Harry Reid’s Loss Is Free Trade’s Gain

Perhaps the most valuable outcome of the midterm election is that it allows Republicans to remove Harry Reid, D-Nev., from his post as Senate Majority Leader, or as I have dubbed him, “Chief Bottleneck for Free Trade.” With his demotion, his ties to labor unions can be minimized, which means that America can earnestly negotiate free trade agreements. This comes at an important time. President Obama is in Asia to participate in discussions about the Trans-Pacific... Read More

Job Creation Stymied as Obama Strikes Out on Asian Trade Negotiations

A metaphor for President Obama’s recent trip to Asia was the widely aired game of soccer he had with a Japanese robot. In essence, Japan made Obama kick the impending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — which unites 12 economies around the Pacific Rim — down the road as trade talks stalled. How important is TPP to American trade? The Peterson Institute for International Economics projects that it could cause American exports to rise by $123.5 billion per year by... Read More

Exports Must Be Freed From Partisan Politics

I am a die-hard advocate for supporting U.S. exports, so it concerns me that exports have been taken hostage during the ongoing Congressional infighting. Exports are vital, considering that more than 38 million American jobs depend on trade. One in three manufacturing jobs depends on exports, and one in three acres on American farms is planted for hungry consumers overseas. U.S. exports set another record in 2012, growing 4.4 percent ($66 billion) and reaching $1.56 trillion,... Read More

Taking Free Trade for Granted

Here in the United States we take free trade for granted. We have access to markets throughout the world, but most of us think nothing of it. We have grown accustomed to the goods and services that make our life easier. Yet, in the Ukraine, access to free markets has been stomped on by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, who has decided that forming a union with Russia is preferred over a relationship with the European Union. The result is that Ukrainians have taken to... Read More

We Ignore Japan at Our Peril

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the deepening rift between the United States and Japan, and the folly of appointing a completely unqualified Caroline Kennedy as the U.S. ambassador to Japan. If there ever was a time to have an experienced ambassador with solid credentials, it is now. Just as the U.S.-led effort to create the multi-lateral Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — the largest free-trade agreement in history — is gaining traction, which would open Asia for U.S.... Read More

Louisiana Congressman John Fleming Characterizes BP Oil Spill As A Disaster of Biblical Proportions

The unfortunate families in the Gulf got no comfort listening to the President’s energy address this week.  Even as President Obama was preparing his speech, Asbury noted that the government released a new estimate of the amount of oil flowing from the well. It was estimated that as much as 60,000 barrels could be spewing into the Gulf of Mexico each day, a sharp increase over the estimate last week of 25,000 to 30,000 barrels a day.  Meanwhile, Asbury was incredulous... Read More