Protecting American jobs at all cost

Kerry Faults Bush for WTO Sanctions Threat:

“Once again, the Bush administration failed to stand up for American companies and workers at the WTO, and as a result, unfair trade practices are hurting our economy and middle class families,” Kerry said in a statement.

The sharp criticism followed the WTO’s decision to allow the European Union, Japan, Canada, Brazil, India, Mexico, Chile and South Korea to impose duties on American exports because of the United States failure to repeal the so-called “Byrd amendment,” which has previously been declared illegal under international trade rules.

The program distributes funds raised by U.S. anti-dumping and other duties on imported goods to companies that asked for the protection against unfair trade. Previously, that money went into the general treasury. Critics say the provision encourages companies to file more anti-dumping cases.

Bloody politics. Other countries surely want to protect their own industries just as the US does. No country is truly for fair trade — if the WTO didn’t exist, all countries would selectively add tariffs and subsidise domestic producers, leading to complete madness. Imperfect as the WTO is, it’s there to make sure all countries have a fair go.

John Kerry is just trying to score cheap political points (not that I’m surprised). The US is just as guilty of engaging in unfair trade practice, but anything for more votes, eh?