Trade Matters
Posted by Vriz on June 2nd, 2008
The Primary process is inevitably winding down (who would have thought that was going to happen?). The last primaries will take place on June 3 in Montana and South Dakota. A recent AP article claims that “free trade issue dropped as race finished in Montana.” The article explains that trade is not a crucial issue in Montana and South Dakota because both states rely on agricultural exports and therefore need open overseas markets.
However, trade is a complex issue and you can not ignore the losers of free trade just because trade has benefited some. Manufacturing is a significant component in all states’ economies. Manufacturing contributes $1.5 billion to Montana’s GSP; and $3.1 billion to South Dakota’s GSP. Unfortunately, since 2000, these states lost 1,500 and 1,100 manufacturing jobs respectively.
The fact is both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have clearly stated their positions on trade and that record is available to the public. The voters will be voting their economic interest comes November and the candidates’ positions on trade will play an important part in the voters’ decision-making.
