are not great enough to override the economic disadvantages that free trade causes. It benefits, the upper class, large corporations, and those who have received advanced educations, but not the "blue collar" workers. Those who have not received extensive schooling and are best served to do manual labor suffer greatly from foreign competition. Businesses can have plants in other countries where workers are paid as little as fifty cents, while plants in America are required to pay workers several dollars minimum. Many industries are building plants in foreign countries, manufacturing their goods there, and shipping them back. As we have increased globalization and extended trading with the reduction of tariffs, the implementation of NAFTA, and the organization of the WTO, it has become easier for business to hire workers in countries with lower wages. This has caused many manufacturing workers across America to loose their jobs. Over the past several decades, as free trade increased, the gap between the affluent and the middle class has risen dramatically. Buchanan believes that free trade is brining the decline of America, and our government is doing it to our own nation. They are increasing foreign relations and trading in an effort to bring about world peace. However, Buchanan does not believe that free trade will aid in world peace. He believes that the ideal for free trade, where each country specifies in the industry it is best in, can never be obtained.
Opininion:
The view that Buchanan has is very pessimistic. We are obviously headed towards the path of globalization and that will not go away, as we are increasing technology and allowing people all over the world to communicate with great ease.
He then, states that the number of jobs lost barely even put a dent in the number of jobs produced by trade. Another important issue of the trade system is that the people who get rich from trade, keep getting richer while the poor stay poor. This is partially solved by protectionism (taxing imports), although it slows economic growth in the long run and protects some of the jobs that would be lost in the short run. To help understand the price of trade barriers, he explains this by stopping trade across the Mississippi River. This shows that the east side would then have to stop producing their goods and spend some of their time producing what the west side used to export. Although, there would be an increase in jobs, it would not be efficient because they are not using specialization to their full advantage. The author then moves on to the point that trade lowers the price of goods, due to it being cheaper to produce in other areas. He portrays this by showing why Nike can produce shoes in Vietnam instead of the United States. He further elaborates his point by proving that trade helps poor countries as
Carol Berkin was a talented woman; she was born in Mobile, Alabama. She earned bachelor 's certificate at Barnard College. Also, at Columbia University, she got M.A and PhD; she achieved the Bancroft Dissertation Award. She was chosen with her book: Jonathan Sewall: Odyssey of An American Loyalist by Carol Berkin (1974). Right now, Baruch College is where she becomes Presidential Professor of History; she is a member of history staff at CUNY Graduate Center. In addition, she is the writer, good editor; she has written many textbooks. They are published like A brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution (2002) that was translated into Chinese and Polish, Women of America: A History (1979), Clio in the classroom: Guide for Teaching
Throughout many different times in the world’s history, there have been various different leaders, groups, and highly-respected people that have partaken in certain actions that go against other people’s beliefs or loyalty. These people have done many things to keep their actions secretive and discreet from the rest of the people living around them. People show signs of betrayal and deception through their interactions with each other. Benedict Arnold was a very famous example of a person who betrayed his country. Once he left his country he had wrote a letter back to America explaining his actions and his reasons for betrayal including many uses of rhetoric. In the end, his actions don’t justify the means. His actions overall were not the right thing to do.
Tom Buchanan is a man that believes he can have anything or anyone because of his
Jacoby, Dan. "Looking Backward on Labor in the United States." Working USA 3.5 (2000): 27. ProQuest. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/236486399?accountid=8289
Roberts, Russell. (2006). The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
It is not a well known fact that around the time the Holocaust took place in Europe, another internment (less extreme) was taking place in the United States. “Betrayed by America” by Kristin Lewis gives readers an insight on what happened to Japanese-Americans in America. The article tells us about Hiroshi Shishima, Japanese-Americans internment, and what was going on during the regime. During WW2, America went into a frenzy after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Many Americans believed what was being said about Japanese-Americans even though it was proven to be false. Since the whole fiasco with Japan took place, many Japanese-Americans were forced into internment in certain parts of the United States. The reason for the internment of Japanese-Americans was due to fear & hysteria, racial
This book was a good read for me, but I also read book reviews to help me keep track on what I am reading. These book reviews just made a better understanding of what I was reading.
...nce, that while the bourgeoisie can assert its interests everywhere.” (Conklin & Fletcher, 1999, p. 50). Even though today’s society has branched away from an imperialistic mindset, the roots of globalization promote the advancements of power to those who are already very much in power, minus the war and the bloodthirsty monopolizations. To step outside the spectrum of imperialism, and ponder upon today’s world culture, America seems to be shaping the world, as we know it. The blueprint of progress and ever changing industrial, economical and global influences are greatly dependent on that of America and their innovations. It may not be American scientists behind the computers at NASA or behind the keyboards of Windows computers but there are U.S. based industries. The exponential progress of Globalization can be directly linked to American affairs, without a doubt.
The groundbreaking book takes readers along on a journey into a new world for a family of recent Lithuanian immigrants. The family trekked to America, which in the early twentieth century was said to be the land where any man willing to work hard during the day would make a fair amount of living and could support his family. It happens to be an ideal that every American should be familiar with at least one of the foundations that got the American society to where it is at today. Yet, while telling his story, Upton Sinclair put the reader in a metaphorical war against Capitalism. Sinclair’s disdain against capitalist society is present from cover to cover, shown through the enthusiasm of Jurgis to work, the struggle for workers of Packingtown, and the corruption that was put on “the man” at all levels of society.
Book Review: Nobodies: 1 Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy Katie Ruhrwien LeTourneau University
...stinguish that a qualitatively new type of worldwide trade was developing. The illustration in United stated since the late of 1980 showed that “has less productive portions moved offshore which lead to a decrease in employment while maintaining higher value-added parts. Consequently, all the productivity has risen, while the tradable sector has increased employment” (Spence and Hlatshwayo,2011).
Another economist Douglas Irwin wrote a book titled “Against the Tide”. The book is an Intellectual History of Free Trade; it is an interesting, educational account of how free trade appeared and of how the concept of free trade has coped with two centuries of attacks and criticism.
...o we can achieve our dreams in life: “we are now living in a world where time and space don’t matter anymore” just like J.Mittleman said. Globalization as we just learned is relative, whether it’s an opportunity or an exploitation depends on where you sit and how you look at the world. Kent, J., Kinetz, E. & Whehrfritz, G. Newsweek. Bottom of the barrel. - The dark side of globalization (2008/March24). David, P. Falling of The Edge, Travels through the Dark Heart of Globalization..Nov 2008. (p62)
The book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman draws attention to some very good points concerning globalization and the world economy today. Friedman emphasizes the status of America today in relation to the other countries of the world. As I looked at the things in which he warned about or highlighted, I realized the importance of this issue. He talks about a few aspects in which need to be kept competitive in order for America to retain their current standing in the world market.