J.R. Martin: September 3, 2013

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J. R. Martin  “Selling U.S. Out”

www.sellingusout.org 

Selling U.S. Out is a non-partisan examination of the trade and economic policies that brought about the current economic crisis. It is receiving positive reviews from Americans across the social and political spectrum.

“Selling U.S. Out” is an extremely well-written book that exposes  the facts surrounding the United States’ international trade relations. J.R. Martin provides an in-depth analysis of our country’s past and present trade policies as well as his recommendations for the future. He unravels all the mysteries of our faltering performance in a way the media has missed. This book should be mandatory reading for all of our Federal officials, and it is a “must read” for every concerned citizen.

Dr. T. J. O’Hara – Strategic Consultant, Author, Washington Times Columnist

Labor Day is almost here, and J.R. Martin, author of “Selling U.S. Out” gives a different perspective on this topic. 

By J.R. Martin

In my great grandfather’s time, Labor Day was an event to celebrate the contributions and promote the interests of America’s work force. 

At the turn of the 20^th century, major American towns held Labor Day parades to celebrate the contributions of the workers who built American industry.

Today, the parades no longer take place like the old days.  The holiday has instead become an opportunity to extend a summer vacation and give our students a day off from their studies.  Many American retail stores force their labor force to work extended hours so that their customers may purchase end-of-summer attire at considerable savings to them but at the cost of a holiday to others. 

The industries that American workers created; textiles, steel, automobile, electronics, aerospace, and many others have been lost to China, Japan, India and other foreign nations.  America’s work force has been abandoned as many U.S. corporations now refer to themselves as “multi-national” showing no loyalty or allegiance to the USA.

 Somewhere in the course of the Labor Day celebration, our government leaders will try to highlight the growth of our American work force and also to highlight the decline in the unemployment rate.   “Our economy was shedding more than 800,000 jobs (in 2008), but thanks to smart policy choices and good old fashioned hard work, a recovery began to take hold,” Hilda Solis, the Secretary of Labor noted in her 2012 Labor Day address

I’m sure that we can expect a similar message from President Obama,  Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and other government leaders for this Labor Day.   Yet, lost in their rhetoric on job creation will be the need to get a detailed analysis of the type of jobs created.

Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury  for  Economic Policy in the Reagan administration, noted in one published report that since Obama took office, his administration has created  more than 75,000 jobs in the hospitality sector.   American businesses added 52,000 new positions as wait staff and bar tenders.  In that same article, Roberts said American firms also added nearly 20,000  positions in gambling, amusement and recreation.

Yet, one has to ask how those in the industry make a living wage at starting positions in the hospitality sector.    In San Antonio, there are many successful hospitality professionals who work in management positions.  Yet, too many others have to work extra hours or more than one job to support their family.

This summer, the city of Schertz announced to local media sources that they would provide economic incentives to Amazon to build a new distribution center in their community.  

When Amazon completes their distribution center, political leaders will be on hand to celebrate the addition of a business that will add 350 fulltime jobs to their community.  However, how can that city’s economic leaders truly praise the arrival of a business that pays each worker $16 to $20 per hour?

Until we change our trade and economic policies to bring industry and jobs back to our shores as well as our work force development strategy, China, India, Japan and other foreign nations will continue to steal away from our economic base.

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