>Doug pooh-poohs protectionist critics of NAFTA, etc. who say that
>free trade agreements have had a negative impact upon American
>workers
Not exactly. I think the effects of trade are generally exaggerated, but they're appealing because they locate the source of trouble abroad instead of within our own economy and poliitcs. Besides, it's an empirical fact that the U.S. working class did better in terms of both employment and earnings in the 7 years since NAFTA took effect than it did in the previous 7.
And, the U.S. working class unquestionably benefits from imperialism, so it gets very problematic to make the claims about trade agreements assaults on our "sovereignty" that nationalist labor types make.
Doug