What Uncle Sam Really Wants: on Free Trade


Free trade is all about corporate subsidies

Nobody in the corporate world or government takes free trade seriously. The parts of the economy tht are able to compete internationally are primarily the state-subsidized ones: capital-intensive agriculture, high-tech industry, etc.

The government has the public pay for research and development and provides a state-guaranteed market for waste production. If something is marketable, the private sector takes it over. That system of public subsidy and private profit is what is called free enterprise.

Source: What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky, p. 13 Jan 13, 1991

Trilateral world view means Latin America belongs to the US

From the early 1970s, the world has been drifting into what’s called tripolarism or trilateralism-3 major economic blocs that compete with each other. Thr first is a yen-based bloc with Japan at its center and the former Japanese colonies at the periphery. There’s a lot of nonsense written about how the fact that Japan became a major competitor proves how honorable we are. The actual policy option was to restore Japan’s empire, but now all under our control.

The second major competitive bloc is based in Europe and is dominated by Germany. It’s taking a big step forward with the consolidation of the European Common Market.

The third bloc is the US-dominated, dollar-based one. It was recently extended to incorporate Canada, our major trading partner, and will soon include Mexico and other parts of the hemisphere, by “free trade agreements” designed primarily for the interests of US investors and their associates. We’ve always assumed that Latin America belongs to us by right.

Source: What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky, p. 25-28 Jan 13, 1991

  • The above quotations are from What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Free Trade.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Noam Chomsky on Free Trade.
2016 Presidential contenders on Free Trade:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019