WAYS to FIGHT for FAIR Trade Policies, Domestic American Manufacturing, and Good Jobs for All Americans:
1.Register to vote and vote for fair trade candidates at all levels of government, not free traders. 2.Learn the difference between fair trade, which protects American companies and jobs, and free trade, which destroys them. Start by visiting the www.tradealert.org website daily.
3.Tell four friends about the dangers of free trade as it is practiced today. It means massive trade deficits, loss of manufacturing jobs, and the movement of factories overseas.
4.E-mail articles on the destructive effects of free trade on the www.tradealert.org website to friends and family.
5.Become more aware of WHERE the GOODS you buy are MADE. Always check the "Country of Origin" label on products you buy.
6.Support American manufacturers. Buy American!
7.Don't buy foreign-made goods when there are equivalent American goods.
8.Boycott the products of companies which abandon America and move their factories overseas to exploit cheap labor.
9.If you have a personal story of job loss, share it with us -- we will post it on www.tradealert.org.
10.In addition, send the story to your local newspaper and your elected representatives at the local, state, and federal level.
11.Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers in support of fair trade and American manufacturing.
12.Organize a book or discussion group about trade and job issues.
13.Begin your home answering machine message with: "You've reached the Smiths. We buy American!" Or a similar fair trade greeting.
14.Contribute a nomination to the Free Trade Hall of Shame on www.tradealert.org. Hall of Shamers are those who have hurt the American economy and our industrial base.
15.Contribute nominations for our Hall of Fame, those who have helped protect American companies and jobs.
16.Find out your rights in case you are downsized. You may be eligible for trade adjustment assistance in addition to state unemployment benefits if you have been hurt by international trade, such as your company moving overseas.
17.Find out how many manufacturers are left in your state. See if your state or county economic development offices are doing anything about keeping factories and jobs in your area.
18.Report your findings to www.tradealert.org and to your local newspaper through a letter to the editor.
19.Pressure your STATE legislators to back manufacturer's in your state.
20.Talk to your kids what their economic future will look like if there are no manufacturing or technology jobs left in America.
21.Make sure your teenager's civics curriculum includes information about the negative effects of free trade and globalization on your community.
22.Send an e-mail to your friends asking them to visit www.tradealert.org.
23.Be sure to participate in any lobbying activities on behalf of American manufacturing.
24.Write a column for your local or school newspaper exposing free trade myths or commenting on articles they have carried about plant closings, job loss, etc..
25.Join a political party and encourage that party to recruit and support pro-fair trade politicians.
26.Consider going to business school and starting or joining an enterprise that creates good jobs for Americans.
27.Ask your religious leaders to speak out for economic and trade policies that benefit all Americans, not just multinational corporations, their officers, and shareholders.
28.Organize a local fair trade group. Hold meetings, rallies, etc. Hand out fair trade literature at malls, events, churches, etc. to make your fellow citizens more aware of the need to retain American manufacturing and technology jobs here at home, especially by buying American-made products.
28.Speak out when the free traders spread their myths in speeches, columns, interviews, articles, or even quotes in newspaper articles. Be prepared to counter their myths with facts and arguments about the way the world really works -- and it's not according to their academic theories.
29.Start preparing by getting educated on trade issues. Get the facts at www.tradealert.org.
30.E-mail your friends and family before an election, remind them to vote and tell them which candidates support fair trade.
31.If your school or civic organization is holding a raffle, make sure that the prizes are made in America.
32.Keep up with the bond issues in your state and locality. Taking on excessive debt and then losing factories and the taxes they pay due to bad trade policy kills schools, social services, and communities.
33.Demand that the Department of Defense follow the Buy American Act and purchase American made products.
34.Demand that other federal, state, and local government agencies buy American whenever and wherever possible.
35.When there are trade votes in Congress, find out how your representatives voted on trade issues. Thank those who vote to protect American jobs and vote against those who do not.
36.Call radio talk shows and make the fair trade case whenever there is a discussion of trade or jobs going on.
37.Be a voice for fair trade in online discussion groups such as those at Yahoo.com or freerepublic.com.
38.Support those fellow Americans who have had their jobs shipped overseas.
39.Demand that Congress do more for those American companies that are the victims of unfair foreign trade practices, and also for their employees.
40.Encourage Congress to impose taxes on those American companies who are now in the process of outsourcing American jobs to off shore sites. |
