[CTC] Kaisch || A Vote Against Trade Is a Vote Against Growth

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-vote-against-trade-is-a-vote-against-growth-1473981566 <http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-vote-against-trade-is-a-vote-against-growth-1473981566>
A Vote Against Trade Is a Vote Against Growth

China and Russia want the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Why? It will make us stronger.

John R. Kasich 
Sept. 15, 2016 7:19 p.m. ET 
The current war of words over the Trans-Pacific Partnership is far more than a trade debate. It’s about whether America still has the will to tackle change head-on and emerge stronger, on the leading edge of innovation, offering a better quality of life for Americans. 

With 40 million American jobs dependent on trade, the U.S. economy is already interconnected with the rest of the world. So TPP is not about something “new” as much as it is about helping existing U.S. companies—large and small—find growth opportunities in Japan, Australia, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and four other Pacific Rim nations that want to increase trade with America.

Saying “yes” to TPP makes possible the economic growth American businesses and their employees want and need. Saying “no” is not a neutral or beneficial move—far from it. Turning down TPP slams the door on a way forward for job creation, and it will have a choking effect on the jobs, companies and communities that are now sustained by trade.

While competition and innovation have challenged us to raise our trade game and helped relentlessly drive progress for our country, we can’t deny that some workers and communities have been hurt because of their connection to industries that struggle to adjust. But the answer isn’t to shrink from trade’s challenges, it’s to roll up our sleeves and put American know-how to work as we have done so successfully in the past.

We must help workers overcome—and quickly—the impacts of global competition and technological change, and move past the notion of “bringing back” old jobs and industries that, frankly, don’t fit in a changing economy. That means making aggressive and fundamental improvements to our archaic education and workforce-training systems so they meet the needs of the knowledge economy—the coming world of artificial intelligence, commonplace robotics, machine-to-machine communication, 3-D printing and self-driving cars.

America’s Asian-Pacific allies are watching. It would deal a permanent blow to our national security if Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and other emerging powers fear they cannot count on us and instead turn to China and Russia for leadership. Make no mistake, those who have the most to gain from TPP’s failure are rooting for the U.S. to pull out of the partnership. Vladimir Putin <http://topics.wsj.com/person/P/Vladimir-Putin/6409>, a retread of the classic Soviet dictator, and Xi Jinping <http://topics.wsj.com/person/J/Xi-Jinping/6475>, the most repressive Chinese leader since Mao, both want nothing more than TTP to fail.

Since the end of World War II, America’s economic leadership has rested on a philosophy that “the freer the flow of world trade, the stronger the tides of human progress and peace among nations.” Those wise words were spoken exactly 30 years ago by America’s 40th president, Ronald Reagan. The father of America’s modern conservative movement understood that free trade and open markets are key components of conservative economic and political theory because they lead to economic growth and international security. When people and nations trade together, as Reagan’s words remind us, it binds them together and promotes peace.

I am convinced that the 12-country TPP agreement is a common-sense approach that will serve our nation well. In fact, trade with these Pacific countries already exists, but without essential guarantees of fairness and equality that the TPP’s formal partnership will ensure.

Objectively weighing the pros and cons unavoidably brings us to the fact that global trade is good for my state of Ohio and good for America. That’s why TPP is supported by such a broad cross-section of the nation’s business community. Congress should work with President Obama to move the partnership forward.

While I have deep misgivings about much of the president’s economic agenda, this trade expansion makes sense and will guarantee America’s job creators access to the fastest-growing consumer market in the world. The result: stronger sales, improved economies of scale, increased productivity and higher wages. 

I have always believed that the most important moral purpose of political leaders is to make sure we create an environment for job creation so people can live their dreams and realize their God-given potential. That belief has driven policies in my state that have allowed us to create more than 430,000 new jobs in the past six years. Trading on a fair and level playing field with these new markets will build on that success, increasing jobs and growth for our communities.

We cannot turn our backs on this opportunity, because expanding trade is about more than growing our economy, it’s also about national security and America’s role in the world. Lawmakers and special interests in Washington should put aside politics and send a message to our Pacific Rim allies that we are open for business and ready to seize the opportunities that will come with a strong and trusting partnership.

Mr. Kasich, a Republican, is the governor of Ohio. 


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