WASHINGTON - Alarmed by slipping support for free trade even among Republicans, President Bush is arguing that protectionism will cut Americans out of chances for more — and better — jobs.

Bush has launched a blitz on behalf of pending free trade pacts with four nations. He continued the push Saturday in his weekly radio address.

"More exports support better and higher-paying jobs," the president said. "And to keep our economy expanding, we need to keep expanding trade."

His radio address followed a speech on trade he delivered Friday in Miami. Bush also granted interviews this week to business-oriented news organizations.

Since Democrats took control of Congress in January, it has not approved any free trade agreements that the administration has negotiated, and it has allowed Bush's authority to negotiate future deals under expedited procedures to expire.

Before lawmakers now are agreements with Peru and Panama, considered likely to pass, and with Colombia and South Korea, both seen as precarious. The deal with Colombia is in trouble over human rights issues and there is strong opposition to the South Korea agreement because of barriers erected by Seoul to keep out U.S. autos and beef.

Bush pledges funds to retrain workers
The administration already has reached agreement with Democrats to include tougher language on protecting worker rights and the environment. But critics say five consecutive years of record U.S. trade deficits have played a major role in the ....

loss of more than 3 million manufacturing jobs since Bush took office in 2001.

"I know many Americans feel uneasy about new competition and worry that trade will cost jobs," Bush said. "So the federal government is providing substantial funding for

trade adjustment assistance that helps Americans make the transition from one job to the next. We are working to improve federal job-training programs.

*From one job to the next means that you lost your job and in order to feed your family, you gotta find another job and your government is going to help you. Believe that? I got some swamp land in Louisiana I need to sell you,

And we are providing strong support for America's community colleges, where people of any age can go to learn new skills for a better, high-paying career."

*After training at minimum wage, you can re-enter into the workforce at entry level pay trying to recoup your losses after losing your jobs to some nitwit in India. Ever tried to get help from Dell tech support... ?

We can't compete in the "free trade market" because the US won't put our little kids to work (like some countries do). And of course we shouldn't do that.

I disagree with Bush (all the Bush's ) on this.

And YEPPER........ I've tried to get help from Dell tech support. The one good thing about that is that you can talk to someone 24/7..... it's day for them when all of us are home from work. But the down side is that they are nitwits.

Cause if not, that makes your point above kind of strange, you know.

Anyway, Jen, I am so sorry you cannot see the real America, America of my dreams, where the socialist shackles are taken off her feet and arms, and its economy is expanding drastically. Heck, look at how much government abuse any businessman has to get from the government for simply trying to provide goods and services. Tax this, regulate that, lawsuit this, need a permission for that, must employ these, must explain that. You cut the tazes and government regulations in half, fix our legal system and defend the business from frivolous lawsuits (yap, send Edwards to jail for his shenanigans) - and the world would be amazed at ths US GDP growth. China would be on its knees in 8 months flat.

But I doubt it will happen any time soon, and US will continue hemofraging jobs, until there are none left.

A) How many manufacturing jobs were lost during the Clinton administration?

B) McCain has proposed wage insurance which would pay at least part of the difference between what someone made and what they have to take when their job is outsourced - will you support him?

C) If your employer can't sell his product because his company's wages are so much higher than a competitor's, and he can't cut wages, then he goes out of business and all the employees lose their jobs. Is that what you prefer?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Governor Howard Dean was challenged today by Vice Chairman Jim Saxton to explain the deterioration in the economy already underway in 2000, before President Clinton left office. Saxton again referred to the statement of Joseph Stiglitz, President Clinton’s Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, who said, "the economy was slipping into recession even before Bush took office, and the corporate scandals that are rocking America began much earlier."

Dean has blamed current Administration policies for the decline in payroll employment in recent years, but fails to mention that a key reason for this decline is the consecutive drops in manufacturing employment that started in the middle of the last year of the Clinton Administration. In the final month of the Clinton Administration, manufacturing employment dropped by 76,000. Manufacturing production had also trended downward since the summer of 2000. This is consistent with a variety of other economic data showing a sharp reduction in economic growth in the middle of 2000 following the stock market plunge of early 2000.

"As I have pointed out before, an overwhelming proportion of the recent employment declines has been in manufacturing," Saxton said. "But this trend of consecutive declines in manufacturing employment began well before President Bush took office or his policies went into effect. Mr. Dean should explain how this chain of manufacturing job losses could be blamed on Administration policies that only took effect after this trend was well underway. Of course, it is also important to recognize that there also has been a long-term trend in recent decades toward lower manufacturing employment regardless of economic conditions.

"As previous JEC studies have noted, the bursting of the stock market bubble early in 2000 had a devastating effect on business investment and economic growth. The impact of the bursting financial bubble on the economy in 2000 and following years is too important to be ignored by policymakers," Saxton concluded.

For more information on economic conditions, please visit our website at www.house.gov/jec.

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in India regarding a problem with our Dell. And I don't mind that (since it was late in the evening here) as much as I mind that we here knew more about computers than the person we talked to..........so it wasn't much help. And I also mind that our jobs here are going overseas for others to do more cheaply than we can do them here. I don't think Bush's open trade - give the jobs to someone overseas - is working well for us.

And I agree with what you said here. I am against our move toward socialism.

HST-libertarian:

A) How many manufacturing jobs were lost during the Clinton administration?

Those figures were from an honest source. ****

B) McCain has proposed wage insurance which would pay at least part of the difference between what someone made and what they have to take when their job is outsourced - will you support him?

I can only offer my opinion here. McCain while he has his best foot out there, the question in my mind is, how will it be paid for. If it comes out of the pockets of the employer, his / her prices will have to increase. If he is planning for the government to pay for this, then taxes will have to increase beyond our wildest dreams because we will still be paying for this damned war for oil. ****

C) If your employer can't sell his product because his company's wages are so much higher than a competitor's, and he can't cut wages, then he goes out of business and all the employees lose their jobs. Is that what you prefer?

How do you compete with Chinese labor costs? Do you go back and blame the unions? Do you blame the employer for his / her lack of business astuteness if they close their doors? Look at the lack of manufacturing standards in China with regards to safety in exports and local products. While we contaminate our own spinach and lettuce from California, I will not eat some of my more favorable foods from China at this time due to several contaminant warnings. C'mon, lead paint in children's toys. Was this intentional? I will pay more for goods thart are deemed safe before buying from China again. In other words HST, while I feel some animosity in your response, I have tried to answer you as well as I can under the broad ended possibilities of your questions.****

This could be a good interchange if ya wanted.....