Commentary

Is free trade causing job loss?

Is free trade causing job loss?

Walter E. Williams

International trade figures heavily in the presidential race. Presidential candidate Donald Trump said, "Hillary Clinton unleashed a trade war against the American worker when she supported one terrible trade deal after another – from NAFTA to China to South Korea." And adding, "A Trump Administration will end that war by getting a fair deal for the American people. The era of economic surrender will finally be over." He lamented, "Skilled craftsmen and tradespeople and factory workers have seen the jobs they love shipped thousands and thousands of miles away."

Hillary Clinton has offered her own condemnations of trade and globalization. Some see her stance on trade as little more than typical campaign rhetoric. Bill Watson's Reason magazine article "Hillary Clinton's Protectionist Promises Would Do Serious Economic Damage," looked at Clinton's trade agenda. Watson concluded that for "fans of free trade and globalization, Clinton is a much more appealing candidate simply by not being horrible."

Report: Ten things that keep Mainers poor
News

Report: Ten things that keep Mainers poor

Kelly Thomas

PORTLAND – Excessive government regulation and a welfare system that fosters dependency are two of the top contributors to income inequality in Maine, according to a recently released report by the Maine Heritage Policy Center. The June 2016 report, "Top 10 Things Keeping Mainers Poor," which was compiled by analyst Liam Sigaud, outlines the primary factors that make Maine consistently one of the hardest states in which to make a living.

As of June, 12.3 percent of Maine residents were living below the poverty line, making it the 22nd poorest state in the nation. New Hampshire is the most prosperous state, with only 7 percent of its population below the poverty line.

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