Published: September 01, 2008 12:24 am      

JACK DAVIS: Free traders ‘don’t understand the problem’

Here’s an abbreviated version of the US&J’s interview with Jack Davis.

Q: Local farmers say they don’t oppose free trade; that if it’s on a level playing field, they’re all for it. You say consistently, “we need to end these pacts.” How do you square that difference?

A: The United States is the only country that believes in free trade. The Asian countries practice predatory trade. They control the value of their currency, keep their laborers low, give tax benefits to exporters and prohibit imports of American products, not through tariffs but indirect controls.

You’ve recently heard, in Korea, that they don’t like our meat, think they’ll get mad cow disease from it? That’s political influence. The Korean government wants it that way, because they live on imports from the United States.

Farmers I’ve talked to are very concerned about milk protein concentrates coming to dairy farmers; our apple people are concerned about concentrated apple juice. That’s brought here by free trade. There are advantages to those countries or they wouldn’t be bringing this product in at such lower prices. ...

Last year we imported more food products than we’ve ever done in our history. The U.S. auto companies produce less than 50 percent of the automobiles sold in the United States. This isn’t just happening, it’s being made to happen by other countries. ...

You can’t (import) $2 billion in goods a day and not end up owing people money. To be wealthy, you’ve got to grow, dig or manufacture, and we’re not doing enough of it any more.

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Q: So the farmers and factory workers who say “we want free trade to work for us,” they’re not seeing things correctly?

A: No they’re not. Free anything, free food, free drugs, everybody’s for “free” but what’s the downside? If everybody believed in free trade it would work, but that ivory tower that some people exist in, from economists to government officials to people that don’t really understand what’s going on ... . I’ve been in international commerce for 45 years. I know what’s going on, and it is serious.

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Q: Farmers also tend to say Americans don’t want farm work at any price — making migrant labor vital to their business. Your stance on immigration seems to ignore that.

A: I’m not against legal immigration, I’m against illegal immigration. And I say there’s not a job that a person won’t do if you pay them enough money. I think they’re using that as an excuse.

Farm work is bending over and it’s smelly and in the sun it’s sometimes hot. When Bush says there’s no jobs here that American workers want to do, that’s absolutely wrong. You pay them enough and they will work. I have it demonstrated (at I Squared R Element Co.). On a hot day it’s 80, 90 degrees out there; they show up. But I pay them well, I treat them well.

We have a huge unemployment problem with black youth in our cities. Put them on buses, take them out there and pay them a decent wage; they will work. Why can’t we get those two together, people who need jobs and farmers? We shouldn’t be bringing in illegal foreigners to do that work.

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Q: Jon Powers has racked up a lot of labor endorsements. You have none. Why not?

A: You know about the Free Choice Rule? The way the present law is written, say if you would like to organize I Squared R, the Teamsters, the Auto Workers, people could do it on their own, you would have this little card and take it to the employees and say “we’d like to join the union, would you sign this card to have the Labor Relations Board come in here and run a secret ballot?” Some would sign, some would not. Some could be intimidated to sign. This “free choice” is, when you sign that, you have a union. It doesn’t protect the workers. I made my position clear on that and the unions said they couldn’t endorse me.

When I first talked to the unions in 2003, I was a non-union shop owner; I thought they’d throw things at me, but at the end of that meeting, they said, and I said, look we have differences. We should put our differences aside. We have to march on Washington and get this free trade problem straightened out. And they endorsed me. Twice. This time they said (Free Choice) was the criteria and I walked away from ‘em. They changed the rules.

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Q: If you don’t win the Democratic line, will you continue to campaign?

A: Yes, oh, definitely. This is too important to leave to the politicians. Our country is being destroyed. They’re still passing free trade agreements ... . They’re paid off. I think a lot of ‘em know it’s wrong but they’re doing the wrong thing anyway. They got the money, they got re-elected and they don’t understand the seriousness of what’s going on here.

Up to a week and a half ago they were all not for drilling. Now they’re coming around, they’re gonna finally drill. I’ve been for drilling, and for nuclear energy, and for shale, geo, bio, wind, all these things, for years. Because I know: A country with low energy costs will have a higher standard of living than one that has high energy costs. Just go to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait and see how they’re living. They’re stealing billions from us and we’re letting ‘em because we didn’t drill 20 years ago.