Ed Tincani – 2/26/09

This page was last updated on February 26, 2009.

Trade agreements are too one-sided; Edward Tincani; Beaver County Times; February 26, 2009.

A previous letter from Mr. Tincani was entitled “Nation pays price for Bush’s big ego.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Reports show our nation’s trade deficit for 2004 was more than $668 billion dollars and for 2005 was more than $788 billion.

“In 2007, steel imports reached a record high.

“With these facts in mind, I feel President Barack Obama should have insisted the steel to repair our bridges and other structures be made in the United States, regardless of our current foreign trade deals.”

[RWC] Protectionist thinking like this helped turn what should have been a normal recession into the Great Depression.

“Judging from our past and current trade deficits, they are one-sided and need to be adjusted. This would create genuine jobs that our country desperately needs, not government handouts that place a greater strain on our already overburdened city, state, county and federal governments.”

[RWC] Mr. Tincani is using flawed logic. Just because we run trade deficits doesn’t mean “our foreign trade deals … are one-sided and need to be adjusted.” Let’s use a sports analogy. Just because the Cleveland Browns don’t seem to be able to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, does that mean the rules “are one-sided and need to be adjusted?”

“Apparently the remnants of the Bush regime that put our country in this economic meltdown are still calling the shots.”

[RWC] You have to get a kick out of comments like this. A Democrat President pushed his own spending bill through a Democrat-majority Congress with only three “Republican” votes, yet Mr. Tincani believes “the remnants of the Bush regime that put our country in this economic meltdown are still calling the shots.” Wow!

“Is it our current administration’s desire to create a free-standing, working middle-class society or one waiting for the next government handout?”

[RWC] If Mr. Tincani had been paying attention to Democrat policy for decades, and Mr. Obama’s campaign in particular, he would know the answer to this question. Then again, perhaps he does.