Sad story all over the states. And it's nearly impossible to find anything made in the usa anymore.

I'm just so grateful that I've been saving up for a car for over 5 years. Now I'm living on that money (which of course means no new car for me), but at least I'm safe for a little while. Contract work shrank to non-existence for me (lost my actual job a year ago February). It definitely does stink. All these greedy trade agreements, in the end, only benefited a few and many more folk are now suffering because of them. Repeal NAFTA/GATT; bring the jobs back. Oh well. Sad for me. Sorry for my pouting; I'll try to be my happy go lucky self, but todays been crazy with all the stuff going on in Wisconsin and all over. Still can't understand who everyone (state and fed that is) got so out of control and simultaneously so many folk (I don't buy the 9% unemployment. My best guess, if you include the under-employed, is more like 19-21%). When a fifth of the population is struggling and over half are definitely at least hurting, we got to do something drastic. The status quo just won't cut it. We got to get the jobs back from being literally shipped off shore (or across to another country like Mexico or Canada in my case; others here may be from those countries, and I don't want to offend; just want to vent). Hate to be an isolationist, but what little hair I have left is about to be pulled. I don't have a solution (other the the idiotic trade agreements that only benefited a few and hurt so many and not just the U.S.). Maybe someone else might have a better answer. Sorry for spieling my aggravation. Mike. Hope you, me; we all survive this morass.

I have a video planned on my YouTube Channel for what it's like living in the ghetto, and I'll vent in that, and state my opinions, but it's a touchy subject for me.

Illinois has the highest unemployment rate in the us right now, and we out here that can't get a job and people that can't get any money for GED or whatever and can't donate plasma for money sell drugs to make a living. A lot of my friends are dead (shot, stabbed or in jail)

I'm so sorry to hear about your friends Mike. Illinois really suffered because of the NAFTA, more so then Alabama since almost all the automobil manufacturers left for Mexico. I can't tell you here how angry I am with the Republicans and Clinton for passing this evil trade agreement during a Lame Duck Congress near Christmas as I recall. Ross was right; big sucking sound but all that's left after the suck is the vacuum. If only I had a time machine. Anyway, hang in there Mike. If things don't get better, it will mean the Lord is near and all will be well when He comes.

And to top it off the President is trying to cut pel grants for college kids.
Whats next?

We have a saying here in Michigan because everyone here has to leave state to find work - "Last one out of Michigan please turn out the lights"

Yes, Michigan got hurt too. I may be a conservative in my thinking, but now you know why I'm no Republican. I hate unfair trade agreements when only a select greedy few hurt the masses. I just emailed a person I know a long diatribe related to the Wisconsin situation and how I linked these idiotic trade agreements to it. Trust me. I was personally much better off without them and I will add that most folk here were. Unfortunately we now all must suffer. I will also add that we still are much better off the 90% of the folk on this planet. The U.S. is still, in many respects, the land of milk and honey and we will figure a solution out and hopefully soon. I do have (though backslidden that I am) my faith that the power above is in total control and all will be well in the end. Only thing that keeps me going. No faith at all in our Government (state or federal) for resolving anything.

well here we are simply go to bankrupt but nobody care since we are all hipnotized by Berlusconi shows (he control everything here from the distribution of movies,to books, almost all televisions and a big quote of newspaper)

Berlusconi, our Big Leader is too busy to get impunity from the Law, and too worried about his fights with the Judges ...now he feel really persecuted

he is facing other process only because he used to relax doing wild orgy with girl under 18 and a few friends in His Official Residence (let say the equivalent of the White House)


he already had legal problem for collusion with Mafia, Tax frauds,to have corrupt several judges, for several for abuse of authority and several frauds.

the members of its party were chosen because yes-man or yes-woman , no chosen by election but by the Leader, so they must support the leader, protesting his inncocency

Even if the proofs are bullet proof, he had relations with not one but several teen ager,he pay well for that, sometimes he payed some extra to buy the benevolence of the parents

well were also 10 kg cocain in the basement of a hooker house payed and protected by the big leader

Anyway the problem was not the coke but come from a phone call done by Berlusconi to the Police

one of his most loved under 18 hookers was arrested for robbery so he called the police to explain that the girl was the niece of Mubarak, the president of Egypt in that moment, and so should be released immediately to avoid serious international problems

Now seems weird that Mubarak has a nieces working in Italy as hooker and as a thief ,
but even more weird that Mubrak's niece could be Maroccan instead then a Egyptian , and have a very different Family name

he claim to be victim of Communist Judges conspiration and his total innocence
... as he always does when caught red handed.

Well at least there is no more a Bush to support him, and maybe even the Clintons will not like much see him survive once again , when poor Bill had to resign for much less, done only once ,in privat rooms and not in a party and with a woman of more then 18 (BTW berlusconi is about 80)

nafta affected us personally as my hubby was a truck driver. every time he would get a good dedicated run, within months he would lose it because the work would close down in the US and go to Mexico. We are so lucky that the was able to retire before we lost everything. Now he is mr. mom and I am the worker.

I had to look up the meaning of GATT and NAFTA.
Europe is generally considered "socialist" in the US.
Well the fact is that we here in Holland apparently are much better off than you.
Unemployment is ~4.7% and our economy is growing.
One section that's in trouble is construction.

I think GATT is a good thing:it benefits every country.
NAFTA I don't understand how they could do that: Mexico???
That's asking for problems.
When eastern Europe freed itself from communism those countries wanted to join the EU.
The EU agreed but they had first to bring their economy (and wages) to a level comparable to the original group.
Gerard.

You may be in a country lucky enough for GATT to benifit you Gerard like China, but the U.S. did not benifit (except for short term cost of goods; that time is now up). It just transferred our capital to other countries and benifited a select few here. NAFTA also effected Canada too. Again, Canada seemed to benifit from it. Mexico elite did so too but it did not increase the standard of living for the common man in Mexico. You can't have free trade if it is not fair. How do you compete against a country that pays their folk a wage equivalent to $1.00 a day? You don't; you move your jobs there and then lower our standard of living. That's exactly what NAFTA/GATT has done here in the U.S. I will tell you that I was making good money before NAFTA/GATT was passed. It took 5 years for the negative effects to directly effect me. Now it is effecting us all.