Time for decision on trade policies

Going back to the George Herbert Walker Bush and Clinton days, unions had become very powerful and both presidents decided to liberalize free trade. It resulted in a huge influx of foreign products ultimately causing the exit of many American corporations. The Republicans supported the multinational corporations, ignoring the consequences, and passed numerous bills offering tax incentives and tax deferrals to multinational companies that became more powerful, supplying us with virtually everything.

Besides offshoring jobs and trade services, it has resulted in a huge trade deficit, now averaging $546.6 billion per year. If you consider this has been going on for 15 to 20 years, (10 years would be $5.466 trillion), you might consider it to be more important than tax increases or spending cuts.

I am convinced that free trade -- offshoring jobs and services -- is and always has been a major problem that everyone has ignored and will continue to plague us until corrected.

President Obama and the Democrats have, over the years, proposed some legislation that would have helped ease the pain but not cure the disease. But the Republican Congress killed it before we had a chance to try it.

Decision time: The budget deficit problem and the national budget have become major and critical problems and something must be done immediately. It's time for the American people to rise up and demand that free trade and all trade policies be revised and corrected.

JACK H. KNOWLAN SR., Jackson