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Trade Has Become Political Hot Potato

The current presidential campaign has been filled with a lot of anti-trade talk, which most economic experts agree is not a good sign for future economic growth. 
 
The public does seem to have a lot of misconceptions about the Trans Pacific Partnership in particular which will make it politically difficult for congress to approve the agreement. International trade expert Paul Drazek says failure to approve the TPP could have some international repercussions.
 
 
Drazek has a long career in trade issues with USDA, US Trade Representative’s office, American Farm Bureau Federation and other government and private agencies. 
 
A common complaint about the TPP is the myth that it was negotiated in secret by big business, and we don’t really know what’s in it. However, Tamara Nelson, Illinois Farm Bureau’s point person on trade the agreement is totally transparent, and the entire proposed agreement is right there on the internet.
 
 
Trade agreements, like the TPP as well as the decades old NAFTA agreement are taking the blame for a soft job market when most trade experts say the job market would be even softer without them. The major selling point of these agreements is lowering of import tariffs by our trading partners, making their markets more accessible to US exports, thus creating more jobs here at home.

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