If I were our congressman I would truly be for fiscal responsibility, a smaller more efficient government, and more coherent foreign policy. First let’s tackle what I would do fiscally. I would do what all candidates say they are going to do: I would work to streamline governmental procedures.

Next, I would then work to close tax loopholes to make sure that all people are paying what they are supposed to. Instead of being for higher taxes or the reduction of services I would first see if what we have in existing tax codes, after the loopholes are closed, are sufficient to maintain the government without a gigantic deficit. Then even if this is enough there are a few certain areas that I would work to reduce that could save the United States tremendous amounts of money.

As in previous articles I have stated that I would work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This is about half of our trade defeciet. Cut back that and we save a lot of money. Next I would pull home US troops from Europe. Currently the United States has in Europe over 100,000 troops.I would pull all of them home and reassigned to bases in the United States, except for the obligitory ones that are attached to embassys. Think about how much money that would bring back to the United States. The military is paid with US tax dollars. But then when these troops are stationed in unessesary places, such as Europe, they spend that US tax dollar money in foreign economies and stimulate their economies instead of local ecnomies in the United States that pay taxes to the United States. Just think of how this would stimulate the economies of the area around those bases. Think how this would benefit our area.

Europe is not threatened, is prosperious, and does not even want the United States’ help. So why do we still have troops stationed there in such large numbers? Can someone in Congress tell me this?

Then I would demand that all current US free trade agreements be reviewed. I would review them to make sure that they are not one-sided agreements, like the one Bobby Bright is trying to push through with South Korea. “Self-Certification Investigation Change – After the current FTA negotiations began, Korea proposed making a major change to its auto safety certification process that would reverse commitments and progress made in past agreements with the United States to “not take any new measures that directly or indirectly adversely affect market access for foreign passenger vehicles.”

The proposed change would adversely impact import automakers, but have no impact on Korean automakers; significantly increase the certification burden, with no societal benefit; and withdraw commitments made under the two previous US-Korea bilateral auto agreements. This is a transparent effort to further thwart import automakers to the benefit of the Korean automakers, and should be permanently dropped as part of this FTA.”

This is how South Korea responds when we try to open up a free trade agreement with them.

Yeah, go Bobby go. Go be the South Korean’s stooge. No US, Japanese, or European car maker can establish a sizable presence in South Korea, but yes they can in China. In China a Buick isn the most popular car for crying out loud!! In China we also face unfair trade practices while giving them free access to our markets. This is a statment from the state department: “The Administration is concerned about our growing bilateral trade imbalance with the PRC. But the most prudent way to address this problem is to get China into the WTO on a sound, commercially viable basis.

“We need to remove barriers disadvantaging our exports to China, not create barriers to imports from China, which would actually harm our own consumers as well as manufacturers who depend on Chinese inputs for their products. We are pursuing this goal with all the tools available, including WTO accession negotiations and bilateral trade negotiations. Progress in these talks would certainly be jeopardized should MFN be revoked.” And just today China slapped tariffs on our chicken exports to them and is still continuing to manipulate their currency.

There needs to be free trade, not one-way trade and the contining loss of US manufactering jobs.

Bart Wallace

bart.thomas.wallace@gmail.com