Americans Questioning Value of Free Trade

But First Snide's Remarks: A few weeks ago I took a two week business trip to Europe (Italy and Greece) to visit auto dealerships and see the car and trucks on the streets for myself... you know that you can read all of the sales numbers you want but until you are there the impact of those numbers are just vapor.

Well after those two weeks I counted up the total American branded cars and trucks I saw on the streets and the total came to 7, thats right after 15 days in Italy and Greece, after almost a week in Rome and Athens I saw and noted a total of 7 American branded cars, 3 Jeeps, 2 Voyagers, 2 PT cruisers...7 in total!

Wow I said to anyone who would listen, why would the American car companies continue to spend even a single Euro trying to market "our" cars to "them"?

While even late come'rs to the international auto biz, the South Koreans, had cars and trucks EVERYWHERE I looked...and the Japanese had cars and trucks EVERYWHERE I looked...and of course being in Europe I saw the European marques EVERYWHERE!

So I asked myself again why are the American car companies wasting their time and stockholder's money trying to market to obvious non-prospects...of course I know that Ford makes and sells cars in Europe and that GM makes and sells Opels in Europe but apparantly the bucks spent to sell and penetrate Italy and Greece with American Brands was money flushed down the toilet.

So GM and Ford and Chrysler stop already, and admit that cars made for the North American market will not sell in the rest of the world in any meaningful numbers.

And then I said to anyone who would listen...just imagine what would happen to the economies of the car building free world if Americans couldn't or stopped buying cars and trucks made in countries that didn't return the favor... don't get me wrong I am not an isolationist or a tariff monger, but something seems very wrong when American labor keeps getting the shaft while our "Friends" work overtime and get 6 plus weeks of vacation and nationalized subsidized medical care...along with great retirement benefits... let me know what you think; msnide@theautochannel.com.

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Washington DC January 18, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that in a recent poll conducted by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, 68 percent of Americans said the economy is doing well, the most since 2001.

In the same poll, 41 percent of respondents said free trade hurts the economy, with just 28 percent saying it helps.

According to Bloomberg, opinions on trade varied by income and party affiliation. While only 18 percent of Democrats said free trade has helped the economy, 41 percent of Republicans agreed, and more than twice as many respondents earning more than $100,000 said trade helped as those earning less than $40,000.

The weak support for free trade could empower Democrats in Washington, many of whom would like to move away from the free-trade positions set by former president Bill Clinton. Experts attribute the growing sentiment to a perception that free-trade is good for high-earners, and even consumers, but not for workers facing stagnant incomes.

Frank Vargo, vice president for international affairs at the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington said, "A better job has to be done in getting the American public and Congress better information on the benefits of trade."

International automakers, boosted by free trade, directly employ 103,000 Americans in manufacturing, research and development, design, marketing and finance operations nationwide. These automakers generate well over 1.7 million U.S. jobs in dealerships and supplier industries nationwide.

The poll of 1,344 adults was taken Jan. 13 to Jan. 16 and had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.