Can Obama do something about this? Does he even want to?

[Elwood P Dowd]

We haven't enjoyed a trade surplus since 1975. The deficits started on a permanent basis the next year but remained relatively small until they increased dramatically during the last 5 years of Reagan. The deficits declined under Bush I, but then he had his trade witch Carla Hills negotiating NAFTA and GATT/WTO, which he left for Clinton in 1993 and 1994. Clinton jump in be with Newt and the gang, and the rest is history. Bush II continued the insanity with numerous small trade deals and outsourcing policies, and a larger one called CAFTA. The deficits exploded to over 5 trillion in just the 8 years under Bush II -- more total trade deficits than the previous 42 presidents combined!

The picture looks even more grim when you look at the second column under Goods Balance Of Payment. This is where you see that giant trade loss in manufactured goods. Were it not for a trade surplus in services, the total deficit would be dramatically higher.

Sadly, guess what we're hearing from Obama's USTR office? We're hearing them promoting more of these insane, job-killing free trade agreements. What was it Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result".

The numbers are here……..

http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/historical/gands.txt

United States Trade Deficits Since 1993 - In Billions

Bill Clinton

1993 - 70,311,000,000
1994 - 98,493,000,000
1995 - 96,384,000,000
1996 - 104,065,000,000
1997 - 108,273,000,000
1998 - 166,140,000,000
1999 - 264,239,000,000
2000 - 378,780,000,000

George W Bush

2001 - 364,393,000,000
2002 - 420,524,000,000
2003 - 494,183,000,000
2004 - 609,345,000,000
2005 - 714,176,000,000
2006 - 759,240,000,000
2007 - 702,099,000,000
2008 - 698,802,000,000
2009 - 374,908,000,000

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Not until you and every other American is willing to work for $.05 an hour.