Trade

The economic power of the United States is a creative force greater than any destructive force of our military. With this power we should express the core ideals upon which America was founded. Basic human freedom, rights, and expression along with environmental preservation should be core to our trade agreements. In addition, American jobs and workers should be considered first and not last when opening the doors for American companies to outsource. Sadly, NAFTA and CAFTA did not live up to these standards, nor did opening trade with China. Now the doors are open, closing them would be monumental with effects not readily understood.

Adjustments to existing agreements need to be made. Companies that insist on outsourcing overseas should have to replace workers who have been displaced. The economic landscape of the world is flattening, but that does not mean we can't protect American jobs and innovation first. Is it really necessary to outsource not only our jobs, but our infrastructure? Are there no American companies that are capable of managing a seaport?

There is need for improvement in the area of Intellectual Property laws that are currently making it hard to innovate in the software industry in the US for any company with less than a dozen lawyers on board.