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Professors Debate Free Trade Issues The Style, SUNY College at Brockport Wednesday, April 13, 2005 By Adam Young STAFF WRITER A debate titled "Working in a Global Marketplace: Debating the Effects of Trade on America and Beyond" was held in the Cooper New York Room April 5. The event, sponsored by the American Democracy Project, included four debaters contesting the topic of free trade and globalization. The debaters who were against free trade were Jack Davis, a manufacturing business owner, and Amy Guptill, SUNY Brockport assistant professor in the department of sociology. The debaters in favor of free trade included SUNY Brockport associate professor of international business and economics Baban Hasnat and optics business owner Wil Hunter. The debate lasted two hours as the two sides contested whether free trade was advantageous or damaging to American society. Davis, who opposed free trade, contended that 307,000 American jobs have been lost to countries overseas like China, and that American workers cannot compete with the low wages being paid Chinese workers. Davis stated that free trade is not "balanced" and that tariffs are necessary to protect American workers. "Tariffs protect our markets," said Davis. "We think we're a superpower." Hasnat contended that free trade "promotes inhibition and competition." Hasnat andHunter, who agreed with free trade in its current form, discussed the introduction of Japanese vehicles into the American consumer market, causing American automobile companies to improve their vehicles in order to compete. "Free trade does not 'hinder the middle class'...we gain more jobs than we lose," said Hunter. Professor Guptill, who opposed free trade, stated that she was not as adamant about the issue as her partner, Davis, but that the global arena of free trade is not balanced, with little voice from the American farmers that free trade may affect. "I think countries have a right," said Guptill, "to draw some protection around their boundaries." Guptill specifically cited Asian "tiger countries" like Korea and Taiwan that first developed their economies locally before allowing themselves to trade globally. Hunter stated that all American businesses have to do to compete with China, as well as large American companies like Wal-Mart, is evaluate all of their alternatives to terminating employees and devise a solution. "Most jobs are lost to technological change, poor management and other factors, not free trade," said Hunter. Davis repeatedly stated that he held a unique perspective to view the situation as a manufacturer who had witnessed firsthand the cutbacks and outsourcing of jobs within his own business, unlike "sheltered college professors." Davis founded an organization called Save American Jobs in order to garner members to support his cause. "We have to get the government involved... something has to be done," Davis said. Articles: Reflections On General Electric's Global Strategy |
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