Huffman: GOP candidates should oppose free-trade deals

By: Carlton Huffman | Morganton News Herald
Published: March 07, 2010

Granite Falls, NC --

It's primary season in the 10th District and we are going to be hearing a lot of promises and vows in the GOP race for Congress.
Patrick McHenry, Scott Keadle and Vance Patterson will have a lot to say about taxes, guns and national defense. These are all important, but the most important pledge our representative in Washington can make is to bring jobs back to this economically depressed district.
The best way to do this is to pledge that upon being elected the congressman will vote for legislation to withdraw American participation in NAFTA, CAFTA, the World Trade Organization and free trade with China. These deals have devastated the lives of thousands within this district who have done nothing wrong, but have become victim to the blind policies of an incapable federal government.
Fifteen years ago, while growing up in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metropolitan area, I could see the signs of vibrant growth. New restaurants, department stores, the MDI plant and textile and furniture mills humming with business were everywhere you looked. Now we see few businesses coming in and empty buildings with "For Lease" or "For Sale" signs up month after month. We are told that this is due to our backward-looking economic priorities and that these jobs lost are not coming back. This is the talk of blind ideology that doesn't take into account the very real human consequences of double-digit unemployment in our area.
The spike in energy prices in 2008 did bring back some companies to our area when the cost of business became more favorable in our area than in China and other Third World nations. When our government abandons globalization and puts American workers first over the mutterings of Washington technocrats, then this area and other blue-collar areas around this nation will know prosperity again.
If anyone should understand this it should be the representative who stands for us in Washington. We need our congressman to fight for us proactively and I urge all three of the gentlemen running to show they are serious by taking the pledge to roll back these unfair deals that have hurt so many of us in the 10th District.

Huffman: GOP candidates should oppose free-trade deals

Share This:

More from this channel:

Reader Comments

Deal of the Day

Most Popular

More Ways to Connect

Reader Photos» Browse More

Things to Do