In 1992, as a trouble shooter supplier to major corporations for computers and other computer components, I studied many tech bulletins and documents to find ways to resolve supply problems related to quality and standards. Free trade was in bloom and many manufacturers were finding it difficult finding the proper components. Free trade has changed the way things were being done. Foreign components did not follow any standards and by the time one item was field tested and qualified for production, the part no longer existed. Foreign manufacturers in many cased revised the item several times within a testing period without adding a new product code. It was very frustrating for all involved. The U.S. manufacturers who sought for zero defects production were dwindling away. I knew things would be changing and what we had was gone.
This was the setting when I came across a computer sourcing magazine which told about the new Maquiladora factory program in Mexico. U.S. manufacturers were invited to move their factories to Mexico to take advantage of 40 cents per hour workers. For about a dollar per hour, a U.S. manufacturer did not even have to worry about moving anything. Mexican contractors did it all. So many factories were just closing down in our country and setting up production in Mexico for a fraction of costs than in America. We all know what happened. The process backfired with millions of workers and businesses having to quit because they could never compete under these conditions. I also new it would be the end of my business which I had enjoyed for more than twenty-five years serving companies nationwide and as far as China. I had sold Chinese distributors diagnostic, calibration, components and even vintage mainframe computers. When free trade kicked in President Clinton and his free trade policy gave our technology away for free to China.
What took more than thirty years of research and development suddenly in quick fashion was moved out of our country. In 1992, just between IBM and ATT / NCR computers more than 250,000 workers lost their jobs. And this is when I began my advocacy for workers dignity, local and value added economies and real free enterprise system. Free trade came as a theif in the night and stole our American Dream away. Based on several experts in the field I predicted the coming of our economic and social crisis in 1994. In 1995, President Clinton had to rush billions of dollars to Mexico to save the peso and the Mexican economy. Free trade economic failed early. It was an indicator of things to come. In 2008, President Obama had to bail out the whole process by borrowing trillions of dollars from future generations. See more at ray-tapajna-tapsearcher.page.tl ray-tapajna-info.page.tl tapsearch-master-site.page.tl with a summary of our sites, articles and studies. Our original website which is now a history of free trade failures is at tapsearch.com/tapartnews
